Each year, thousands of people set out on pilgrimage. Some go to far flung places to begin a journey of spiritual discovery. Others set out for an intentional walk through their own neighborhood or surrounding countryside. Pilgrimage is defined by Canon Sally Welch as “a spiritual journey to a holy place. It offers a way of engaging with the surrounding landscape and a space where we can reflect and pray.” She also notes that in pilgrimage, “routines are replaced with freedom for our thoughts to explore how our feet roam over the journey’s tracks.”
And, as an experienced pilgrim notes, for many people the pilgrimage actually begins once you have reached what you thought was your destination.
As our 3 congregations collaborate in Summer in the Spirit, we are hosting two “pilgrimage” walks in August. Each walk is between 4.2 and 5 miles through tree-lined neighborhoods, parks and even includes a portion of the Highline Canal. On August 5, our walk begins at Epiphany Church and wends its way south along Steele, passing the John Paul II Center and cutting through Robert H McWilliams Park before reaching Christ Church. On August 26, our walk begins at Christ Church and makes it way by Wellshire Golf Course, under Hampden on the Highline Canal trail and over to Saint Gabriel. We will gather at 8:00 for departure at 8:30. Snacks and drinks will be provided, or you can bring your own. Once at our destination, those who are drivers will take Uber or Lyft back to the point of origin.
If you’re unsure if this kind of prayerful walking is for you, if you have a physical impediment that makes walking such a distance impossible, or if you have family or work considerations, take heart in the words of Jill Baker, a pilgrimage leader based in Glasgow who suggests: “to capture the pilgrim spirit you can walk around your garden, around your church or down the street. It’s often about exploring the local…. I would never say that every Christian should go away to a holy site. But I would say that every Christian should look for a pilgrim ethos. If you have intentionality and attentiveness, any route can be a pilgrimage.”
For people who have gone on pilgrimage of whatever length, the conversations, silence, or a combination of the two make for a reflective experience that lasts long past the destination’s end.
For more information, please contact the Rev. Chris Ditzenberger at cditzenberger@stgabriels.org. Please sign up at the link provided and we will be happy to share the Prayer Walk guide and other resources this summer.