Pilgrimage Postings
An Occasional Newsletter for Pilgrims ~ Number 9. June 2009.
Edited by James J. Rawls & the Rev. Hugh Stevenson
707.938.1981 ~ jamesjabus@hotmail.com 707.537.1440 ~ info@stpatskenwood.org
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A Pilgrimage to Rome: Seeking the Sacred
There are a number of proverbs about Rome. From medieval times, it was said that “All roads lead to Rome,” for Rome was the capital of a vast empire that stretched from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to Mesopotamia. It was one of the places that could legitimately claim to be “The Navel of the World.” It also emerged as one of the centers of Christendom, and the western church survived there long after the political structure of empire had crumbled.
Rome was one of the three great pilgrimage destinations of the ancient world, along with Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims…as well as tourists, of course…continue to come to the Eternal City because within it are found a host of the must-see historical sites of Europe. On our upcoming pilgrimage to Rome (set for May 12 – 20, 2010), we’ll visit such iconic structures as the Coliseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, St Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine chapel; and we’ll spend quality time with some of the world’s most enduring artistic works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Bellini and others.
There are several ways to see Rome:
You can follow in the steps of Dan Brown and visit all the churches mentioned in “Angels and Demons,” expecting to see a corpse behind every pillar.
You can “do” Rome as a tourist and check off each site mentioned in your guidebook.
Or you can visit Rome as a pilgrim and have a life-changing experience, which is our goal.
Our journey to a far destination is the means by which we make the journey inward. We set off with an identified intention in our hearts. We are encouraged along the way by the saints through whose territory we are passing: St Peter and St Paul, Catherine of Sienna and Teresa of Avila, as well as Pope John XXIII and others of our own time. We’ll also make a full-day excursion to Assisi to retrace the lives of St Francis and St Clare. Along the way we’ll pause for Guided Meditations and experience together times for reflection and prayer.
No doubt we’ll each bring home a computer chip or two full of memorable photographs. If so, may they reflect the broadening of our spiritual horizons and the deepening of our faith!
To learn more about “A Pilgrimage to Rome: Seeking the Sacred,” please contact us and we’ll mail to you a color brochure with all the details of our day-by-day itinerary. Please also visit our website at www.OnPilgrimage.com with full information about registration, program fees, and the opportunity for post-pilgrimage visits to other cities in Italy, including Siena, Florence, Padua, San Marino, Naples, Venice, and Pompeii (see www.Carrani.com).
Important Note: If you would like to have your name placed on our tentative list of participants, please contact us as soon as possible. As always, we will limit the number of pilgrims to thirty and maintain a waiting list.
Reflections on Wales 2009
We’ve often remarked that a pilgrimage is a journey inward as well as outward. It’s easy enough to describe where we traveled in May 2009 on our outward journey through the “marches” that lie between England and Wales and as we made our way deep into the Welsh countryside. We were blessed with fair weather for the most part as we explored the splendor of the Castles Windsor, Cardiff, and Caernarfon, the magnificent ruins of Tintern Abbey, the grand cathedrals at St David’s, Chester, Coventry, and the glorious chapels of Magdalen and New College in Oxford.
But truly it was the inward journey that made this pilgrimage so memorable. We experienced a sense of community and healing and closeness of the Spirit that was remarkable. Our theme of Reconciliation spoke to each of us in ways unexpected and yet powerfully appropriate to our individual needs.
We began each day with an abbreviated form of Morning Prayer, dedicating each day to God and asking a blessing on our journey and on all whom we might encounter that day. We prayed our way through the Pilgrim Psalms or Psalms of Ascent, thus framing each day in prayer. At each of our sites we had time for a Guided Meditation on the words of such spiritual guides as St Bernard of Clairvaux, St David, Archbishop Rowan Williams, and Welsh poet R. S. Thomas.
Each of us might identify a different time when the inward journey was most meaningful, but for many those times came in the out-of-the-way places that we visited when no one else was around…most notably at the little chapel of St Non’s wherein swallows were nesting above a statue of Madonna and child, the unadorned Baptist church where the Pontypridd Welsh Male Choir performed for us, the holy well of St Winifred where we all shared in the healing waters, and the ancient stone church of St Tudno on the windswept headland of the Great Orme. For all this, we give thanks to our Lord who “unseen but not unknown” was ever with us. Amen.
The Reverend Stephen Brannon’s Retirement
As some of you know, one of the two founders of On Pilgrimage has retired from active duty. The Rev. Canon Stephen Brannon was the spiritual leader of this enterprise, sharing in the planning and leadership of prior pilgrimages to England, Scotland, and Ireland. His contributions to their success are immeasurable and we know that he will continue to hold our future pilgrimages in his prayers. For now, he will devote his energies to working as a police chaplain in Somona County and offering pro bono legal services to those in need. As his time with On Pilgrimage draws to a close we can only recall the words of Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
A few Words from the Reverend Hugh Stevenson
I told Jim that I would give my eyeteeth to return to Rome (not sure exactly where my “eyeteeth” are). My wife Angela and I were there most recently in 2003. At school in England, I was a classics major with a special interest in ancient history. As an undergraduate I added church history to the mix and began a masters’ thesis on Persecution in the Early Church. A couple of years ago I completed a manuscript on some of the amazing characters of the early church, a number of whom are buried in the crypt of St Peter’s. It was a thrill to stand in their basilicas and beside their graves.
For the past seven years, each Wednesday morning in our parish of St Patrick’s, I have delighted in introducing the congregation to a “Saint of the Day,” telling their stories and explaining their importance in their historical contexts. We will be meeting some of these same saintly folks during the pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi.
In 1997, I was granted a sabbatical to explore what it means to be a pilgrim, walking the camino to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Along the way I walked with other pilgrims; we stayed at the simple refugios and became close friends
Over the last couple of years, it has been my joy to meet with Jim, a fellow-pilgrim, to share stories over pints of bitter at a local hostelry and to egg each other on in our Pilgrims’ Progress. I am looking forward very much to sharing with you our pilgrimage to Rome in May 2010.
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