Pilgrimages and the Mariologist Devotee

# The PilgrimageThe pilgrim needs the sanctuary, and the sanctuary needs the pilgrim.Pilgrimage reminds us that on earth we have no permanent dwelling but are journeying towards the heavenly city (Heb 13:14).It expresses a desire to visit a place where an event from salvation history occurred, or where God or the Virgin appeared, or where a holy man gave heroic testimony of life, or where his remains are kept.Pilgrimage demonstrates a purpose of detachment from temporal things, even if this occurs for a short time materially. Through the inevitable privations and renuncements it entails, it reveals the need for penance and expiation.It offers an opportunity for testimony to availability in humbly serving brothers in need or illness.Pilgrimage asserts the unity of all pilgrims, from every nation or social class, within God’s single family. While sometimes obscured by tourist or commercial elements, it expresses authentic values.As a cultural manifestation, pilgrimage is closely linked to sanctuary life. In its most authentic forms, it constitutes a high expression of piety: for the reasons behind it, the spirituality that animates it, and the prayer that marks key moments—departure, journey, arrival, return.## From Hebrew Pilgrimage to Mary’s PilgrimageJerusalem, having become the seat of the Temple and the Ark, became a sanctuary city for the Hebrews, the ultimate destination of the desired holy journey (Ps 84:6), in which the pilgrim advances “amidst the joyful shouts of a great multitude” (Ps 42:5) to God’s house, to attend to His presence (cf. Ps 84:6-8).Three times a year, Israelite men were to present themselves before the Lord (Ex 23:17), that is, go to the Jerusalem Temple—giving rise to three pilgrimages on the occasions of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. All pious Israeli families would attend, as did Jesus’ family (cf. Lk 2:41), the annual celebration of Passover in the holy city.## Mariology of PilgrimageDuring His public life, Jesus also frequently made pilgrimages to Jerusalem (cf. Jn 11:55-56). It is known that the Evangelist Luke presents Jesus’ salvific action as a mysterious pilgrimage (cf. Lk 9:51-19:45), with Jerusalem, the messianic city, as its intentional destination—the place of His paschal sacrifice and exodus to the Father: “I have come from the Father and I am going back to the Father” (Jn 16:28).And precisely during a gathering of pilgrims in Jerusalem, from “observant Hebrews from all nations under heaven” (Acts 2:5), to celebrate Pentecost, the Church begins its missionary journey.It is not difficult, considering the life and mission of the Virgin, to understand Mariology through the lens of “pilgrimage spirituality.” Faithful to her people’s tradition, Mary of Nazareth was a pious pilgrim:* Jesus’ parents went up to Jerusalem every year for the Passover (Lk 2:41-42). When He was twelve years old, they went again according to custom. * Mary made another pilgrimage to Jerusalem with her Son when He, the true Lamb of God (cf. Jn 1:36), instituted, by offering His life as a sacrifice, the new and definitive Passover, a memorial of our liberation from sin and His exodus from this world to the Father (cf. Jn 13:1). * Mary’s interior life was a “pilgrimage of faith.”The Magisterium and Liturgy, considering earthly life as a pilgrimage, often depict Mary’s intercession on behalf of her children as assistance for pilgrims en route to the heavenly sanctuary.Therefore, Mariology as a pilgrimage is not merely directed towards a shrine dedicated to the Virgin but primarily characterized by:* **Fidelity to tradition** * **Motivation of faith** * **Orientation toward Paschaltide.**The success of a pilgrimage as an act of worship and its expected spiritual fruits are ensured through the orderly development of celebrations and appropriate emphasis on each stage, following traditional guidelines. For example:* **Departure from the pilgrimage:** A moment of prayer should be included, either in the parish church or another suitable location, consisting in celebrating the Eucharist or part of the Liturgy of the Hours or a special blessing for pilgrims. * **Final stages of the journey:** This period should be marked by intensified prayer. It is recommended that this last stretch, as the sanctuary comes into view, be walked on foot, in procession, while praying, singing, and stopping at any shrines along the way.

3. Welcome of pilgrims can give rise to a kind of liturgy of welcome, which places the encounter between pilgrims and guardians of the sanctuary at a primordially faith-based level. Whenever possible, this one will move to meet the pilgrims, to make with them the last part of the journey. Here enters the Mariology Cultor.
4. Staying at the sanctuary must obviously be the most intense moment of pilgrimage and will be characterized by a conversion commitment, duly ratified by the sacrament of reconciliation. Through particular expressions of prayer, such as thanksgiving, supplication or intercession request, regarding the sanctuary’s characteristics and the pilgrimage’s purposes. And by the celebration of the Eucharist, pilgrimage’s summit.
5. Conclusion of the pilgrimage will conveniently be characterized by a moment of prayer, either at the same sanctuary or in the church from which it departed. The faithful will thank God for the gift of pilgrimage and ask the Lord for help in living their Christian vocation with more generous commitment when they return home.

Just as the sanctuary is a place of prayer, pilgrimage is a path of prayer. At each stage, prayer should animate the pilgrimage, and God’s Word should be its light and guide, food and sustenance.

Since ancient times, the pilgrim has wanted to bring with them memories of the visited sanctuary. Care will be taken so that objects, images, books convey the authentic spirit of the holy place. At this point, the production, especially of books related to the mariology of the sanctuary and pilgrimage, should be in charge of Mariology Cultors, in order to adapt, create, enhance and teach how to use these contributions to spiritual life, which are usually replicated in the ecclesial communities from which the pilgrims come.

To deepen reflection on Marian pilgrimages and worship of Mary, consult the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus by Paul VI, which provides theological grounding for authentic Marian devotion.

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