Andrea JLast Updated: March 24th, 2022Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
The past two years have brought lots of ups and downs in the pilgrimage world. We had two groups travel in February of 2020 and then mere days before we were to send others, everything shut down. March groups were postponed to October, then to the following March, then again to the fall, and once … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: March 24th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Holy Land, Pilgrims' Stories
Our first pilgrimage to the holy Land in nearly two years is departing in just over a week. They have received their pilgrim packets with their luggage tags and booklet. Their e-tickets are in their inboxes, and their final preparation meeting was earlier this week. We – and their group leaders – have done our … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: February 16th, 2023Pilgrims' Stories, Travel Alerts
Merriam Webster defines a pilgrimage as “a journey of a pilgrim,” especially: “one (journey) to a shrine or a sacred place.” The first known use of the word ‘pilgrimage’ was in the 14th century, but the action of taking a pilgrimage had already existed for millennia at that point. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Abraham was … Read More
Krista BehringerLast Updated: April 1st, 2021Holy Land, Pilgrims' Stories
How many different occasions has someone shouted, “stay awake” or “don’t fall asleep?” If you find yourself blessed with the opportunity to spend the night inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and accidentally fall asleep, you may hear plenty of voices in several different languages ordering you to either sit up straight … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints, Spiritual Reflections
In 2013, I took a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, with a local church group of close to 50. We celebrated Mass together each day and were accompanied in our worship by one pilgrim who had brought along his guitar. A song … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: August 27th, 2021Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints
Throughout the first month of my Camino across northern Spain we had been blessed with the warmest and driest October in 200 years. The sun shone every day and the little rain we did have was warm and ended quickly, allowing us to dry out by the end of the walking day. The breezes were mostly warm and dry, especially once we turned … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: October 22nd, 2020Pilgrims' Stories
Take your rosary or prayer book for the long flight and as a prayer aid at the very special holy sites you will be visiting. As St. Padre Pio says, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” The best slogan for pilgrimage travel anywhere! Dress for sacred spaces. It’s important to remember that churches in Europe and … Read More
When you visit a locale with extraordinary significance in salvation history, it’s good to have Scripture close at hand. When my family visited Rome a few years ago, it was Scripture coupled with history that really hit home the richness and depth of our Faith. On our trip, one of the places we visited was … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: October 2nd, 2020Medjugorje, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
For the past three years as fall approached, I found myself eagerly awaiting a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. The visits to the small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina completely changed my life. Amid the chaos and confusion going on now in the world with the pandemic, social unrest and the upcoming election, I find myself yearning for Medjugorje. … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 17th, 2020Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
Along with many others in the world today, my travel plans this summer were affected by disappointing cancellations, postponements, forbidden border crossings, and destination changes. My husband and I were initially looking forward to accompanying his parents to the Holy Land this June, a first-time pilgrimage for all of us. We were counting our daily … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 11th, 2020Holy Land, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
In late 2019, I had booked and planned a trip to Poland and Germany for May of 2020 with a fellow coworker here at Tekton Ministries. We were going to explore the homeland of St. John Paul II and then end our pilgrimage with a quick stop in Germany, where we were going to attend … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: August 6th, 2020Pilgrims' Stories, Saints, Spiritual Reflections
After five too many months of being stuck in my Indianapolis home for a series of quarantines, curfews, and stay-at-home orders, I most excitedly hopped a plane and made my way to the great state of Colorado. This summer has been a rough one. I found myself surprised when I learned of kids starting school … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: July 23rd, 2020Camino de Santiago, Ebooks, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints
It’s a long-running joke in my family to respond to a question of how to get somewhere with “Oh, you can’t get there from here. You have to go somewhere else to start.” It seems like an odd comment – and not very helpful – but in the pilgrimage world, it is not uncommon to … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 25th, 2020Medjugorje, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
“If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15 I made my first pilgrimage ever in September, 2018 to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a place of alleged apparitions … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 4th, 2020Germany, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints
Fifteen years ago, when I was living in Germany, I learned the story of the Passion Play at Oberammergau and decided I would attend in 2020 – the year I turned 40 – as a birthday gift to myself. Last year, as soon as tickets were available, I made all my plans for a wonderful … Read More
