St Pat’s Pilgrimage: Walking in faith together on the journey towards heaven

By Josh Low

Walking in faith as pilgrim people of God alongside brothers and sisters in Christ was behind the ninth annual St Patrick’s Pilgrimage from Colebrook to Richmond.

Organised by the Office of Youth Evangelisation and held over two days on 15 and 16 March, the pilgrimage saw young people cover a total of 40km as they journeyed by foot.

The pilgrimage commenced with Mass celebrated by Fr John Joseph Martin LEB at St Patrick’s Church in Colebrook.

Participants made their way towards the campsite at Campania where they settled for the night, with dinner, fellowship, Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation available.

Despite stormy weather threatening to derail the pilgrimage that evening, pilgrims thankfully experienced nothing more than a light sprinkling of rain.

The following day pilgrims continued their journey to St John’s Church in Richmond, where they were greeted by Archbishop Julian who celebrated Mass, joined by Fr John Joseph and Richmond Parish Priest, Fr Fidelis Udousoro.

Mersey-Leven parishioner Samuel Schodel travelled all the way from Penguin to take part in what was his first experience of a pilgrimage.

“I really liked the idea of getting together, mainly with like-minded young people, sharing stories and experiences and making some new memories,” he said.

“I also really like the idea of walking from one church to another over a long enough period where you can really get into a groove and pray along the way.

“Especially during this season of Lent, to go through a bit of hardship with the terrain we covered also just lended itself to then being intentional about what we were doing it for and sacrificing time and energy to pray.

“Walking in the countryside and having phenomenal conversations with great like-minded people while at the same time developing your prayer life; it’s one of the best things you can do.”

In his homily, Archbishop Julian described the two days of pilgrimage as a ‘paradigm or archetype of human life.’

“Each of our lives is a journey,” he said.

Referencing the words of St Paul from the readings of the day, which spoke of our “homeland’ as heaven, Archbishop Julian added that this world is not our final destiny or the sum of our existence.

“Something greater awaits us. We Christians always have heaven before us as our goal,” he said.

“We are part of the Church, the pilgrim people of God. We have the saints who have gone before us, [and] our brothers and sisters in the faith walking beside us.

“Today, as we end this pilgrimage from St Patrick’s Colebrook to St John’s Richmond, let us contemplate the Transfiguration of the Lord as an incentive and inspiration to embrace our journey of faith with renewed vigour and purpose.”