PILGRIMAGE - Christian journeys of faith
80 images Created 1 Nov 2010
Christian pilgrimage was first made to sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Aside from the early example of Origen in the third century, surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers including Saint Jerome, and established by Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great.
The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized by Pope Benedict XVI this way:
To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art or history. To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe. Above all, Christians go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to the places associated with the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. They go to Rome, the city of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, and also to Compostela, which, associated with the memory of Saint James, has welcomed pilgrims from throughout the world who desire to strengthen their spirit with the Apostle’s witness of faith and love.
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Nomadic by nature, and as a qualified geologist, Jeremy wandered into the Himalaya in 1987, teaching himself documentary photography. He has worked in over 100 countries over the last three decades, producing nine books, including Living Incas and Island Dreams: Mediterranean. His latest book, Nirvana, The Spread of Buddhism through Asia, won a prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal.
The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized by Pope Benedict XVI this way:
To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art or history. To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe. Above all, Christians go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to the places associated with the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. They go to Rome, the city of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, and also to Compostela, which, associated with the memory of Saint James, has welcomed pilgrims from throughout the world who desire to strengthen their spirit with the Apostle’s witness of faith and love.
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Nomadic by nature, and as a qualified geologist, Jeremy wandered into the Himalaya in 1987, teaching himself documentary photography. He has worked in over 100 countries over the last three decades, producing nine books, including Living Incas and Island Dreams: Mediterranean. His latest book, Nirvana, The Spread of Buddhism through Asia, won a prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal.
