Pilgrimages do not just happen - there is a lot of work that goes into planning and arranging one. Once the final arrangements have been finalized - air carrier - flights - bus transportation - hotels - meals - itinerary - tour guide - and more - then and only then can the pilgrimage be advertised and people recruited to participate. All said and done - the ones who participate - the pilgrims - are the one and only reason a pilgrimage happens. Without pilgrims - there is no pilgrimage. It doesn't matter if it is a one day event - overnight - week long - people are the fuel that makes a pilgrimage come alive. Those who participate in a pilgrimage come from all walks of life - all ethnicities - all faiths. On every Catholic based pilgrimage that my wife and I have organized - we have always had non-Catholics who participate. Our most recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel completely showed that.
In the photos below - taken from our October 24 - November 2, 2018 pilgrimage - you can clearly see the physical makeup of the group. What none of these photos can reveal - is the spirituality of each person - the basic religion practiced. This specific group represented Roman Catholics - Pentecostal - Palestinian Christian - Muslim - faiths - all blended together in a single effort to draw each person closer to God.
In the photos below - taken from our October 24 - November 2, 2018 pilgrimage - you can clearly see the physical makeup of the group. What none of these photos can reveal - is the spirituality of each person - the basic religion practiced. This specific group represented Roman Catholics - Pentecostal - Palestinian Christian - Muslim - faiths - all blended together in a single effort to draw each person closer to God.
2018 Pilgrimage Group at Holy Sepulcher Church in Jerusalem
2018 Group at Mount Tabor in Lower Galilee
2018 Pilgrimage Group in the Upper Room at David's Tomb Compound in Jerusalem
Pilgrimage is always a blessing to those who participate - many blessings - in many different forms - always a gift from God - drawing each individual closer to their personal relationship with their Lord.
Deacon Dale
