Pilgrimage – lesson ideas

Pilgrimage is an important part of spiritual life for many Christians. Christians see life itself as a journey, coming from God and returning to God. The pilgrim seeks to separate himself from the everyday concerns of the world, and to spend time in the presence of God as he travels to a place of special meaning. A pilgrimage is a symbol that is acted out. Back in the Middle Ages pilgrimages were very popular. Pilgrimage was long, often taking many months or even years, and could be very dangerous. The pilgrims would usually travel in groups, and stay in monasteries or inns overnight. People went on pilgrimage for many reasons - perhaps to say sorry to God for something they had done wrong (penance), or because they were ill and wanted God to heal them. The ideas set out below look to help the children explore the concept of Christian pilgrimage in a creative and fun way. Thinking through pilgrimage – Diamond Nine Divide the class into small groups. Cut up the Diamond Nines and give a set to each group of students. Ask them to discuss together the reasons given why a Christian would go on pilgrimage. They should then put the Diamond Nine back together with the most important reason at the top; the second two are next, the three under that less important etc. Pilgrimage Images In their groups ask the children to think of 5 words to describe each of the images and 3 questions they would like to ask about each one. These words and questions can be used as a starting point for discussion. Encourage the pupils to try and answer one another’s questions – highlight the fact that we may not know the answer to some of the questions but we can have an educated guess.

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Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering), is traditionally thought to follow the path Jesus took carrying the cross. The Via Dolorosa runs 600m from the Chapel of the Flagellation to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, site of Calvary. Each year thousands of pilgrims walk the Via Dolorosa taking time to reflect at each station the painful journey Jesus endured on his way to be crucified. The 4th station remembers Jesus meeting his mother Mary.

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Spain. The cathedral is believed to be the burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the end destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Early Middle Ages.

The island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, is the symbolic centre of Celtic Christianity. The island has always been revered as a holy place, and, over the centuries, Iona has continually been a centre for pilgrimage. This remote place is believed to be a ‘thin place’ – a place where the spiritual and physical worlds meet.

In 1858, in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes in southern France, it is believed that Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl. Since that time Lourdes has become the most famous shrine to Mary and people have travelled on pilgrimage ever since – many believing that this is a place of healing and miracles.

A Christian is essentially a pilgrim. The whole of life is seen as one long journey to God. To make a physical pilgrimage is an outward expression of that deeper, spiritual journey through life. A pilgrimage may cost the pilgrim much in time and money and may even be a physically difficult journey. The end reward, however, is considered worthy of the price paid.