2023 is St Davids Diocese year of Pilgrimage and Local Ministry Area minister Rev’d Seamus Hargrave is leading one to Caldey island.
Those who would like a taste of what it is to be a pilgrim or to go on a pilgrimage are warmly invited to join the Narberth-Tenby LMA on its pilgrimage to Caldey on August 15.
The all-day pilgrimage starts at 9.30am at St Mary’s Church, Tenby. All are welcome regardless of their faith, to be companions on this pilgrimage. The cost is £20 and pilgrims are advised to bring their own picnics.
Pilgrimage is a word that has found its way into the vocabulary of most religions, and indeed is increasingly popular among those of no faith. There is something mystical and, at times, romantic about it. At its most basic, Christian pilgrimage can be defined as “a journey, undertaken as an act of devotion, either to give veneration and worship at a sacred place, or to ask some special favour or grace in the context of a place known to be close to God.” Yet, for many people undertaking pilgrimage today, this would not come close to describing the full meaning of pilgrimage to them.
For many modern pilgrims, the experience of the journey will form as much a part of their spiritual nourishment as the destination they eventually reach. The words ‘Pilgrim,’ and ‘Pilgrimage,’ come from the Latin word ‘Peregrinus,’ which translates as ‘stranger.’ Pilgrimage strips participants of the ordinary ways by which they define and measure themselves, to be joined in common purpose and status with all their fellow journeyers.
Rev’d Seamus says the idea of pilgrimage is borne out in scripture: “On the road to Emmaus, disciples, robbed of the security of their homes, their friends, and even the fullness of their faith, begin a journey; it is then, in that vulnerable moment, that Jesus approaches and opens to them a deeper, more meaningful insight into, and relationship with, him. Whether in the peace and holiness of the destination, or the uncertainties and vulnerabilities of the journey, pilgrimage is an opportunity to encounter God in a radical depth, often in ways, persons or moments you never expected and which opens you to insights and perspectives that you didn’t think you were searching for; but which you now see answer questions which were always in the back of your mind, or fill spaces in your soul you never knew were missing.“
“The pilgrimage to Caldey will be a time to form new relationships, to draw deeper in faith, however faith may express itself in your life, be challenged by new ideas and ways of thinking, and to seek the presence of God’s life-giving Spirit to ground us in the turbulence of the world.“
“All are very welcome to join us, whether you share our Christian faith or not, we welcome you as companions as we each shall make ourselves strangers on a journey which we hope will lead to gifts that can nurture and grow our future ways of life.”