"What is involved in pilgrimage?"

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Alex McGahey 11P

“What is involved in pilgrimage?”

In this piece of coursework, I will discuss what is involved in pilgrimage. After this, I will discuss what goes on in specific places of pilgrimage, such as in Lourdes and Taize, and how they differ from one another. I will also explain the meaning of pilgrimage to answer the question “what is involved in pilgrimage?” and mention who goes on pilgrimages.

A pilgrimage is a journey with religious significance and is found in the great religions of the world. It is a journey to holy places to confirm people’s own faith in God. It can express penance for past evils, or the search for future good and seek a miracle through God or a saint. People may need special help from someone else and perhaps this is why they go on pilgrimages. Often people find mixing with others of the same faith as themselves helps them to follow it more closely. At home they might not have time to talk about religion, but on a pilgrimage there are plenty of chances. They are always surrounded by people who share their beliefs and they are all in the same place for the same reason. They all worship God together and care for each other and people on pilgrimage might feel they need to thank God, Mary or a saint for blessings they’ve received or they might want to ask God for forgiveness for any sins they may have committed. Some pilgrims have their own personal reasons for going such as in Lourdes. The main reason why people go to Lourdes is because it is where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette and people also visit Lourdes to refresh their spiritual life and spend time with God to strengthen their relationship and with him and their faith in him.

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Pilgrimages started in the 4th Century when St. Helena, Mother of Constantine claimed to have discovered part of the true cross in Jerusalem. In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to go on pilgrimages to holy places called shrines. It was believed that if you prayed at these shrines you would possibly be forgiven for your sins and have more of a chance of going to heaven when you die. Other people went to shrines as they hoped to be cured from an illness they had. An important shrine was at Walsingham, Norfolk where there was a sealed glass jar ...

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