There are many different pilgrimages made by people of many different faiths or none. Most of the pilgrimages I have made have been with disabled children through HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust; see HCPT but the large number of other pilgrimages that are reported often intrigue and inspire.
The Way, a film depicting the film star Martin Sheen walking El Camino de Santiago was excellent to watch. I recollect that his son who had made that pilgrimage, had died earlier, of was it a drug overdose.
Quite apart from pilgrimages to Lourdes with the HCPT there was one with my parents, eldest sister Francine and other family members. Now that both my parents and Francine have died I look back on that pilgrimage with fondness Bartres Villa.
Many of the Muslim faith travel to Mecca for a pilgrimage and there are holy shrines for other faiths around the world, to which many also go on pilgrimage, for example in India the Hindu pilgrimage of or is it to, Kumbh Mela?
In today's Times there is an interesting account of personal fulfilling times walking made by Pete Greig the founder of the 24/7 prayer movement, under the title "Silence Solitude and Hiking are the Best Therapies of All." The solitude rather than the places to which he walked appear to be the key to the therapy of his pilgrimages.
One pilgrimage which was perhaps midway between the great HCPT children's pilgrimages and that described by Pete Greig above, was a journey made by Bernie, Paul and I after retiring from HCPT. We travelled down to Lourdes by train; see -
Obviously family life renders pilgrimages in solitude difficult but Martin Sheen's film describing the long trek to Camino de Santiago does intrigue.
No comments:
Post a Comment