In literature, John Bunyan’s 1678 classic, The Pilgrim's Progress, was the most popular book after the Bible. This, along with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, J.R.R. Tolkien's trekking hobbits, many books by C.S. Lewis, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, and The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, are a few more that helped frame lives as faith-filled journeys for generations.
Pictures: The Cover of The Pilgrim's Progress and the Emmanuel's Land Window at Emmanuel Church in the City of Boston (depicting Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress). Designed by Frederic Crowninshield (1845-1918).
Pilgrimages can be undertaken for a variety of purposes; one might be grieving a loss, preparing for a transition, or creating a space in which to reconnect with one's spiritual self.
In 2018, a week before she was ordained, Peggy took herself on a day-long pilgrimage from her childhood home in Upper Lynn Valley to each of the churches that had formed and shaped her over the years. Her walk took her to St. John the Evangelist, St. Catherine's, Capilano, and over the hill to St. Clement's in Lynn Valley - and it took her on a journey of memory and gratitude at the same time. Later, Anglican churches in the region embarked on a similar walk together!
What kind of local pilgrimage might you plan for yourself? Click below to read Peggy's story or to be inspired by other local pilgrimage walks organized by the Rev. Alecia Greenfield.
Helen Guzik of the National Trust defines a Pilgrimage as, "... a devotional practice consisting of a prolonged journey, often undertaken on foot or on horseback, toward a specific destination of significance. It is an inherently transient experience that removes the participant from their home environment and identity. The means or motivations in undertaking a pilgrimage might vary, but the act, however performed, blends the physical and the spiritual into a unified experience."
While horses may or may not be involved, the Pilgrimage journey is also certainly something experienced today in many ways. Click below to see what a Pilgrimage might look like today.
“What Is a Pilgrimage? | History,” National Trust, n.d., https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/what-is-a-pilgrimage, Photo by Peter Amende.
Making a Pilgrimage is not just a Christian activity; people of many faiths can undertake one. Find resources below to follow along on a Pilgrimage, learn about what kit to take, how to make your own Pilgrim badge and write a prayer for Pilgrims everywhere.