St Rita of Cascia depicted in a window at the National Shrine of St Rita of Cascia
That’s a great question. Here’s my answer.
For me, pilgrimage has always meant coming home to a place where I know that I am loved. You know that feeling of security you get with family, knowing that even though they know all your crazy quirks, they love you anyway? That’s pilgrimage. And if you don’t have that feeling with your family because they’re, well, human, pilgrimage is a way to GET that feeling. Finding refuge in a chapel, away from life’s insecurities. Seeking understanding and familiarity in a foreign country, where I don’t speak the language. Resting in a haven of peace and tranquility in the midst of a busy city. I go on pilgrimage because, in the midst of my life’s pilgrimage, I need reassurance, I need reminders that no matter what, God is with me and He loves me more than I love myself. No matter where I am, for me, as a Catholic, I am always home in a Catholic church or shrine and I am always welcome. That sustains me.
There are many reasons why I go on pilgrimage—to learn, to give thanks, to petition, to remember, to honor. Early Christians made valiant treks to the Holy Land to visit the places of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Having made the trip to the Holy Land recently, I recommend it wholeheartedly! (In fact, we’re organizing a pilgrimage …)
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales recounts the journeys of 14th-century pilgrims traveling to England’s Canterbury Cathedral, where St. Thomas Becket was cruelly martyred. Spain’s Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which dates to the 9th century, was one of three pilgrimages that provided pilgrims with a plenary indulgence. The other two were the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome, and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Today, pilgrims flock to these locations and many others, including the sites of apparitions of Jesus and Mary, such as Lourdes, France, Knock, Ireland, Akita, Japan, or Kibeho, Rwanda. Penitent pilgrims trek barefoot up Ireland’s Skellig Michael or on their knees to Fatima, Portugal. Curious pilgrims visit the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on St. Juan Diego’s tilma in Mexico City, the incorrupt bodies of Saints John Vianney, Bernadette Soubirous and Catherine Labouré, or the Eucharistic miracles in Siena and Lanciao, Italy, or Seefeld, Austria. Many, like me, love to soak up the ambient holiness in cities where saints once lived, like St. Teresa’s Avila, Padre Pio’s Pietrelcina and San Giovanni Rotondo, and St. Francis’ and St. Clare’s Assisi.
A pilgrimage doesn’t necessarily require expensive and time-consuming trips overseas. In the first season of The Faithful Traveler, my husband and I visited some amazing places of pilgrimage, all within a few hours’ drive of our home.
We visited Emmitsburg’s National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, where the first American saint once lived; we got to attend a priestly ordination at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which has windows that rival those of Chartres Cathedral in France; and we visited the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, where Catholics stood their ground in the face of discrimination in the early days of our country. (I used to teach CCD there, too, when I lived in NYC!) Closer to home, we are blessed with five amazing shrines—the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia has the most AMAZING art by Anthony Visco, the Miraculous Medal Shrine is close to our home, and it’s one of my favorite places to go for confession and Mass, and the National Shrine of St. Katherine Drexel, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, and the National Shrine of St. John Neumann are all close by—two of them even house the remains of saints! Check out our episodes page for more info on these shrines and our photos page for pix!
Pilgrimages begin long before we leave home, as we prepare for them physically and spiritually. That’s one of the reasons why we created The Faithful Traveler, to show people what they would see at the shrines we visit and why it should mean something to them. We might start a walking regimen before going to the Holy Land or the Camino de Santiago, read a book written by the saint whose city we’re going to visit, or pray a 54-Day Rosary Novena, asking for a fruitful pilgrimage that helps us grow in holiness. Many pilgrims make a sacrifice of their journey, by walking great lengths to their destination or by living an ascetic lifestyle during the trip, offering up luxurious hotel rooms and sumptuous meals in exchange for sparse lodging and light fare.
Once we arrive, the possibilities for spiritual and intellectual growth are endless. One of my favorite things to do on pilgrimage is admire and photograph the art, whether it be stained glass windows, statues, paintings, mosaics, or Stations of the Cross. I like to see beautiful things devoted to God because they remind me that He gave us the materials we use to honor Him, He gave us the ability to use those tools to make beautiful things, and He gave us hearts full of love that make us want to honor Him.
I find that, as I get older, the only art that seems to appeal to me, that really moves me, is sacred art. Not too long ago, I was in Chicago and I went to the Museum of Art. I did the requisite standing in front of George Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” ala Cameron Frye in “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”. But for the most part, I found myself just waltzing past art I had been raised to appreciate as “monumental”. It was only the sacred art that made me stop, that moved me to tears. Once the art sends my mind and heart reeling up to God, I get down to business and visit with my Heavenly relatives. I thank God for all of His gifts and I offer Him whatever weighs on my heart. I pray to the Blessed Mother, to St. Joseph, her wonderful spouse, and to any saints whose statues I come across. Shrines are also a great place to learn about the lives of saints and to let their example show you new ways to deal with life’s dilemmas. They motivate me, inspire me, and help me shoulder my cross a little better. And at the end of the day, all of this does the one thing that matters the most: it brings me closer to God here on earth so that I might, someday, be closer to Him in Heaven. It’s like Continuing Ed for those of us who want our St. degree.
While I can’t presume to know what God thinks of all of this, I’ll bet He likes it. Just like any other relationship in our lives, God wants us to talk to Him (prayer), to be intimate with Him (communion), to be friends with Him, and to love Him. If you think about how you might feel toward a spouse, significant other, or family member whom you love, you want to talk to them, to tell them about your day, tell them when funny things happened. You keep their picture in your wallet or on your wall or next to your bed. You call them as much as you can. You want to spend time with them. That’s how we should be with God. Shouldn’t we love God more than the people we love here on Earth? And if we do, shouldn’t we treat Him even better (or at least, as good as we treat others)? There’s an awesome book about this called The Practice of the Presence of God. It tells about how we can behave in a way that shows that God is always with us—like He is. It’s a very good book.
In the end, keep these things in mind:
First, no matter where you are—whether it’s at home or in the middle of the most amazing shrine in the world—I think God appreciates it whenever we turn our minds and hearts to Him. Granted, sometimes it’s easier to do at a holy site, but the point is to be in communication with Him. He likes that, and it’s good for you.
Second, if you do decide to make a pilgrimage, be sure to offer up every step of the way. Offer up the hard things: the economic hardship, the travel pains, everything and anything. Offer up the good things in thanksgiving. If you suffer to make a pilgrimage, unite your suffering with the suffering of Christ; do it in reparation for your own sins or for the sins of others. Offer it up for the conversion of people or entire countries. There are a number of reasons why you might offer something up, and it’s always good practice to do that whenever you can.
Third, when and if you DO go, get the most out of your journey. Research the location you’re visiting before you go—just like you would with any other form of travel—so you know what you’re looking at and where you are. If you’re visiting the shrine of a saint, make sure you know at least a little bit about his or her life and legacy. If you’re visiting a shrine dedicated to a devotion or apparition, read about it. You will always get the most out of your visit if you know what you’re looking at.
And last, don’t forget to pray. Pray for yourself. Pray for the people who make the shrine available to you. Pray for the world and for all of us in it. And tell people about your visit. The best publicity is word of mouth, and if you can encourage others to visit these locations, as well, then you’re doing your part to evangelize, to bring them closer to God and to all His wondrous ways.
Lastly, might I ask that you pray for us, as well, as we do what we can to spread the word of God’s wonders with our show?
I am thrilled to be able to share my experiences of pilgrimage with you—be they places I’ve been or places I dream of visiting—through this website. And I hope that my faithful travels will inspire your own.