UNITED IN LOVE AND DIVERSITY IN BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD, MAKING GOD KNOWN AND LOVED.
PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND – 2023
Dear Fellow Parishioners,
It has been four years since we last went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a parish. The 2018 pilgrimage was an amazing, spiritual experience where those who participated, grew immensely in Christ.
The pilgrimage was themed “Journey Through the Fifth Gospel – Fall in love with the Lord all over again.”
To put a foot in the Holy Land, they say, is to take a step closer to God. A pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a powerful journey that can ignite an individual’s Christian faith. How does it do this? Through seeing the places Jesus walked, worked miracles, died and rose from the dead – by physically being in the actual places. There is no other Christian experience quite like it!
The Holy See and the Church in the Holy Land, as well as the local Catholic Bishops Conference desire to promote an authentic pilgrimage experience for Catholics visiting the Holy Land, after all this is the place where the object of their faith, our Lord Jesus Christ became the incarnate Word of God. Where he grew up, started his salvific ministry and which ended with his Passion, Death and Resurrection. The Holy Land becomes the diorama for the foundation of the Christian faith.
Pilgrimages offer a special opportunity for Christian renewal and for carrying out the Church’s mission of solidarity and reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in Christ, who call this wonderful land their home. A pilgrimage is a unique religious undertaking. Down the centuries, pilgrimages, whether begun out of devotion or in penance, have been an occasion for conversion. Pilgrims are changed by the experience – hearts and minds transformed forever, pilgrims have returned home with a new sense of their Christian calling to take up a new way of life. To pick up their Cross and follow Him!
However, just like any other undertaking, a pilgrimage undertaking must be viable and thus we must determine the appetite of parishioners to undertake this wonderful journey.
Our 2018 pilgrimage had 45 pilgrims, excluding Fr. Keith, Fr. Theo and Gail. This is an optimum figure as the buses usually seat about 56 passengers. Though Gail Fowler says that 30 is the absolute minimum, it is always better to have more – the group becomes a travelling family, making bonds that are strong and lasting.
Before we start planning in earnest, we need to understand the number of parishioners interested in going on a pilgrimage. Though Gail Fowler says that 30 is the absolute minimum, it is always better to have more – the group becomes a travelling family, making bonds that are strong and lasting.
If you are interested in making this memorable journey with the parish, please could you complete our Pilgrimage Proposal Questionnaire, using the link below:
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