A listener named Siobhan asks Father Dave about traveling to religious sites. She asks, “What’s the difference between a pilgrimage and just going to visit a holy place or church?”
Father Dave offers a few definitions of pilgrimage to help explain the difference. “It’s a devotional journey to a sacred site,” he says. “Devotion speaks to the fact that we are intentional about this; it’s not just a stop on a vacation.”
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“Many times, when I am blessed to be able to lead pilgrimages along with some other folks, we almost always begin by talking about the fact that a lot of it is about the journey itself. So if you say ‘What’s the difference between that and just driving across state lines to a church?’ Often, the journey itself doesn’t really play into that. For a pilgrimage, it really is about the journey and oftentimes about the people with whom you are journeying.”
Father Dave notes that motivation for the trip is important, and offers his experience in the Holy Land. “We could actually step where Jesus stepped, see the place where he was born, and go to the site of the resurrection to celebrate Mass in that tomb, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem,” Father Dave says. “That’s so key to our faith…you can see that there’s a lot of weight to that particular destination.”
“At most times of the year, those places are so crowded that you’re waiting in line for a long time behind other pilgrims and alongside pilgrims that you’ve gone with,” he says. “You’re and chatting and praying [together] as you’re waiting in line. The anticipation of getting to this place and being at this site is also part of the journey.”
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Father Dave describes a favorite pilgrimage memory. “For me, as a Paulist priest, one of the more moving pilgrimages I’ve ever been on is [traveling] the footsteps of Saint Paul. You go to places in Greece and Turkey, and we ended in Rome, where he was martyred. In those places, you can actually see, ‘hey, this is an amphitheater where we know that Saint Paul preached.’ Standing on that same spot, as a preacher and as a Paulist, was very significant to my faith and to my vocation as a priest.”
Another definition of pilgrimage Father Dave notes is that the purpose of the trip is to “pay homage.” He says, “We’re going there, not just to take pictures or just to say, ‘Wow, this is where it happens,’ but really to give our respects and offer up praise to God.”