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 Incorporating shrines, cathedrals, and other places of pilgrimage into your travel plans can be one of the most rewarding aspects of any trip. Full of historical significance and breathtaking works of art, these sites are wonderful places to relax, admire the beauty, and allow your thoughts and prayers be raised to God. But don't forget to respect the sacredness of these locations. Here are some tips on how to be a considerate Faithful Traveler:
- Be Quiet: Remember that you are in a sacred space. Even if you aren’t praying, someone else might be. Respect the sacredness of the site by whispering, avoiding long conversations (take them outside), and turning your cell phone off or setting it to vibrate.
- Be Mindful of Children: Kids follow your example in how to behave in sacred spaces. Make sure they know it isn’t appropriate for them to run, shout, or act as if they are in a playground. Help them to appreciate the history and art that you are there to enjoy.
- Be a Respectful Photographer: Each site has different rules about allowing photographs. Many churches prohibit photography to protect the art as well as the sacredness of the space. Whatever the reason, being a respectful traveler means following the rules according to each location. You can always buy a book that will most likely have pictures better than any you could have taken! Avoid taking pictures during Mass or in Eucharistic chapels.
- Be Modest: Wear clothing that is appropriate for the sacred space. As a traveler, you may be unable to wear your Sunday best, but avoid wearing baseball hats and anything that is overly revealing, including short shorts,
mini skirts, and bare midriffs.
- Be Considerate: Keep the food and drinks (including gum) outside.
Why Go On Pilgrimage?
Recently, I had a friend ask me some questions about pilgrimages: namely why do people go on pilgrimages? I thought it was such a good question, I thought I would post my answer here, for those of you who have the same question.
People have been going on pilgrimage for as long as can be imagined. Early Christians did what they could to visit the locations of Christ's life and His Passion. That's why the devotion and practice of the Stations of the Cross was created by the Franciscans--for those who couldn't go to Jerusalem to walk to actual Stations, where Jesus was condemned, all the way to when He was laid in the tomb.
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales recount the stories of 14th-century pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral in England, where St. Thomas Becket was cruelly murdered. You can still visit the site today and see where he was stabbed to death.
One of the most famous pilgrimages is in Spain--Santiago de Compostela, or the Way of St James. This pilgrimage dates back to the 9th century, and was one of three pilgrimages that you could take to get a plenary indulgence (full remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven). The other two were the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome, and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Here are some websites that discuss the history and reasons behind pilgrimages:
http://www.206tours.com/what/
http://coach5.wordpress.com/2006/03/22/why-go-on-pilgrimage/
I don't think it's necessary to go to faraway places to go on pilgrimage. Trips to Europe and other countries can be prohibitively expensive, especially today, when the exchange rate isn't great. That's why we're producing The Faithful Traveler™--to show that you can go on pilgrimage closer to home. Here in the Philadelphia area, for instance, there are FIVE national shrines. New York City has a bunch of amazing places, too--I know of two: one dedicated to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the other to Mother Cabrini. On our Locations Map, you can find many other places in the United States that are closer to your home, and which are just as amazing as those in Europe or other continents. For instance, recently, an amazing new Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was consecrated in Wisconsin! The same artist who did most of the art in Philadelphia's Shrine of St Rita of Cascia--Anthony Visco--dida lot of the art there, and I hear it's amazing!
So, you don't HAVE to fly to Mexico, France, or Spain to go on pilgrimage. The Church recognizes the benefits of pilgrimage, so she makes it easy for us to go on without breaking the bank, or our backs.
Why do I go on pilgrimage?
For many reasons, really.
First, to see what's there. I like to see beautiful things devoted to God. I find, as I get older, the only art that seems to appeal the most to me, that moves me, is sacred art. Recently I was in Chicago and I went to the Museum of Art. I did the requisite standing in front of George Seuratt'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.
Second, I go because I love my God, and I love to tell Him that I do. It's so much easier to do that when He is right there, in my face, in the Real Presence of the Holy Eucharist.
Third, when I remember, I try to receive indulgences for my visits. You may not know it, but pilgrimages often allow for indulgences. Naturally, you have to do the necessary things first: go to confession within a short amount of time, pray for the pope, visit with the intention of receiving the indulgence, and so on. But as a sinner, I figure I can use all the indulgences I can get. And if I have enough--which I doubt--I offer them up for other people. People I know who have died or the souls in purgatory. Especially the souls for whom no one is praying.
Fourth, I love to learn things. My background is a very varied one--having gone to a school of the arts from third through twelfth grades, I became accustomed to having a well-rounded education: intellectual and artistic endeavors have always interested me equally. As such, I can appreciate these locations on these levels. They feed me artistically and intellectually. They also feed me spiritually. I love to learn about the saints, about our faith, about the history of the Church. I love to see God's hand in it all, and to see how saints--our Catholic heroes--manage to deal with life's dilemmas. They motivate me, they give me inspiration, they help me figure out how to carry MY cross. That, I find to be very valuable. Sure, I can learn about any number of other things--and I do. But in the end, what matters the most to me is getting to Heaven, and I see this knowledge, this continued education, as a tool that will help me get there.
Where have I been on pilgrimage?
I haven't yet been able to visit any of the more well-known Shrines like Fatima (in Portugal), Lourdes (France), or Guadalupe (Mexico). I want to, especially since David and I were married on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
We spent our honeymoon in Paris and the Loire Valley, and we were able to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue de Bac, a very chi chi neighborhood in the VII arrondissement in Paris. We also visited the amazing Basilique du Sacré Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart). In the Loire Valley, we happened to visit the Château de Blois on the exact day (December 23) that the Duc de Guise was murdered 415 years earlier, kicking off the Catholic wars in France! It was awesome!
In Rome--well, I think every church, every stone in Rome is a shrine to something Catholic, really. The blood of martyrs flowed freely in those streets! Their bodies are safeguarded in a number of churches. We were there a few years ago and visited as many of them as our tired feet would allow, including the grandest: St Peter's Basilica and its catacombs, where the remains of the first pope, St Peter, can be found.
We've been the the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, where the remains of the three Magi are said to be kept. We've also been to the Cathedral in Barcelona.
What were my experiences like?
On an artistic level, I am always blown away by how beautiful shrines and places of pilgrimage are. I usually end up staring--mouth open like a codfish--or clicking away with my camera or video camera. Of course, many places--like Sacré Coeur or the shrine at the Rue de Bac--don't allow photography, so you're forced to just BE there. I think that's good, really. Otherwise, we might just end up being tourists when we should be pilgrims.
On a spiritual level, I am equally stunned. In our episode on the National Shrine of St Katharine Drexel, I discuss the goal of sacred art--how it is meant to raise our hearts and minds to God and Heaven. This is always what happens to me. I thank God for giving us these beautiful sites. I thank Him for giving the world the artists and architects who create them, and the people who fund them and make them possible. I thank God for just being so awesome, and for giving us such amazing consolations.
It's only after I'm done thanking Him for being so amazing that I eventually get down on my knees and ask Him for favors. Usually, I ask Him to bless my family, to bless our show, and to guide me in life and in my marriage--to show me His will and to always make me open to it. If I'm in a location dedicated to a particular saint, I'll say a prayer to him or her and ask him/her to intercede for me--to say prayers for me, and to ask God to guide me. Sometimes I might have more specific prayers, but in the end, prayer always takes one of three forms: thanksgiving, petition/intercession, or praise.
Why does God call on us to go on pilgrimage?
Well, I can't presume to know God's reasons (LOL), but I can say why I think God wants us to go on pilgrimage. I think the first and most important reason would be because He wants us to be with Him, to be close to Him. We're always close to Him in the Eucharist. You could just go to a church or an adoration chapel--where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed--and hang out with Him there. I'd think you'd get the same amount of graces that you would if you went to a pilgrimage site.
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. I mean, 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 little show?
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