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Introduction to Spiritual Pilgrimage

Organized by Deacon Tom & Mary Jane Fox, directors

The Pilgrim Center of Hope: A Catholic Evangelization Ministry in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Ministry of Pilgrimages

7680 Joe Newton Dr. San Antonio, TX 782451

phone: 1.210.521-3377 / dtmjfox@pilgrimcenterofhope.org

Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox have traveled to the Holy Land over 40 times since 1984; their

experience and relationship with the Mother Church in the Holy Land are an important part of the Holy

Land pilgrimage. 2011 marks their 27th anniversary in taking groups to the Holy Land!

WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE?

GOD TOUCHES OUR LIVES IN MANY WAYS, but when we seek Him with fervor, we are making an

eternal investment which will have everlasting rewards. A pilgrimage is such an investment. It is a

journey of faith that not only benefits us as individuals, but it is also good for the whole Church, which

we know as the „Body of Christ‟.

A PILGRIMAGE IS A CALLING, IT IS A VOCATION, and the response is from the heart and mind, an

act of the will. It is with this in mind that pilgrims traveling on pilgrimages build up the Body of Christ

through prayer, through the participation in daily Mass, various devotions, as well as visiting with the

local church.Fr. Gerald Vann, in his book, Heart of Compassion, says, “the salvation of many depends on

the prayers and penances of Christ‟s faithful and on the part they play in sharing His work.”

A PILGRIMAGE TAKES YOU not just around the world, but inside yourself. Pilgrimages are also very

much for the individual person; because it is a journey of faith with a motive to grow closer to God and to

seek spiritual renewal.

PILGRIMAGES HAVE spiritual, mental, physical & social benefits:

• Opportunity for a new vision of one‟s life & relationship with God

• Experience an encounter with the Risen Lord

• Discovery of the rich history of the Church

• New cultural experiences

• Occasions to practice acts of charity & develop an attitude of tolerance and patience

THE SEVEN WAYS pilgrimages affect a pilgrim:

• The sense of identity

• The sense of friendship

• The sense of Truth

• The sense of Beauty

• The sense of effort

• The sense of one‟s body

• The sense of God

pilgrimcenterofhope.org

THESE ARE EXPERIENCED and made aware during the pilgrimage. Our human person must be

transformed by our pilgrimage on earth. Why did God lead His people for a long pilgrimage in the desert?

Why did He choose to start the renewal of humanity with Abraham and with Mary, by a pilgrimage? Isn‟t

it because a pilgrimage is unique experience which involves all the dimensions of our person: the sense of

our identity, the friendship, the research of truth, the sense of art, the virtues, the body, the adoration? Our

human person can really be transformed by a pilgrimage. - Fr. Thomas Joachim, Congregation of St. John

WHAT IS A ‘SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE?’

AT THE PILGRIM CENTER OF HOPE, we invite those who cannot physically journey with us on

pilgrimage to unite with us spiritually on a „spiritual pilgrimage.‟ Spiritual pilgrimage unites you with the

entire Church, particularly with the local Catholics!

AS YOU SEND YOUR PRAYER INTENTIONS TO US, we offer them at the holy sites. Throughout

our journey, we “carry” your concerns, worries, prayers of thanksgiving, and other intentions as we

retrace the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each day of the pilgrimage, we invite you to learn about the

holy places that we encounter each day through our website. Meditate upon the events that took place at

each site. Allow the reality of each place to renew your Faith. As a spiritual pilgrim, you journey with us

in spirit, sharing in the graces that we receive. Come, journey with us.

“LET US SET OUT IN THEFOOTSTEPS OF CHRIST!” - Blessed Pope John Paul II