Pilgrimage

• Pilgrimage


  A journey made for religious reasons, alone or with other Christians, to a sacred place. The believer makes a physical journey but it is also a spiritual journey towards God. The pilgrimage gives many opportunities for prayer and worship, and is itself an act of worship as believers show devotion to God by choosing to go.
• Places Christians may visit on pilgrimage

  • The Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem
  • Shrines connected with famous saints
  • Remote places to pray and reflect on their lives
• Reasons Christians go on pilgrimage


  • Grow closer to God and strengthen their faith
  • Express sorrow for sin and be forgiven
  • Reflect on their lives, particularly when facing a crisis or a big decision
  • Pray for something special or thank God for a blessing
  • Seek a cure for an illness
  • Help other pilgrims who are disabled or ill
  • Experience a holy place
  • Meet others who share their faith
• It is not compulsory for Christians to go on a pilgrimage but it can play an important role in their spiritual lives
• Often they come back with a better understanding of their faith and renewed enthusiasm for living a Christian life. They may have received advice from priests or monks that has helped them see problems in a new light. They may also feel cleansed from sin
• Lourdes


  A place of pilgrimage dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In 1858 a young girl named Bernadette had visions of Mary in a grotto (cave) near the river. Bernadette spoke of praying the rosary with Mary who looked lovingly upon her. Mary told Bernadette to dig for a spring of water, which was discovered to have healing properties. Now thousands of pilgrims visit Lourdes to pray at the grotto where Mary appeared, to recite the rosary together, and to bathe in the water where it is claimed that 67 miracles and over 6000 other cures have taken place. Many of these pilgrims are sick or disabled and are accompanied by able-bodied helpers.
• Bernadette describing her first vision of the Virgin Mary: 'As I raised my head to look at the grotto, I saw a Lady dressed in white, wearing a white dress, a blue girdle and a yellow rose on each foot, the same color as the chain of her rosary; the beads of the rosary were white.'
• Iona


  An island off the west coast of Scotland. In the 6th century AD, St Columba, an Irish missionary who brought Christianity to Scotland, established a small monastic community there. It is now the home of the ecumenical Iona Community and a place of Christian pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Some people think Iona is a 'thin place', where the veil between the spiritual world and the physical world is thin. Iona is remote and windswept, so for many pilgrims it feels like a place where nature reveals God's infinite power and presence. The Iona Community hold daily services in the abbey church, lead a seven-mile hike to the island's holy and historic spots, and conduct workshops on Christian themes. Pilgrims are asked to help out with daily chores and meals while staying there. There is time for silence, for reflection or meditation, for reading the Bible or holy books, and for enjoying the area's natural beauty.
• The abbey church on Iona