Pilgrimage has been part of Christian tradition for hundreds of years.

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Patrick McCafferty                       11.S                   Mrs.Burke                20/10/2003

Pilgrimage: AO1

 Pilgrimage has been part of Christian tradition for hundreds of years. It’s a journey to a place of spiritual importance. Whether a holy person has lived there or a sacred event has happened. The physical journey to this holy place reflects the spiritual journey Christian goes through. We travel far to get closer to God. Going to the holy place helps us to become part of the spiritual atmosphere and become closer to the history of God’s creation. It shows we want to make the effort to become more united with God. Sacrifices are made by pilgrims to prove that material possessions etc. hold no resistance with how important God is to them. The pilgrims want to show that they see God as their Main key in life. The pilgrims do not just give up their time but also give up food (fasting), the comfort of their homes, luxury items and even their sleep (some pilgrims take part in all night vigils). Sacrifice is not the soul reason for pilgrimage. With sacrifice comes self-knowledge. They are taken away from distractions so that they may reflect on their lives and consider what is really important. Some people describe life as a motorway where pilgrimage is a spiritual service station where you can stop and reflect on your journey so far.                        There are many different approaches to Christian pilgrimage. I’m going to focus on two differing approaches. The reflective, quiet, penitential approach, I will discuss the activities at Lough Derg to explain this type of approach and the communal, joyful, praising approach, I will discuss the activities at Lourdes to explain this type of pilgrimage. Off the coast of Southern Ireland is an island called Lough Derg. It is also called St. Patrick’s Purgatory because the pilgrimage takes place on the island where St. Patrick established a monastery and is often viewed as a harsh pilgrimage used for expressing sorrow for sins. It is cut off from the pressures of everyday life and can allow pilgrims to get to know themselves better. Pilgrims go to Lough Derg with the intention of living life for a few days in the way St. Patrick would have done. “He rent his clothes, put a sack cloth and ashes and walked softly (barefoot).” Pilgrims take the literal meaning of this quote and, as we learn from the video ‘Walk softly with God’, carry out the pilgrimage in silence and barefoot. Walking barefoot is also a symbol of penance (being sorry for sins helps Christians on their journey to God). The pilgrimage to Lough Derg is very much about penance and self-reflection, helping pilgrims to think about what is important in life. An atmosphere of self-discipline is built up which gives pilgrims an opportunity to show obedience to God, to put our lives in order and to grow spiritually (as the saying goes ‘no pain means no gain’). Self-sacrifice and cleansing is the final theme of pilgrimage in Lough Derg. The sacrifices on the pilgrimage help us to appreciate all the good things we’ve got and think about the less fortunate. This pilgrimage is physically quite demanding but this can help us to get rid of all the unimportant things in life. This is a great contrast to that of pilgrimage in Lourdes. Pilgrimage in Lourdes is a very joyful and uplifting series of events, with a lot of praising and rejoicing to accompany prayer. It’s often performed as a community so that everybody can share their beliefs. There is an absence of self-sacrifice which suits the types of people which go there (often young children with disabilities). These people may not be able to cope with the strain that pilgrimage at Lough Derg puts on the body which is a main reason for differences in pilgrimage.                           Word Count = 630 words

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Patrick McCafferty                       11.S                   Mrs.Burke                20/10/2003

Pilgrimage: AO2

People go on pilgrimage for many reasons. Pilgrimage can play an important role in a Christian’s religious life however it is not essential. Unlike Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, it is not our religious duty to go on pilgrimage but it clearly makes a difference because people keep going back. Again unlike Muslim pilgrimage there are many different places a Christian can go on pilgrimage. For instance the two places I previously mentioned, Lourdes and Lough Derg. Places of pilgrimage have a feel of holiness and have the power to relive religious ...

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