This book aims to explore what pilgrimage has to teach about God, the faithful, and the Church, thereby challenging and enriching theology.

"The pilgrimage impulse is a common thread running through multiple religious traditions. Brouillette concentrates on the Christian tradition, starting with its roots in Judaism and going up to the trips undertaken by modern popes from Paul VI through Francis"--

In this provocative book two authors--one a scientist, the other a biblical scholar and pastor--recount the pilgrimages of understanding that have led them from the young-earth, "scientific creationist" position they were taught in their youths to new perspectives on what it can mean to believe in God as Creator.

From "the world's greatest tour guide," a deeply-researched, captivating journey through the rich history of Christianity and the winding paths of the French and Italian countryside that will feed mind, body, and soul (New York Times). "What a wondrous work! This beautifully written and totally clear-eyed account of his pilgrimage will have you wondering whether we should all embark on such a journey, either of the body, the soul or, as in Egan's case, both." --Cokie Roberts "Egan draws us in, making us feel frozen in the snow-covered Alps, joyful in valleys of trees with low-hanging fruit, skeptical of the relics of embalmed saints and hopeful for the healing of his encrusted toes, so worn and weathered from their walk."--The Washington Post Moved by his mother's death and his Irish Catholic family's complicated history with the church, Timothy Egan decided to follow in the footsteps of centuries of seekers to force a reckoning with his own beliefs. He embarked on a thousand-mile pilgrimage through the theological cradle of Christianity to explore the religion in the world that it created. Egan sets out along the Via Francigena, once the major medieval trail leading the devout to Rome, and travels overland via the alpine peaks and small mountain towns of France, Switzerland and Italy, accompanied by a quirky cast of fellow pilgrims and by some of the towering figures of the faith--Joan of Arc, Henry VIII, Martin Luther. The goal: walking to St. Peter's Square, in hopes of meeting the galvanizing pope who is struggling to hold together the church through the worst crisis in half a millennium. A thrilling journey, a family story, and a revealing history, A Pilgrimage to Eternity looks for our future in its search for God.

This book delves into topics on pilgrimage travel and communities from a variety of perspectives through academic research based on the Middle East, Northeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe, where sacred sites have become of great importance for both international and domestic tourism. In particular, Europe and Asia possess a high volume of world-renowned pilgrimage sites that are currently being developed as tourism destinations in their respective countries, such as Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Lourdes (France), and Koyasan (Japan). This book includes studies on these two continents that harbor both a great history of pilgrimage tradition, as well as tourism development related to religious travel. The book importantly covers the role of the community in religious tourism, as well as the impact on the locals, which is comparatively an unexplored area. Whilst pilgrimage is seen as an effective tool to revitalize local economies, this book also reveals the different challenges to achieving this goal. Realizing the importance of the interrelationship of community and pilgrimage travel, as well as the lack of studies on it, this book seeks to address this research gap through 14 chapters divided into two parts, ‘Communities and Constestation’ and ‘Pilgrimage Shaping Communities’. To ensure diverse perspectives, case studies from different Eurasian countries, written by authors with expertise in the study of pilgrimage and religious travel, are included. Readers can expect to gain new perspectives by having a deeper comprehension of the ‘community side‘ of pilgrimage travel in Eurasia, and thus an integral understanding of contemporary pilgrimage

The Hebrew/Christian Scriptures include many allusions to pilgrimage customs and practices, yet the information is scattered and requires a considerable amount of reconstruction. It is posited that the pilgrimage paradigm, including the journey motif, has influenced the thought patterns of the writers of both the Old and New Testaments. To follow Jesus' journey to Jerusalem on the three feasts of pilgrimage in Luke-Acts and John, and their relevance to the way he revealed himself and taught his disciples, this work begins with the creation and patriarchal narratives, examining how the pilgrimage paradigm relates to discipleship. Reviewing the history of the people of God including the Exodus, the Exile, and restoration, this book establishes the significance of pilgrimage as a paradigm for Israel that eventually shapes Judaism. Seung Y Lee points us to a neglected fact that the three feasts of pilgrimage have developed their own characters and meanings for the momentous events in the history of Israel, and both Luke-Acts and John reflect the significance of the pilgrimage paradigm for Jesus' self-understanding and his teaching.

The ancient practice of pilgrimage has become increasingly popular in recent decades, in both traditional and new forms. Pilgrimage also provides fertile space for teaching. Especially with this latter development in mind, Pilgrimage as Spiritual Practice brings together original essays that offer useful resources for teachers and guides who lead groups in both academic and non-academic settings. The central aim of this volume is to provide a curated handbook of resources to aid the study and practice of pilgrimage for pilgrimage leaders and pilgrims. Contributions to the volume were created based on the premise that pilgrimage is a spiritual practice and that those who engage in pilgrimage do so as whole persons and thus will be challenged physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. The volume has two parts with six chapters each. The first part examines methods, key texts, and concepts. These chapters provide various entry points into the pilgrimage phenomenon: philosophy, theology, anthropology, psychology, medieval literature, art history. Though these chapters will focus on method and concept, they will make use of examples taken from concrete experience. The second part of the volume addresses specific practices, contexts, and phenomena: the Camino de Santiago, pilgrimage in Islam and Christianity, pilgrimage in India, pilgrimage in East Asia (Shikoku), pilgrimage in the wilderness, and urban pilgrimage.