A Pilgrimage -What’s it like?

Visiting the Holy Land and with fellow Rosebank Catholic pilgrims was never on my travel list.  Mauritius, Italy, France and Greece are just some of the holiday destinations I dreamed of visiting with hubby and kids!

When my mom Mary invited me to join her for two weeks in Israel to go on a personal spiritual journey, it came as a once in a lifetime opportunity that I believed would be perfect for this time in my life (midlife). Spending quality time with mom was also a huge draw card, and so with my hubby’s blessing and after leaving behind all the necessary to-do lists, off I went. Well I wasn’t sure two days before we were due to leave if mom was destined to go as passport and visa challenges continued. Long story short she was given the green light at the airport thirty minutes prior to check-in (note 1: before you book an overseas trip your passport needs to be valid for six months after your return date, note 2: mom didn’t need a visa with her temporary British passport).

Ethiopian Airlines was ok! The wine did the trick... try - if you can - to avoid flying via Addis Ababa...

The travel arrangements and itinerary were very well co-ordinated; Father Harry and our Israeli tour guide Jacob made a complementary and well informed team. What was incredible was how they brought history, geography and religion all together. We would be taken to a biblical site where we would learn about its context in time and place, meditate on the meanings and significance of the content while we simultaneously experienced the sounds, images, smells, tastes and the authenticity of things...

Having a visual of and receiving daily mass at The Sea Of Galilee where Jesus walked on water and where he fed the 5 000, where Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the shepherd’s fields, Nazareth, Cana, The Dead Sea and Qumran Caves where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, the garden of Gethsemane, the Old City of Jerusalem, The Via Dolorosa and where Jesus was crucified on Golgotha heightened my emotions and brought the Bible to life.  It is such a moving personal experience and one that words cannot explain.

I felt an overall feeling of sensitivity in Jerusalem with the extreme holiness of the various religious groups (Jews, Christians and Muslims) and the heightened awareness of political issues. Despite this I felt safe especially being with Father Harry and just completely honoured to be there! 

I dreamt I was still in the Old City for two weeks after my return and I think and refer to many experiences from the pilgrimage every day.  My daughters aged five and nine are particularly interested in what I saw; I have shown them what the stable looked like where Jesus was born, they now wear their rosaries from Bethlehem to church and bless themselves before bed with the holy water from the River Jordan! For me especially Christmas and carol singing this year has taken on a whole new meaning (I cried at my daughter’s nativity play).

There were wonderful, special, interesting people on our trip all of different ages (I was the youngest). I learned much about myself too from observing the others! What amazed me most is how talented, intelligent and successful many of the pilgrims are; yet they are so unassuming, fun, patient and kind. Fantastic people and fond memories! On our last day Father said: “Now go and spread joy and positivity”. This is exactly what I intend to do because a pilgrimage like this reminds you of how precious and beautiful life is and how truly blessed we all are.

When we arrived in Jerusalem we were greeted with: “Welcome Home”; I will never forget how I felt when I heard these words... I know in my heart that someday I will return with my hubby and kids!

Debbie Whittaker

The Peter Jackson Project
The Peter Jackson Project is committed to helping children from the Diepsloot Informal Settlement through various educational initiatives.  The project is in need of people to take this marvelous initiative to ever greater heights by giving of their time and talents. Click here to view a recent "Report back" presentation. ANY help you can provide will make an impact in these children’s lives.