St Patrick’s Pilgrimage: Putting one foot in front of the other

By Josh Low

The seventh annual St Patrick’s Pilgrimage saw young people from across the Archdiocese cover approximately 40km over two days as they made their way from Colebrook to Richmond.

Commencing on Saturday 18 March from St Patrick’s Church in Colebrook, following Mass celebrated by Fr Paschal Okpon, participants travelled by foot across hilly terrain before setting up camp in Campania for the night.

Eucharistic Adoration was led by Archbishop Julian, who also made himself available for those seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The pilgrims resumed the walk the following day, making their way through farmland to their destination – St John’s Church in Richmond.

As he greeted the pilgrims upon their arrival at St John’s for Sunday Mass, Archbishop Julian emphasised the notion of life itself as a pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God.

“Today you complete the pilgrimage with the celebration of the Mass… it’s an opportunity for us to recognise that life itself is a pilgrimage and that our homeland, our goal is heaven.

“Try to always seek what God wants of you; and so, we ask all the time, ‘God, what do you want of me? How do you want me to live my life?’,” he said.

This year’s pilgrimage was a first for Sandy Bay parishioner Renz Tabnagay who said being present at the two significant churches in Colebrook and Richmond helped him “appreciate the inheritance and tradition which was passed on by the Church fathers”.

“I also found peace and a sense of belonging in participating in Eucharistic Adoration on the Saturday night. That and singing with everyone ignited my spirit to grow closer to the loving relationship of Jesus.

“Overall, my experience of the pilgrimage led me to a deeper understanding of what being a Catholic means.”

Second time participant, Launceston parishioner Laura Smith, said the pilgrimage provided both quality time for fellowship and personal reflection.

“Even though it’s physically, emotionally and mentally a demanding experience, you do find it spiritually refreshing,” she said.

“It was also very encouraging to hear other young Catholics talking about Catholic theology, apologetics and evangelisation with such zeal and charity.

“It was great listening to teenagers and young adults speaking about the situations they’ve been confronted with in their daily lives in school and at work, and how they’ve responded to that in charity,” she said.

Reflecting on Archbishop Julian’s homily, Laura said the pilgrimage gave her an opportunity to reflect on life itself being a journey.

“The Archbishop’s comments were a great reminder of the journey that we’re on – that the problems we face in this life are fleeting in the grand scheme of things.”

There was always the opportunity to choose to follow Christ, she added, even in the ordinary moments of life.

“And it doesn’t have to be spectacular, it is literally just like putting one foot in front of the other.”

Watch highlights from the St Patrick’s Pilgrimage here: