It wasn’t a promising start. It was a morning of driving rain and misty drizzle as our bus headed through West Cork on the way to Kealkill. Whatever else it was it definitely wasn’t a morning for a pilgrimage. However with a simple prayer we began our 18km walk to Gougane Barra in honour of the feast of St. Finbarr. (more…)
There are places like this all around the world. Whether you visit Glendalough in the east of Ireland, Iona off the coast of Scotland or Santiago in the northwest of Spain there is an ineffable sense of something sacred. It’s not just the location, which is as near heavenly as earth can be, but there’s something else that you can’t really describe. Places like these have been the destination of countless hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for well over fifteen hundred years. (more…)
Last Sunday, as part of our celebration of World Day of Prayer for Vocations, about sixty people gathered for an Emmaus walk outside of Muckross Abbey. It was to be a day of reflective prayer, where we walked in two or threes, thinking about the story of those disciples fleeing Jerusalem after their experience of Holy Week. It was about a journey from despair to hope and from darkness to light. Thankfully the day was beautiful and our spirits were high as we set out. (more…)
The Nightly Torch Lit Procession at Lourdes
Last week I was in the third largest Catholic basilica in the world jumping up and down to the Proclaimer’s 500 Miles with over 5,000 other people. It seems a little incongruous, even slightly scandalous that a place of worship should be used for a party, but in reality nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Basilica in question way Pius X and I was in Lourdes for Easter Week with an Irish Pilgrimage Trust (IPT) group from Co. Kerry. The Trust organises teams of carers to bring young people with special needs on pilgrimage to Lourdes each year. It is as one bishop put it, ‘The Catholic Church at its very best.’ During our time there we had an incredible celebration of faith ranging from a trip to the baths, the aforementioned concert, a couple of incredible Masses, a fancy dress party and a train ride around the town toting water pistols. (more…)
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Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous risks, and embracing challenges at every step along the way…You are on the path, exactly where you are meant to be right now… And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, beauty, wisdom, power, dignity and love…” |
The idea of a sacred journey is very much part of who we are as human beings. It ties in with the journey of our own lives. It is a tradition that we share with the other major world religions. Every year millions of people undertake pilgrimages as a way of seeking meaning, taking time for reflection and having a deeper encounter with God.
In the Catholic Church pilgrimage is an essential part of our faith heritage. The great pilgrimage routes traced their way throughout Europe to places like Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostella. One of the most exciting developments in recent years has been the renewed interest in these sites, especially in the Camino of Santiago. With new insights into our Celtic Christian history tere has also been a resurgence in traditional Irish pilgrimages, such as St Kevin’s Way and St Finbarr’s Way.
Throughout the year the vocations team will lead and welcome people along these ancient pathways. They will offer an opportunity to step away from the hustle and stress of everyday life and walk in the footsteps of millions of other pilgrims throughout the centuries.
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The Way of St. James or St. James’ Way (Spanish name: El Camino de Santiago), is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in north western Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried. The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence could be earned (the others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem). |