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“PILGRIMAGES: Why do we do them and what are the benefits?” (written by Fr. James 2019/02/03)
Vatican Instruction on the Parish & Parish pilgrimages to various Shrines
Vatican Instruction on Pilgrimages
Vatican Instruction on the Parish and… Parish pilgrimages to various Shrines are precious instruments that can serve to strengthen fraternal communion, openness and welcome upon return to the Parish[33].
31. A Shrine, then, is analogous to a Parish in that it encompasses all the characteristics and services that ought to be found in the parish community, as it represents for the faithful the desired goal of their interior searching and a place where they can encounter the merciful face of Christ in a welcoming Church.
Frequenting Shrines can help the faithful rediscover their being “anointed by the Holy One” (1 Jn 2:20), that is to say their baptismal consecration. At such places, one learns to celebrate with fervour the mysterious presence of God in the midst his people in the liturgy, in the beauty of the evangelizing mission of the baptized, and in the call to exercise charity in daily life[34].
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish, 2150 Frieze Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104.