The Way. The Truth. The Life.

What Recent Popes Have Said About Pilgrimages

Since the time of the early Church, Pilgrimages have played an important role in the life of the faithful. Over the centuries, lay people and religious have taken time out of their busy lives to step out in faith and encounter God in a new way. Pilgrimages create opportunities for prayer, penance, grace, and an environment where the Lord can speak to one’s heart.

Historically, Christian pilgrims primarily traveled to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Christ. As the Catholic faith spread throughout the world, so have the number of pilgrimage destinations. (206 Tours travels to 39 countries!) God continues to reveal His love for humanity through apparitions of Our Lady, the lives of His Saints, and magnificent places of worship built to honor Him.

Rather than becoming less important, Pilgrimages are becoming even more essential to our life of faith. Our world is becoming increasingly busy, noise-filled, and demanding of one’s time and attention.

What is the remedy? Pilgrimages and time spent with the Lord.

In recent years, many Popes have emphasized the importance of Pilgrimages in the life of a Christian. Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, recently said:

“A pilgrimage has a vital part to play in our life of faith, for it removes us from our homes and our daily routines, and gives us time and space to encounter God more deeply. Such moments always help us to grow, for through them the Holy Spirit gently fashions us to be ever more closely conformed to the mind and the heart of Jesus Christ.”

Pilgrimages are not about taking a vacation. Pilgrimages are about transformation! They give us the grace and spiritual refreshment necessary to love God more deeply and to become a Saint. While they are enjoyable and you will create wonderful memories, they are primarily about expressing our faith in God and growing in holiness.

As Pope Francis stated, “Making a Pilgrimage to shrines is one of the most eloquent expressions of the faith of God’s people…Each person carries within his or her heart a special wish and a particular prayer.”

You may be thinking, why should I travel on a Pilgrimage? If God is everywhere, and Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle at my local parish Church, why should I travel across the world?

This is a good question and one that Pope Benedict XVI answers beautifully in the following reflection:

“The places of Pilgrimage have marked a kind of geography of faith in our country, that is, they make visible, almost tangible, how our forefathers encountered the living God, how He did not withdraw after creation or after the time of Jesus Christ, but is always present and works in them so that they were able to experience Him, follow in his footsteps, and see him in the works He performed. Yes, He is there, and He is still there today. It is from this inner encounter with the Lord that there originated the places and images of Pilgrimage in which we, so to speak, can participate in what they saw, in what their faith provided for them.”

Pilgrimages invite us to encounter the places where God is at work in a particular way. There are many points in Scripture where we are encouraged to remember the works God has done such as:

• “I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; yea, I will remember thy wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11)
• “Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered…” (Psalm 105:5)

Pilgrimages give us this opportunity to remember. To see where God transformed ordinary men and women into phenomenal Saints. To witness miracles of the Most Holy Eucharist. To walk in the footsteps of the Apostles and understand the great sacrifices they made to spread the Gospel.

These experiences inspire us and make the faith even more real. See where Scripture took place so you can picture it in your mind when you hear the Sunday’s Gospel. Befriend the Saints and invite them to intercede for you.

St. John Paul II said, “To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in the area marked especially by God’s intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey, but also gives us a vivid sense of a God who has gone before us and leads us on, who himself set out on man’s path, a God who does not look down on us from on high, but who became our travelling companion.”

If you are seeking to deepen your faith in a powerful way, we invite you to travel on a Pilgrimage just as Popes and Saints have done for centuries. You will have the opportunity to remember God’s miracles, reflect on His goodness, and become inspired to live out the unique mission He has entrusted to you.

“The Church cannot forget her roots. Indeed, she must return to them again and again if she is to remain completely faithful to God’s plan.” – St. John Paul II

View Our Pilgrimage Directory: www.206tours.com/pilgrimages