A Conversation of Pilgrims

Last week I had the great joy of talking with writer, speaker, and broadcaster—and my neighbor at the Patheos Catholic Channel—Pat Gohn about my recent pilgrimage experience, and about pilgrimage as a spiritual discipline and a metaphor for the journey of faith. Pat is a devoted pilgrim herself, and has a particular love for Fatima, the place that most moved and surprised me last month.

Pat recorded our conversation for her Among Women podcast (#148: Coming Home on Pilgrimage), and it’s up live today here or from iTunes. Pat has also linked to some of my blog posts from the pilgrimage, and to earlier Among Women podcasts dealing with Fatima and Lourdes. If you aren’t already following the Among Women podcasts, Pat’s blog, The Back Porch, and her Patheos column, A Word in Season, you’re missing out on a great source of wisdom and wit. I particularly recommend her compendium of resources for the Year of Faith. (UPDATE: Forgot to mention that the first portion of this podcast references my newest Patheos Catholic Channel neighbor, Lisa Hendey; Pat reads about St Catherine of Bologna from Lisa’s A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. It’s a trifecta!)

I’ll have a summary post on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s 2012 pilgrimage, including the terrific reunion we had on Sunday at the Spiritual Center of Maria Stein and its neighbor Shrine of the Holy Relics (a pilgrimage site all on its own) later today. In the meantime, if Pat’s and my conversation about pilgrimages sparks any memories and reflections of your own, please share. To think about:

• What was the most memorable thing that ever happened to you on a pilgrimage?
• If you could make a pilgrimage anywhere, where would you go?
• What’s the most difficult part of making a pilgrimage?
• Does pilgrimage speak to you as a spiritual discipline or a metaphor for your faith journey? If so, how?