This is coursework is about Pilgrimage. The coursework is divided into three parts. I am going to talk about what happens at pilgrimage, why people go and reasons why/why not are these places becoming too commercialised. But what is a pilgrimage?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

G.C.S.E.

R.E.

COURSEWORK

“PILGRIMAGE”

Carolina Garcia-Cox

Introduction

This is coursework is about Pilgrimage. The coursework is divided into three parts. I am going to talk about what happens at pilgrimage, why people go and reasons why/why not are these places becoming too commercialised. But what is a pilgrimage? A Christian Pilgrimage is a journey undertaken, by believers to a place, which is, for some reason, considered to be holy. No one has the obligation to go but religious pilgrims have been particularly important in the Catholic Church for centuries. Many Christians have seen them as an essential part of their own spiritual journey as it not only takes them to places where God, or one of his saints, have revealed themselves in the past, but it also gives them an opportunity to meet people involved in similar journeys. There are many places of pilgrimage like: Lourdes in France, Rome in Italy, Taize in France, Holy Land in Israel, Knock in Ireland, Santiago de Compostella in Spain, and many more.

AO1

Lourdes is a town in the South of France. It is in the Pyrenees mountains. In 1858, a teenage girl named Marie (who later changed her name to Bernadette) believed she had several visions of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Bernadette’s parents were poor farmers, and she was uneducated. During one of the visions, the Lady told Bernadette to dig nearby and to drink the water she would discover. Bernadette dug, and uncovered a spring, whose waters were found to have healing powers. It was not long before people came to Lourdes, to see for themselves what was happening. Some were simply curious. Others were hoping for a miracle. Some visitors had disabilities, such as lameness that doctors could not cure. They drank from Bernadette’s stream and some were cured. Lourdes quickly became a famous pilgrimage centre for Christians. Nowadays, millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes every year. The town is full of hotels and souvenir shops. Pilgrims visit the grotto where Bernadette had her visions. There is a statue of Mary in there where Bernadette saw her vision. There are many large candles burning, lit by pilgrims. There are crutches left by those who were cured. People pray at the grotto. Many have rosary beads as their favourite prayer is the rosary. Pilgrims visit the place where Bernadette uncovered a stream. Some bathe in a special pool of water fed from the stream. Others drink water from the stream and take bottles home for friends who are ill. Pilgrims pray at the churches or make the Stations of the Cross. There are many processions. There is a particularly impressive one, which is candle lit and takes place in the evening, when it is dark. The atmosphere is peaceful and prayerful at Lourdes, despite the large number of people there.

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Everything began in 1940 when, at the age of twenty-five, Brother Roger left Switzerland, the country where he was born, to go and live in France, where his mother came from. For years he had been an invalid, suffering from tuberculosis. During that long illness, he decided to create a community to help people. When the Second World War started, he began at once to offer assistance to people in difficulties, just as his grandmother had done during the First World War. In 1945, a young man from the region created an association to take charge of young boys orphaned by the war. When he suggested to the brothers that they welcome some of them in Taize, Brother Roger asked his sister Genevieve to come back and take care of them. She became their mother. On Sundays, the brothers also welcomed German prisoners-of-war interned in a nearby camp. Today, the Taize Community is made up of over a hundred brothers, Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds, coming from more than twenty-five nations. By its very existence, the community is thus a concrete sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and separated peoples. Over the years the number of visitors to Taize has continued to grow.

Every week from early spring to late autumn, young adults from different continents arrive on the hill of Taize. They are searching for meaning in their lives, in communion with many others. By going to the wellsprings of trust in God, they set out on an inner pilgrimage that encourages them to build relationships of trust among human beings. During the meetings, three times each day all those present gather for prayer, worshipping God together in singing and silence.

The difference between these two places is that Taize, unlike Lourdes, isn’t a place where Jesus went or Our Lady or any Saint appeared. In both places people do similar things mainly praying to become closer to God.

AO2

There are many reasons why people go on pilgrimage. Making a pilgrimage takes people away from their homes and gives them a chance to forget the distractions of everyday life. They go to visit the places where Jesus lived and taught, to experience the atmosphere, so they can deepen their understanding of Jesus’ teaching and obtain a deeper understanding of God. Some people go to be cured of an illness or a disability, do better on their job, become more affluent, overcome a difficulty such as shyness, and so on. People may need special help from someone else, perhaps one of their children, who faces some kind of difficult situation. Often people find mixing with others of the same faith as themselves helps them to follow it more closely. At home they do not have time to talk about religion, but on a pilgrimage there are plenty of chances. They are surrounded by people who share their beliefs. They are all in one place for the same reason. They worship together and care for each other. People on pilgrimage may feel they need to thank God, the Virgin Mary or a saint for blessings they have received or they may want to ask for God’s forgiveness to show sorrow for a particular sin they have committed. Some pilgrims have their own, personal, reasons for going, for example Lourdes and Holy Land.

The main reason why people go to Lourdes is because that is where Our Lady appeared. As well as that people visit Lourdes to refresh their spiritual life and needs and spend time with God to deepen their personal relationship. There are many helpers at Lourdes who will learn patience, as service to others is very rewarding. They will learn to respect and that they are not the most important person, but everyone is. Most important of all they will learn that the best thing that you get in return for helping others is simply the joy of making them happy. Most of the people who go to Lourdes are handicapped, this is the reason why they have so many helpers. The handicapped people will go to feel less alone and dedicate full time to God. They will result in feeling closer to God, which renews the Baptism promises.

People go to Taize on pilgrimage to pray to God and become closer to him. They pray in community as well as on their own. People meet other young people from throughout the world in a climate of openness and listening, participants discover that roads to unity can be opened up amidst the diversity of cultures and Christian traditions. This provides a solid basis to be creators of trust and peace in a world wounded by divisions, violence and isolation.

Most Christian denominations believe pilgrimage plays an important part of their religious lives, but others like the Protestant Churches have generally rejected the practice of pilgrimage. They say it gives a false understanding of God. One of the Ten Commandments forbids to worship places, relics, statues and special objects. It says: ‘You shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them’.

AO3

‘ Places of Pilgrimage tend to be very commercialised these days. This is bound to reduce the value of the pilgrimage for a Christian.’

I disagree with this statement. Many places of pilgrimage are small towns and they need money for people’s livings. All towns need shops, restaurants, hotels, and so on. It is also nice to go on a pilgrimage and have all this things to see, as most people don’t want to spend their entire day praying. Pilgrims like souvenir shops, so that they can take things back home with them or to friends who couldn’t go on the trip. This will make them feel as if they had been there. They like to treasure those things. By commercialising these places they can advertise them, which is the thing that keeps them alive and reminds people it’s there. Pilgrims can overcome commercialism, as the most important thing for them is to become closer to God. Another thing to consider is that not all places of pilgrimage are very commercialised. Some are more than others. I don’t think commercialism in these places should bother anyone; because in my opinion it would make your stay more enjoyable, because you can as well as visiting the religious place, visit the touristic places.

However others may disagree with and agree with the statement. Some people think that shops, especially souvenir shops, are very tacky. Commercialised places tend to be very noisy and disturbing for some people, which leads to be a bit off putting for their praying activities. Unlike my opinion they say that if you go on a pilgrimage is to dedicate your full attention to God, by praying, visiting the religious place of pilgrimage, and so on. If you have decided to go on a pilgrimage you shouldn’t be distracted by other things that have nothing to do with your religion. If you want some social time, there are plenty of things you can do there. You can be with other people too and share your experiences them.

In conclusion, I think that places of pilgrimage have all the right to be commercialised. If people want some time off their prayers or visiting all the religious events, it is good to have around you all the things that you would find in a normal town or city. If you feel that you only want to dedicate yourself to God, you shouldn’t let commercialism put you off, because there are other people who do want it.