SALT LAKE CITY — As Jesus Christ journeyed to the cross and the Resurrection, so pilgrims journey to holy sites as a way of following his footsteps.
In a special section of this issue of the Intermountain Catholic, we take a look at some of the most popular Catholic pilgrimages, as well as discuss some practical issues of undertaking a pilgrimage.
"The concept of pilgrimage is a way of saying that we’re all on a journey; that we are journeying together to the fullness of the kingdom," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, who in October will lead a group to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. "A pilgrimage is a way of specifically and intentionally reminding myself that I am a wayfarer, that I am a journeyer, I am on a journey. It’s a time to take stock of where I’ve been, what I have and where I’m going. It’s a time for me to appreciate that I have here no lasting city; that what I call my home — as beautiful as it is — is really temporary and that my eternal home is in heaven."
While journeying, pilgrims must rely on others for food, water and shelter. They’re unfamiliar with their surroundings and must rely on others for directions, he added. "These are all reminders that I rely on Jesus to show me the way, because he is the truth and the life. I’m reminded that only Christ can really quench my thirst and satisfy my hunger."
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near the site where Mary appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, is the second most visited destination for Catholic pilgrims in the world, after the Vatican City.
Mary is the Queen of the Americas, and "we see Mary as a fellow pilgrim," Bishop Wester said. "Mary journeyed throughout her life as she followed her son and contemplated his word. She was once on this earth, a pilgrim toward her son, Jesus, and she guides us now."
The pilgrimage to the basilica will be to Mary, "but we’re doing it so that Mary can help lead us to her son," Bishop Wester said. "And who better to help me along the way than Mary, who herself walked the actual stations with her son? She followed her son on his literal cross and so she helps us on our pilgrimage of life."
In addition, the pilgrimage will be "a way of acknowledging the deep faith that we all have, not just Spanish-speaking cultures, but all of us have in Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe; Mary, who is the Queen of the Americas," Bishop Wester said. "We’ll be making a pilgrimage to her to ask her blessing and for her to intercede for our local church."
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