A pilgrimage isn’t just travel with a spiritual twist — it’s a different kind of journey. The place you go matters because it’s part of a larger story. We don’t visit just any site; we go to places that have drawn the faithful across generations. Why? Because something happened there — something holy, healing, or human enough to echo through time.
These destinations aren’t picked at random. Many emerged from lived devotion: Lourdes, where Bernadette encountered a mysterious Lady; Fatima, shaped by the visions of three children; or Rome and Santiago, built on the tombs of apostles.
The Church affirms their significance, but their power lies in how they continue to speak to people today.
The Catechism calls pilgrimage “a special occasion for renewal in prayer” (CCC 2691). It’s more than visiting a site; it’s setting out in search of grace. And this year, the Church is extending a special welcome to pilgrims: the 2025 Jubilee Year.
Celebrated roughly every 25 years, a Jubilee invites the faithful to seek mercy, make a fresh start, and draw close to God in a tangible way. Rome is surely a major center, but pilgrim doors are open worldwide.
Still, you don’t need to fly to Europe to be a pilgrim. The road might be closer than you think. Many regions have hidden gems — shrines, monasteries, or walking routes that are rich with history and heart. There’s also a growing interest in lesser-known caminos across Europe, like the Camino del Norte along Spain’s northern coast, or the Via di Francesco in Italy, tracing the footsteps of St. Francis.
Even the U.S. has its own emerging pilgrim paths, from the California Missions Trail to the new American Camino in the Midwest.
So how do you choose where to go?
Start by asking what your soul is seeking. Are you looking for healing? Silence? Forgiveness? Do you want to walk for days or sit quietly in prayer? The “right” destination is the one that meets you in your longing and points you toward God.
For some, it’s the grandeur of Rome during a Jubilee. For others, it’s the quiet strength of a local Marian shrine. And for many, it’s a path through the woods, a candle lit in a side chapel, or even a weekend in a monastery a few hours from home.
A pilgrimage isn’t about how far you go. It’s about setting out with purpose, letting each step become prayer. The holy ground isn’t always famous. Sometimes it’s hidden. Sometimes it’s pretty close to your own backyard.
What matters is that you go — not perfectly, but faithfully. Because on the road, something changes. You change. And whether you return with answers or only better questions, you come back having walked toward the sacred — and found that it was walking toward you, too.
