Christian Pilgrimage and Healing

1. 120 - appleby Christian Pilgrimageand Healing Rels 120 11 March 2014

2. 120 - appleby Religious Pilgrimage Judaism: The Western Wall Islam: Mecca Hinduism: The Ganges River

3. 120 - appleby Elements of Christian Pilgrimage • Sacred place • Saints, martyrs and holy relics • Tombs • Bones • Therapeutic landscapes • Sacred journeys • Penance • Healing • Thanksgiving Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan)

4. 120 - appleby #1: Sacred place • Locations associated with divine revelation and intervention • Places of miracles, martyrdom, burial, or appearances of a saint • Seen as a conduit between divine and earthly worlds “The veil between the natural and the supernatural has been torn at certain places.” (WilGesler)

5. 120 - appleby Underground catacombs where Christians were buried; places for prayer & celebration

6. 120 - appleby Cave tombs and catacombs Capuchin monks’ crypt, Sicily

7. 120 - appleby Asacred site in Peru used by the Incas for worshipping Panchamama, mother nature, the provider of bountiful harvest and good seasons.

8. 120 - appleby #2: Saints, Martyrs and Holy Relics Great Jubilee Year of 2000 – Pope John Paul II designated Rome as an official pilgrimage destination • Millions of pilgrims visited Rome, considered to be holy because of the many Christians martyred for their faith – primary among them, St. Peter (Jesus’ disciple) and St. Paul (apostle to the Gentiles) • Rome is “consecrated” by the blood of the martyrs; remains of martyrs are found in burial catacombs under the city and outside its boundaries • Wall paintings depict religious ceremonies being held in the catacombs • Relics contain great power; focal point of holiness; pilgrims came closer to God by means of the saints and martyrs • Seeking forgiveness for sins (of oneself and deceased loved ones); at a time of crisis in one’s life

9. 120 - appleby St. Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr, being beheaded (283 CE, or 304 CE)

10. 120 - appleby Shrine of St. Alban in current St. Alban’s Cathedral containing pieces of St. Alban’s bones • The Cathedral was constructed at the place of St. Alban’s martyrdom • Feast Day, June 22 • Place of Medieval pilgrimage and many healing miracles

11. 120 - appleby Cult of Mary, Mother of God • Sanctioned by Council of Ephesus in 431 • Devotional practices to Mary include fasting, prayer, Saturday liturgy • In Eastern Church – Theotokos, “God bearer” • Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) – when the angel visited Mary • Feast of the Assumption (August 15) – when Mary rose, or ascended, to Heaven

12. 120 - appleby 12th Century: Cult of Mary • Cistercian monks adopted Mary as their Patron Saint • Mary seen as the “new Eve” • Jesus portrayed by Paul as the “new Adam” • Pope Pius IX, 1854: Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary; Mary “was preserved free from all stain of original sin”

13. 120 - appleby Marian shrines Statues of Mary; relics of hair, fragments of clothing, or breast milk Mary as Holy Mother, Mother of God; Intercessor in prayer 3 major Marian shrine locations: • Lourdes, France: In 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous • Guadaloupe, Mexico: In 1531, an Aztec Indian, Juan Diego, saw the Virgin Mary near Mexico City. • Fatima, Portugal: In 1916, three young children were visited by an angel; in 1917, the children saw Mary.

14. 120 - appleby #3: Therapeutic Landscapes The therapeutic landscape concept emerged in the 1990s within disciplines known as health geography, medical anthropology, or geographies of well-being. Relates to both natural landscapes and built environments. May include labyrinths, gardens, water fountains, pebbled walkways, for example • Sacred, healing, restorative, nurturing elements • Therapeutic places and locations: neighbourhoods, hospitals, public buildings and parks, etc.

15. 120 - appleby One of theSustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™)[Pilot Project: AlderwoodLongterm Care Facility, Baddeck, Cape Breton ]

16. 120 - appleby Pilgrims walk the labyrinth to represent their questing, searching journey to come closer to God. The labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in Paris

17. 120 - appleby #4: Sacred Journeys • Search for experience of the divine • Search for transcendence • Journey of transformation • Seeking repentance, penance and forgiveness • Offering thanksgiving • Seeking healing

18. 120 - appleby Lourdes, France; place of healing pilgrimage

19. 120 - appleby Places of Healing Pilgrimage in Canada • Notre Dame du Cap / Our Lady of the Cape – Marian shrine • (TroiseRivières) St. Anne de Beaupré (near Quebec City) • St. Joseph’s Oratory • (Montreal)

20. 120 - appleby Notre Dame du Cap /Our Lady of the Cape Shrine • Jesuit missionaries first arrived in 1634 • 1902 - Arrival of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate • TroisRivières, Quebec

21. 120 - appleby Statue of Our Lady of the Cape; in 1888, 2 men witnessed the miraculous opening of Mary’s eyes Inside the basilica – no pillars or columns

22. 120 - appleby Notre Dame du CapSpring water shrine Water symbolizes purity & cleansing

23. 120 - appleby Saint Anne, Mary and Jesus: Saint Anne de Beaupré, Quebec

24. 120 - appleby Saints Anne and Joachim • Childless for many years; viewed as a disgrace • Joachim expelled from the Temple; spent time alone in the desert wilderness; continued to petition God for a child which he promised to dedicate to God • Joachim returned to Jerusalem • Shortly after, Anne gave birth to Mary; she was consecrated to God in the Temple • Feast of St. Anne added to the cycle of celebrations in the 12th century

25. 120 - appleby The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents—————TRAVELS AND EXPLORATIONSOF THE JESUIT MISSIONARIESIN NEW FRANCE1610—1791 CHAPTER VIII.CONCERNING SOME WONDERS THAT HAVE RECENTLY OCCURRED 1667

26. 120 - appleby (excerpt) “A YOUNG man twenty-two or twenty-three years old, Jean Adam by name, was with his master in the woods on the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, when he suddenly felt himself seized with a violent pain in the eyes; and as his sight failed him more and more every day after this, he took the ordinary remedies. “But when his ailment grew constantly worse, he had recourse to God, and performed a novena to Saint Anne, promising to go on a pilgrimage to her Church to seek her intervention. “He is healed of his blindness.”

27. 120 - appleby Church at Beaupré was built in 1658 • A disabled man, Louis Guimot, set 3 stones in the foundation and was instantly cured of his disabling arthritis • Soon became known as a place where people were cured of paralysis, blindness and many other diseases • Thousands of pilgrims, some in wheelchairs or hospital beds, seek healings

28. 120 - appleby Relics of St. Anne • Major portion of St. Anne’s forearm was given to the shrine by Pope John XXIII in 1960 • Smaller relics (bone fragments) and hand-held reliquaries are kissed or held on an ill body part • Pieces of cloth that have touched a relic are sold to pilgrims • Oil from the lamps in the Chapel of the Major Relic is sold to pilgrims seeking cures for themselves or a loved one

29. 120 - appleby Inside the Basilica ofSt. Anne de Beaupré The Altar and Reliquary holding the forearm of St. Anne

30. 120 - appleby Sacraments and Sacramentals • Anointing of the sick – on Feast Day • Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament • Rosary • Candlelight Procession • Holy Stairs climbed by pilgrims on their knees • Gypsies – novena as an annual pardon to cancel obligations and grievances • Pastoral counseling of the sick • St. Anne’s Aides assist the pilgrims

31. 120 - appleby St. Anne’s Fountain Pilgrims drink at the fountain; collect water to take home; rub the spring water on their bodies

32. 120 - appleby St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal May 1982: Pope John Paul II declared Brother André “Blessed” • October 2010: Pope Benedict XVI declared Brother André a “Saint” • Mass at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on 30 October 2010

33. 120 - appleby Experiences of Religious Pilgrimage • Reflect on your own experiences of sacred places, renewal and pilgrimage using the questions provided in this sheet • Share with your table group