Pilgrimage, Catholic Social Teaching and Mission
Catholic Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place undertaken for spiritual purposes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2691–2696 says that pilgrimages “evoke our earthly journey toward heaven” and are special occasions for renewal in prayer. Pilgrimage is an outward expression of the inward journey towards God.
The four pilgrimage sites specified in this unit are:
- Jerusalem: The holiest city in Christianity, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Pilgrims visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Via Dolorosa and the Garden of Gethsemane. Jerusalem has been a destination for Christian pilgrims since the earliest centuries.
- Lourdes (France): In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous reported eighteen apparitions of Mary in a grotto at Lourdes. The Catechism recognises such Marian apparitions as private revelation. Millions of pilgrims visit each year, many seeking healing. The healing spring at Lourdes is associated with reported miraculous cures.
- Rome: The seat of the papacy and the location of St Peter’s Basilica, built over the tomb of the Apostle Peter. Catholics make pilgrimage to Rome to visit the Holy See, the catacombs, and St Paul’s Basilica. A ‘Holy Year’ (Jubilee) declared by the pope gives pilgrims special indulgences.
- Walsingham (England): England’s national Marian shrine, based on a vision in 1061 in which a noblewoman, Richeldis, was shown the House of the Annunciation and instructed to build a replica. Destroyed at the Reformation and restored in the twentieth century, it remains a major pilgrimage destination for both Catholics and Anglicans.
Catholics and Orthodox Christians strongly affirm pilgrimage as a spiritual discipline. Many Protestants are sceptical: the Reformation rejected the idea that visiting a physical place earns spiritual merit, arguing that God can be encountered anywhere and that Jesus himself said the Father seeks worshippers ‘in spirit and truth’ (John 4:23). However, many modern Protestants and evangelicals do make pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine for educational and devotional reasons without attaching indulgence value to it.
The Funeral Rite
The Catholic funeral rite is a full liturgical celebration. It takes place in three stages: in the home (reception of the body and prayer), in the church (the Funeral Mass, which is the central moment), and at the cemetery (the committal, entrusting the body to God). The rite serves three purposes: communion with the deceased (the Church prays for them); communion of the community (the grief is shared); and proclamation of eternal life.
The theologian and Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, wrote a widely circulated reflection titled ‘Preparing my funeral.’ Nichols emphasises that a Catholic funeral is not simply a memorial service but an act of worship that entrusts the deceased to God’s mercy and proclaims the resurrection.
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Social Teaching (CST) applies the Gospel to social and economic life. Its key principles include: human dignity, the common good, solidarity (care for all, especially the poor), and subsidiarity (decisions made at the most local level possible).
The key document for this topic is Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), written by Pope Francis in 2013. Paragraphs 182–237 focus on “the inclusion of the poor in society”: Francis insists that the Church’s mission is inseparable from care for the marginalised. He writes of the “economy of exclusion” and calls Catholics to a “culture of encounter” with those on the margins.
The CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) is the Catholic Church’s development agency in England and Wales. It works in partnership with local communities in the Global South on long-term development and emergency relief. CAFOD grounds its work in Matthew 25:31–46 (the Parable of the Sheep and Goats), in which Jesus identifies himself with “the least of these my brothers.”
Evangelii Gaudium was written by Pope Francis in 2013. Paragraphs 182–237 address “the inclusion of the poor in society.” Matthew 25:31–46 (Sheep and Goats) is the key Scripture underpinning CAFOD’s work.
Catholic Mission and Evangelism
Mission is the Church’s calling to spread the Good News of Jesus. Evangelism is the direct proclamation of the Gospel. Catholics distinguish mission (building the Kingdom of God in the world, including through justice and development) from evangelism (explicit verbal proclamation).
Evangelii Gaudium Chapter 5 sets out Pope Francis’s vision for missionary discipleship: every baptised Catholic is a missionary. Mission is not only the work of priests and religious orders — the whole Church is called to go out to the “peripheries” that need the light of the Gospel.
Catholic thinking has sometimes separated ‘mission’ (proclaiming the Gospel in words) from ‘social action’ (serving the poor). Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium insists the two cannot be separated: “An authentic faith... always involves a deep desire to change the world.” CAFOD embodies this integration — it does not proselytise (seek to convert) but works for justice as an expression of the Gospel. Critics argue that without explicit proclamation of Christ, social action is not distinctively Christian. The 12-mark Evaluate question on this topic asks you to weigh these positions against each other.
The Catholic funeral rite serves three purposes: (1) communion with the deceased through prayer; (2) supporting the bereaved community; (3) proclaiming eternal life and the resurrection to all present.