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Walk with Jesus: Why it’s essential to be a pilgrim
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April 30, 2024When we speak of pilgrims, we often think of the first English fellows arriving with the Mayflower from abroad, wearing funny black hats. And why most of them were looking for a promised land where they could worship how they wanted to; the concept of pilgrimages is different and much older.
From ancient times, people went on pilgrimages. A pilgrimage is a devotional practice consisting of a prolonged journey, often undertaken on foot or horseback, toward a specific destination of significance. Even before Christ, faithful Jews would go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Jesus, at age 12, stayed behind in the temple in Jerusalem during a trip his family made every year for Passover. Buddhism and Hinduism also know the concept of trips for a spiritual purpose.
Since it requires a participant to leave home and enter the unknown, it was and is considered an inherently transient experience. Recent years have seen a renaissance of pilgrimages, especially on the Camino de Santiago leading to Santiago de Compostela. The means or motivations in undertaking a pilgrimage might vary, but mostly, it leads to a unique experience, blending the physical challenges and the spiritual gains.
Since the U.S. was historically predominantly Protestant, pilgrimages—or building pilgrimage sites—were not a priority. When thinking of a pilgrimage, most people turned to European destinations.
Classic destinations
Rome and Jerusalem—the origins of Christianity—have been the major destinations for pilgrims. Traveling to Rome during the Middle Ages was long and arduous. Still, the reward was compelling: Pilgrims believed that their journey to Rome would grant them spiritual benefits, including the forgiveness of sins and the opportunity to gain merit in the eyes of God. The Holy Land became a destination for pilgrims in the 4th century.
However, over the long history of the Catholic Church in Europe, many local or national pilgrimage sites evolved – like Lourdes in France, where many seek healing in the water of the Grotto, other basilicas that house relics of saints, or even small local chapels that were places of miraculous healings, or graces that helped the pilgrims carry on their journey.
The primary motivation for every pilgrimage could be a fulfillment of a vow, atonement for sins, a gesture of thanks for positive events, or a means of intercession, among other reasons. Today, many pilgrims seek to escape their busy lives, looking for time to reflect, pray, and change direction. Often, walking is a means to make the change in life tangible – after a 15-mile hike, a shower, a warm meal and a bed, feel different and help evoke a sense of gratitude! More than 445,000 people walked or biked at least a part of the Camino de Santiago in 2023, 2% more than in 2022.
Pilgrimages in the U.S.
Today, many pilgrimages are made by car or bus. A pilgrimage is also considered a journey to a particular Church or National Shrine, with the deposition to pray for special intentions, ask for graces or thank God for graces granted. For example, many tourists visiting Washington D.C. pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is the largest church in the United States, among the ten largest churches in the world, and the USCCB has officially designated it as a pilgrimage church.
The California Mission Trail follows the missions that Franciscan Missionaries (including St. Junipero Serra) founded in the 17th century. It stretches from San Diego to San Francisco and is done mainly by car.
However, there are also possibilities to experience a pilgrimage on foot. The “Walk with Mary” is a famous route in Wisconsin – 21 miles from the National Shrine of Saint Joseph in De Pere, Wisconsin, to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin.
The San Antonio Mission Trail is very close to our diocese. It starts at the Alamo and leads to the Missions of Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada—roughly 4.5 hours of walking if you want to reach all missions, or you can choose some of them for a shorter pilgrimage. The National Shrine—Basilica of San Juan Del Valle in San Juan in the Diocese of Brownsville is a beautiful place to pray and attend Mass.
The upcoming Eucharistic Pilgrimage allows us to experience a special pilgrimage without long travels. The Perpetual Pilgrims – six college students or recent graduates, with priests and religious accompanying them – will travel through our diocese from Wednesday, May 22 to Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day). Everyone can join them for Mass and 1-mile processions in Kingsville, Robstown, Corpus Christi (on Sunday, May 26) and Refugio. On top of that, two extended processions – 6.5 miles from Kingsville to Bishop on May 23 and 5 miles from Robstown to Violet on May 24 – offer a taste of “walking with Jesus,” literally.
For those who cannot attend the processions, there are Encounter Nights, which offer adoration and fellowship and allow people to get to know the pilgrims.
