[第669期] Pilgrimage Notes: A Journey of Mercy, Peace and Community

Pilgrimage Notes: A Journey of Mercy, Peace and Community

This past July, I had the privilege of joining a pilgrimage to Poland and Medjugorje organised by our parish. By tracing the footsteps of three great 20^th century Polish saints – St Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941, Martyr of Charity), St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938, Apostle of Divine Mercy) and St John Paul II (1920-2005, Pope) – we immersed ourselves in the rich religious and cultural identity of Poland. Our journey then took us to Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a place renowned for spiritual conversion. There, we responded to Our Lady of Peace’s call to “pray, pray, pray”, embracing spiritual disciplines that draw us closer to God and shield us from evil.

Our itinerary was crafted with care and purpose, ensuring that we travelled as pilgrims, not tourists, seeking God in every moment.  Looking back, one of the greatest graces of this pilgrimage was a profound sense of communion. Our group was bound tightly together by humility, trust in God’s providence, and mutual trust. These moments touched me deeply, making me feel that God was vividly present with us.

Throughout our journey, we were sustained by liturgy and prayer—including the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Lauds and Vespers, and by sharing personal stories of our spiritual journeys and as witnesses of faith. When our itinerary took an unexpected turn – one that brought us closer to the spirit of penance— we were blessed with grace to look beyond the inconvenience. Even though our schedule in Medjugorje was disrupted, the delay transformed our coach into a mobile sanctuary. Those “12 + 12 hours” on the road became a purposeful retreat, offering me an unexpected perspective on faith. As we learnt about the devotion to Divine Mercy and the Five Stones of Medjugorje, the power of community was equally impactful. Although we came from different parishes, we were united as one Church, the Body of Christ.

Frankly, I was nervous before embarking on this pilgrimage. Seeing myself as a “Sunday Catholic” with little experience of deep devotion, I feared that I was unworthy of the grace of being able to go on pilgrimage. As our departure drew closer, I began forcing myself to read “at least something” each day about our destinations and their history.

How silly of me to have overlooked the fact that a pilgrimage begins simply by accepting a personal invitation from God. Once we accept that invitation, our lifelong walk with God continues long after we return home. The pilgrimage did not end when our flight touched down. Our ongoing mission is to allow the emotions and inspiration we experienced during the pilgrimage to mature into strength needed to integrate prayer and reflection into our daily routines.

Are you longing to go on a pilgrimage? May you hear God’s invitation to embark on a holy journey, and may you accept it with confidence.

To conclude with the words of St John Paul II,

“To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in the area marked especially by God’s intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey, but also gives us a vivid sense of a God who has gone before us and leads us on, who himself set out on man’s path, a God who does not look down on us from on high, but who became our travelling companion.” (St John Paul II, Letter Concerning Pilgrimage to the Places Linked to the History of Salvation, 1999)

Erica