AVE MARIA! – SACRED TOUR

  Family of Light World Peace Ministries ISIS Pilgrimage

"The World is A Book-

Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only A Page"

St. Augustine  

What Is an ISIS Minister Pilgrimage?

Sometimes we take few steps to the left, sometimes few steps to the right, other times we make few steps back, but, when we walk on an ISIS Pilgrimage, the steps are taking us closer to our “Earth’s” sacred “Divine Cosmic Mother” soul vibration in AVE MARIA! ISIS Pilgrimages to  California, Mexico, Peru, Egypt and India, based upon the study and sharing of ancient oral wisdom such as Egyptian Mythology, Mayan, Aztec, Toltec, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist & Christian cultures, as we respect  all religions in the honoring of “our” Mother Earth .

ISIS Pilgrimages differ from other tours in several important ways. It is a personal invitation from the Divine Cosmic Mother, comprised of Her offer and dependent upon the pilgrim's acceptance. The Divine Cosmic Mother's call may vary but the purpose remains consistent: It is an individual summons to know the Divine Feminine Energy of the Mother more fully. An ISIS Pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to which the pilgrim joyfully responds "yes" to the Divine Cosmic Mother’s invitation in the form of the Virgin Mary, Isis, Kali & Sekhmet, given to mankind through her Angel Guides.

Although in previous centuries many trials were intrinsic to a pilgrimage, the modern pilgrim has an abundance of affordable travel options, yet the purpose remains unchanged. It is a journey to a holy, sacred place to usher the pilgrim into the presence of the Light and Love of our father, mother, God, that divine cosmic ray of light within each of us.

The ISIS Pilgrim embarks on this journey with joyful anticipation, being willing temporarily to separate herself from the world and to offer herself in humble service to the Divine Cosmic Mother. A successful ISIS Pilgrimage involves a commitment to leave behind one's problems and to focus instead on seeking to learn more about our heavenly Divine Cosmic Mother, making one's heart full of desire for special graces, praises, petitions and thanksgiving, returning home transformed, renewed and restored by the abundant blessings received.

An ISIS Pilgrimage is a time of prayer, ritual, reverence and meditation to witness the miraculous signposts the Divine Cosmic Mother has left for our return to Her. Ask the Divine Cosmic Mother to bless you with a heart that will be receptive to the treasure chest of graces She desires to shower upon your pilgrimage. The success of your spiritual journey will depend upon your openness, faith, flexibility, acceptance and unconditional love.
 

Pilgrimages - journeys to sacred places for religious motives - are as old as civilization.

Since the earliest times, such journeys have been made as acts of devotion, penance, or thanksgiving or in search of blessings or miracles.

The concept crosses all ideological boundaries. In the ancient Near East, a portion of the harvest was carried to shrines to be offered to the gods in gratitude and homage. Muslim law prescribes a pilgrimage to Mecca, the birth place of Muhammad, for all who are able to undertake the journey. For all who are able to undertake the journey. For Hindus, a pilgrimage to Varansi (Banares), to bathe in the sacred waters of Ganges, is considered an obligation.

Christian pilgrims, from early in the second century, traveled great distances to venerate places in the Holy Land sanctified by the presence of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, or the Apostles. The number of Pilgrimages increased greatly in the fourth century, after Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity and legalized the faith throughout the roman Empire. He and his mother, Helena, were themselves the most influential of pilgrims. The historian Eusebius of Caesarea attributed to Constantine the discovery of Christ’s tomb, the Holy Sepulcher; other accounts credit his mother with finding the True Cross.

Word of the discoveries spread, spurring the pilgrimage movement. Although travel was always difficult and often perilous, by the end of the fourth century pilgrimages to the Holy Land were relatively common.

Rome, as it became the center of the Christian faith, became a frequent pilgrimage destination, as did Greece and Egypt, where the faithful could follow the footsteps of the Apostles.

By the Middle Ages, pilgrimages had become a significant part of Christian devotional life, whether they involved a journey between neighboring cities or across half the civilized  world. Churches and cathedrals throughout Europe holding relics of the Holy Family, the Apostles, and other early saints drew throngs of faithful, from common people and parish priests to emperors and popes.

The role of such relics - particularly those that were instruments of Christ’s Passion - is strong in pilgrimage , and many have survived to our time. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, for example , enshrines part of the Crown of Thorns, wood from the Cross, and a nail from the Crucifixion. Kept  in individual reliquaries encased in a gilded ark, they are on view only during Lent. The Sanctum Sanctorum Chapel in Rome has relics of the Cross, Christ's sandals, and a portrait of Christ “not painted by mortal hands.” At Aachen, Germany, relics include the infant Jesus’ swaddling clothes and the Virgin’s veil. The Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be Christ’s burial cloth, is world famous despite continuing nit pickings, about its origin. Many highly respected scientists vouch for the Shroud.

Corporeal relics - the bodies of saints, or parts of them - have also formed the basis  of many famous shrines. Prominent among such places in Santiago de Compastela in northern Spain, revered since the early ninth century as the burial place of the remains of Saint James the Apostle, who was beheaded by King Herod in Judea in A.D. 44 and whose body was thrown to dogs.

The heads, hearts, and various limits other saints were sometimes removed - not by their enemies, but after death by their adherents - and enshrined separately.  In Paris, the heart of Saint Vincent de Paul is kept in a reliquary on the alter of his shrine in the mother house of the Sisters of Charity; his bones are incased in a wax figure  in the chapel of the Vincentian Fathers. In Goa, India millions were drawn a few years ago to a week-long exposition of one Saint Francis Xavier’s arms. Counted among shrines marking the tombs of saints are those of Saint Martin in Tours, France (once most frequented shrine in Europe), and that of his mentor, Saint Hilary, in nearby Poiltiers, both dating from the fourth century. There are scores of others, on every continent.

Holy objects other then relics have given rise to many other popular shrines. At Czestochowa, Poland, the icon Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna, is believed to possess miraculous powers and has been venerated since fourteenth century. At the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, millions come to see the peasant’s cape on which the Blessed Virgin’s image miraculously appeared following an apparition in 1531. In Brazil, an image of the Virgin was discovered on a rock by a small child and has led to wide cult following. In Ancona, Italy, a weeping statue of the Virgin has drawn pilgrims since the early nineteenth century.

Numerous places have become the destinations of pilgrims because of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Framed among them are Lourdes and La Salette in France and Fatima in Portugal; at all three, the Virgin appeared to young children and urged mankind’s repentance and prayer. Pilgrims now number in the millions, and devotion has resulted in numberless reported favors and cures.

Church authorities are cautious about giving credence to accounts of apparitions of Mary and approving of devotion at the places where they occur. Since the early nineteenth century, about 200 reports of such apparitions have been investigated, and only about 1 in 40 has received canonical sanction. In addition to Lourdes, La Salette, and Fatima, sanctioned apparitions since 1842 have occurred  at the church of Saint Andrea della Frate in Rome and at Illaca in Croatia, Philippsedorf in Germany, Pontmain in France, Knock in Ireland, and Beauraing and Banneux in Belgium.

No country in Europe is without its Christian shrines. In England, a number of shrines that were widely known long before the Reformation of the early sixteenth century are the object of growing devotion today. Chief among them Waisingham, Glastonbury, and Canterbury (Chaucer’s pilgrims of The Canterbury Tales were on their way to the shrine there of the martyred Saint Thomas Becket). Other shrines honor the founders of religious orders. Three of these, are in Italy, are the shrines of Saint Benedict at Monte Cassino, Saint Dominic in Bologna, and Saint Francis at Assisi.
 

Why Does Someone Decide To Book an ISIS Pilgrimage?

There are many common reasons:  Increase Faith, Practice Prayer, Practice Fasting, Learn to Let Go and how to give our problem to God, Pray for Healing, Hear what the Holy Spirit may tell them, In thankfulness and in Joy and Rejoicing, To Pray for others, To Visit Holy Places and experience diverse cultures; to escort a family member or a loved one, to travel with their prayer group/church/youth group/leader, Unity we long to be with people like ourselves

Often we go on a pilgrimage when seeking change, and often, change takes place.  An ISIS Pilgrimage means totally surrendering to the Divine Cosmic Mother in total trust and faith “instead of “ focusing on an intention, focusing on a desire, or focusing on resolution of a situation, and letting her angels guide you back into her arms “of divine grace.”

We go on an ISIS Pilgrimage to seek truth, love, answers, guidance in any of these areas: 

Acceptance – Totally accepting yourself and others just the way they are is freedom without judgement.

Accountability  -Spiritual brothers and sisters remind you of God's presence.

Acknowledge - Acknowledge others’ good deeds and focus our attention on positive ways to do our personal best.

Addiction - The ISIS Pilgrim’s Road to Recovery with Prayers for healing from Addiction or Emotional Instability

Always - As an ISIS Pilgrim on a Pilgrimage as well as in life know that the Divine Cosmic Mother is always with you

Amends - Pray to Make amends, put pride on side and let go of attachment and judgments of yourself and others.

Anger - How to heal with Love

Anxiety - When Worry and Fear Go Awry - Pray and learn to Meditate.

Arguing – Letting go of fear and the need to be right.

Attitude -It's all a matter of how you look at it.  Change your perception and you will change the world around you.

Beauty of Nature -Enjoy the view: appreciate the Divine Cosmic Mother through nature ...look at the stars, moon, sea

Challenges -Make a prayer and decision to turn over your most difficult challenge in the area of unconditional love to the Divine Cosmic Mother. - Ask the Mother for divine guidance.

Children - Guiding them to adulthood with LOVE, Appreciation and Acceptance.

Communication -Opening our hearts & minds with a greater presence to the Divine Cosmic Mother & other Pilgrims.

Communion - Daily Prayer, Ritual, Meditation, Reverence, Words, Thoughts, Actions and/or  Deeds

Confession -Give it all to the loving Divine Cosmic Mother and start new in this moment of “now.”

Praying for Courage -Asking the Divine Cosmic Mother for strength and courage, and accepting the outcome.

Death of a Loved One –Celebrate the love and life of those that go before us to clear the path for our soul reunion.

Defeat -Losing doesn't mean giving up, ask for help, pick yourself up, and start all over again in this moment of “now.”

Depression – See through the “illusion” of the dark knight of the soul, and have faith and trust that all is perfectly guided.

Disaster -An event that makes us question God is an event that brings us the most soul growth in our human evolution.

Discipline and Self-Control -The power in the heart and mind to overcome the “temptation” & “tests” of “illusion.”

Divorce -After the “Chaos” may come a “Healing.” Pray about divine eyes to see the truth about your divine wisdom.

Eating Disorders -Pray to be shown the strength to love yourself unconditionally, and to be filled with self love.

Emotional Pain  - When you feel it is time to close your heart, this is the time to “open” & allow the grace of God.

Enemies -Break Down the walls of Hate and fill your soul with love and trust that God is the only creator of all things.

Endure and Grow Stronger -Make positive choices.

Envision God - We may not see God, but we can be shown how to accept and believe through divine signs & knowing.

Fear -Learn to feel safe no matter how dangerous the world may be. When you have fear in you, there is no peace.

Financial Difficulties -More Money Isn't the Cure. Abundance is mine said the Lord, and it comes in many facets.

Forgiveness -A gift that frees our souls from pain and judgment.

Free Will - is freedom to embrace any thought that you desire. Use this gift in the spirit of love with no conditions, same as God has for you, or surrender it to the Divine Cosmic Mother and melt into the arms of her loving embrace.

Friend –Be a friend by accepting mankind “unconditionally,” and by offering your friendship to other ISIS Pilgrims. 

Fun -God wants to feel joy and to have fun such as singing, dancing, and laughing through his children in every way.

Grief -A Natural and Normal Process of release that occurs from sadness of the “loss” of something you treasure.

Happiness -Grows from the Inside Out. When your heart is full of love, there is no needs, wants or desires.

Healing -The remedy begins with God and in our Mind.

Honesty -Be brutally honest but only about ourselves, our opinions of others are not based in their reality, just ours.

Holy Places -Learn about Saints and Holy Places as you evoke spiritual awe and feeling of being closer to God.

Hopelessness – The place of suffering until, With God and Faith there will come healing and renewed joy of living.

Humor -No matter how heavy our hearts are, we need to lighten up, smell the roses and laugh at life’s illusions.

Infidelity – Every action/reaction is caused by an emotion within us that tests our relationship with ourselves & others.

Inspiration -Comes from the Holy Spirit, Divine Channeling of Light and Love, the Ray of Light that exists in our soul.

Jealousy and Envy - It's about Gaining a Right View and changing negative perceptions of ourselves and others.

Job Trouble -Finding Peace and Our Worth in an Uncertain World to allow ourselves the freedom to do what we love.

Judgment -We learn that Judging causing pain to ourselves and others, and acceptance is the lack of judgement.

Kindness -Planting the seed of compassion, and watering it everyday to watch it grow.

Letting Go -Pray to "Let Go" and to "Let God" of judging, worrying and anxiety

Listening - Choose soothing music, birds singing, waves splashing and the sound of children playing in the park.

Loneliness -An illusion of separation from our “oneness” with the blessed Father/Mother/God Holy Trinity.

Love - Is more than emotion. It's a belief that it is possible to experience the purity of the divine source of life itself.

Lust -Experiencing and diciplining any unwanted Desires Within.

Mantras – Learning “higher vibrational” Hindu Prayers and Chants that “clean” the mind, heart and soul’s vibration.

Marital Problems - Pray to Overcome the mundane and to recover the freshness of new possibilities and magic.

Pain -Finding Relief and acceptance, letting go of our attachment to fear and giving it to God.

Peace -Must find it within, before you look for peace with others or the world. There is nothing your highest self wants more than peace. This peace makes you feel worthy of all God's richest blessings, and when you radiate this out into the world, it is magnified upon its return.

People -Be with people who are spiritual, who refresh and recharge you.

Practice -Pray for consistent mental practice of love, healing, peace and good will toward your fellow ISIS Pilgrim.

Pray – Make it a priority!  Decide on times and stick to it "be like a postage stamp, stick to it until you get there"

Prayer -Take everything including your most serious problems, let them go, and turn them over to God.

Prayer Journal -Start one. Write down your prayers and document the magic in your life.

Pride - The Cure: Learning to be Humble and to not take things personally.

Reality Living -Take responsibility for your actions rather than blaming others, or believe that they are somehow dictated by our circumstances.

Relationships -Building the Ties with God and each other.

Responsibility -Take responsibility for our own actions, not blaming anyone for anything in our life.

Rosary/Mala/Prayer Beads -Used as a means of focusing on the life and love on the MOTHER while reciting prayers TO quiet the mind, gaining love and peace in our heart.

Road of an ISIS Pilgrim -provides comfort in knowing that the Divine Cosmic Mother is calling us home.

Seeing is not Believing - Do you see electricity? No. Now try plugging your hair dryer into it - does it work? Yes. So does God with Prayer. Plug yourself into the Father/Mother/God Trinity and it will work.

Serenity -As the pace of life quickens, as we lose jobs and marriages… find serenity within & it will manifest without.

Strength - Strength is in our willingness to find the peace and trust within to surrender to the Divine Cosmic Mother.

Stress -Finding relief through faith, meditation, letting go, trust, prayer, willingness, lack of fear and judgment.

Study –Knowledge to understand and make your own beliefs make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

Stuff  -Learn not to sweat the small stuff and/or devote your life to materialism and “stuff.”

Suicidal Tendencies -Faith is being challenged here on Earth, choice is there to help know that “this too shall pass.”

Surrender -Surrendering to God’s will is a divine process which helps us to find the truth in our daily pursuits.

Talk to God -Keep that conversation going, then you will feel hope, love and faith.

Tears - Let tears flow, it's part of our lives, and a very special gift of redemption and release.

Temptation – Overcoming our desires and the illusion of our separation from God.

Terminal Illness -Fulfillment on the Final Journey and the opportunity to experience the glory of life after death.

Thankfulness - Give thanks and appreciation to all things, as all things are God given, whether they appear to be or not.

Trust -Reasons to Believe. Risk being honest to open up your pain. Trust yourself is trusting the Wisdom of God.

Unconditional love -Is God, and what you are as well. With your connection to such love, you are one with God.

Violence – The unknowing use of Fear to Confront or Control the situations around you instead of love & forgiveness.

Word –Have integrity with your word.  Make your word law and promise to God. If you say it, live up to it lovingly.
_____________________________________________
An ISIS Pilgrim Goes Because she hears  "the calling" - They come back learning to give peace a chance, and not let the “illusion” of the world get the best of them.

She goes seeking to find peace with their loved one, or for peace in the world. Upon their return they discover, that  in order to find peace with another human, they must first find it with God and in their own heart!  
 

Unless we find peace in our own heart, all the prayers, pilgrimage and  travels will not help. If we go around the corner, or to Paris, we bring our hearts with us.

Only with peace in our heart will we ever see things with clarity. The Japanese have a beautiful proverb "Stand further to see clearer."  Have you ever stepped into the distance and looked at the situation? Separate yourself from every day surroundings and look at it again. 

Have You Ever Considered Taking Your Children On an ISIS Pilgrimage?

Have you wondered what it would be like if you child would meet people in another country? See another culture? Our world today is growing and changing at a very fast paste. Our kids do not remember what it was like to write a letter without an e-mail. Some of our kids do not remember what it was like without a cell phone. Our kids want things right now. It's about instant gratification. These days kids play with games that offer instant moving images. No time to contemplate, or wonder. No time to pray, dream, imagine how it could be?  Most kids have many games and computers? What if our child set by the window and watched the rain fall? How about if we share our time and take a trip?  How about to another country where they may hear another language, different customs and watch the way other kids pay?  Most families spend more money on toys then they do on family trip and why not to another country?  What do we fear? Unknown. They would absorb more in a week in another country then they do in a lifetime with all the toys.
 

What About The Cost Of An ISIS Pilgrimage?

Living on Earth is an experience, but it does not make it living on this Earth until you go and see more than what's just around your corner or in your bank account.  People that travel do not necessarily have more money than those that never leave their town.  In some cases it's less than annual cable bill, or several nights out at the fancy restaurant.  We have one week all inclusive ISIS Pilgrimages to the pyramids in Mexico can be as low as $,500. This  includes: airfare, meals, transfers, sightseeing, tour escorts, and experiences that you can never replace by any material item.

What Are The Benefits Of An ISIS Pilgrimage?

People that travel on ISIS Pilgrimages, are happier, more peaceful and deal better with life situations. If you don't believe this, try this experiment: 

Try having a conversation about humanity and world peace with someone who has never traveled or who has been brought up by someone who has never traveled. I think you may find them to be more opinionated and they will pass great judgments against people which they have never met. Now try having that same conversation with someone who has been to nations around our world.

The conversation will be very different.  People who have traveled and met people from other countries, know that they could have a bigger friend in Romania than in a guy next door.  People that go on pilgrimages have more faith. By having more faith and peace in your heart, you do not avoid tragedy, as having Jesus in your life, is like "being thrown into the ocean with a life-west".

See the World - Meet the Mother

Did you ever watch little kids going to the park to play? As soon as they get there they automatically look for other kids who will play with them. They don't care what color, religion, nationality the other kid is… they simply want to know if you want to play with them.  And they do play very happily!!!  Does it matter a fact when they play with a child from another nation - they may even learn a new game. They are happy. Their hearts are filled with joy. Make no mistake, no toy could ever supplement that joy. Imagine this child, if no one wanted to play with him?   Why are kids unafraid of interacting with others? My kids are now in their 20's, and they have been blessed to have traveled and met people from around the world. They understand diverse cultures, and do not judge someone because of their nationality.  Having faith is great. But share your faith with your loved once and the world. One by one. Take your older parent or your child with you. If everyone just takes one person to another country we'll be one step closer to peace. Next time your paths cross with a stranger in another country, give him a chance, you'll be giving world a chance for peace. Consider that meeting a blessing and movement thoughts peace.  God gives us special stars and judges our successes by the obstacles we had to overcome.

"The World is A Book -Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page" St. Augustine  

One of the greatest persons of our time is Mother Theresa. Her physical strength and size, knowledge of languages, geography  or finances never stopped her.

She faced her fears and helped humanity in the name of Jesus. She did not do it in her village, only. She did not offer help to only those that were Catholic. She helped humans who were in pain of all forms and backgrounds. Living on Earth is expensive, make it a great and rewarding one. Mother Theresa believed, prayed  and lived the message of Christ.  And she also believed that if you love Christ you must look at each and every human being as Jesus in disguise. You cannot come to know Jesus and God unless you love all of his people. That is so hard to absorb for so many. Her explanation and message reach out to another human being and do it "one at the time" or "one by one" So simple! 

Many of us want to save the world, and make peace in the world, but cannot help or forgive our loved one or even worse we cannot forgive ourselves. One kind word, one step, one meal for sick person down the block, one prayer for a sick child.  As ATT’s slogan sats: "reach out and touch someone," and by touching them you will feel the rewards and joy within your heart that you've never felt before. There are so many other every day people doing extraordinary things.  As Mother Theresa said: "Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things.  It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us."

If we think and worry too much about ourselves, we won't have time or energy for others. Next time you feel pain or resentment instead of sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself, listen to someone else and how they are dealing  with their own pain. By hearing and praying for them you will help yourself.
 

Make friends with people around the corner or in other countries:

Typically what happens the first time someone goes abroad is that they start off by complaining to their tour leader and spiritual director about how there was no butter served with bread, how they miss their home… That is until they really put themselves into being in the “now” right where they are with their hearts open instead of only being physically present in their minds. It takes a while. But the next time they go, they know that they have gone abroad to find new experiences, new peace and new friendships, not to experience the comforts of their societal beliefs, which they can find at home.
 

The History of Pilgrimages

(Mid. Eng., pilgrime, Old Fr., pelegrin, derived from Lat. peregrinatio, supposed origin, per and ager–with idea of wandering over a distance).

Pilgrimages may be defined as journeys made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask God for a special favor, or in thankfulness.

HISTORY IN GENERAL

In a letter written towards the end of the fourth century by Sts. Paula and Eustochium to the Roman matron Marcella, urging her to follow them out to the Holy Places, they insist on the universality of the custom of these pilgrimages to Palestine:–"Whosoever is noblest in Gaul comes hither. And Britain though divided from us yet hastens from her land of sunset to these shrines known to her only through the Scriptures." They go on to enumerate the various nationalities that crowded round these holy places, Armenians, Persians, Indians, Ethiopians, and many others (P. L., XXII; Ep. xlvi, 489-900). But it is of greater interest to note how they claim for this custom a continuity from Apostolic days. From the Ascension to their time, bishops, martyrs, doctors, and troops of people, say they, had flocked to see the sacred stones of Bethlehem and of wherever else the Lord had trod (489). It has been suggested that this is an exaggeration, and certainly we can offer no proof of any such uninterrupted practice. Yet when the first examples begin to appear they are represented to us without a word of astonishment or a note of novelty, as though people were already fully accustomed to like adventures. Thus in Eusebius, "History" (tr. Crusé, London, 1868, VI, xi, 215), it is remarked of Bishop Alexander that "he performed a journey from Cappadocia to Jerusalem in consequence of a vow and the celebrity of the place." And the date given is also worthy of notice, A. D. 217. Then again there is the story of the two travelers of Placentia, John and Antoninus the Elder (Acta SS., July, II, 18), which took place about 303-4. Of course with the conversion of Constantine and the visit to Jerusalem of the Empress St. Helena the pilgrimages to the Holy Land became very much more frequent. The story of the finding of the Cross is too well known to be here repeated (cf. P. L., XXVII, 1125), but its influence was unmistakable. The first church of the Resurrection was built by Eustathius the Priest (loc. cit., 1164). But the flow of pilgrimages began in vigour four years after St. Helena's visit (Acta SS., June, III, 176; Sept., III, 56). Then the organization of the Church that partly caused and partly resulted from the Council of Nicæa continued the same custom.

In 333 was the famous Bordeaux Pilgrimage ("Palestine Pilgrim Text Society", London, 1887, preface and notes by Stewart). It was the first of a whole series of pilgrimages that have left interesting and detailed accounts of the route, the peoples through which they passed, the sites identified with those mentioned in the Gospels. Another was the still better-known "Peregrinatio Silviæ" (ed. Barnard, London, 1891, Pal. Pilg. Text Soc.; cf. "Rev. des quest. hist." 1903, 367, etc.). Moreover, the whole movement was enormously increased by the language and action of St. Jerome whose personality at the close of the fourth century dominated East and West. Slightly earlier St. John Chrysostom emphasized the efficacy in arousing devotion of visiting even the "lifeless spots" where the saints had lived (In Phil., 702-3, in P. G., LXII). And his personal love of St. Paul would have unfailingly driven him to Rome to see the tomb of the Apostles, but for the burden of his Episcopal office. He says ("In Ephes. hom. 8, ii, 57, in P. G., LXII), "If I were freed from my labors and my body were in sound health I would eagerly make a pilgrimage merely to see the chains that had held him captive and the prison where he lay." While in another passage of extraordinary eloquence he expresses his longing to gaze on the dust of the great Apostle, the dust of the lips that had thundered, of the hands that had been fettered, of the eyes that had seen the Master; even as he speaks he is dazzled by the splendor of the metropolis of the world lit up by the glorious tombs of the twin prince Apostles (In Rom. hom. 32, iii, 678, etc., in P. G., LX). Nor in this is he advocating a new practice, for he mentions without comment how many people hurried across the seas to Arabia to see and venerate the dunghill of Job (Ad pop. Antioch. hom. 5, 69, in P. G., XLIX). St. Jerome was cramped by no such official duties as had kept St. Chrysostom to his diocese. His conversion, following on the famous vision of his judgment, turned him from his studies of pagan classics to the pages of Holy Writ, and, uniting with his untiring energy and thoroughness, pushed him on to Palestine to devote himself to the Scriptures in the land where they had been written. Once there the actual Gospel scenes appealed with supreme freshness to him, and on his second return from Rome his enthusiasm fired several Roman matrons to accompany him and share his labors and his devotions. Monasteries and convents were built and a Latin colony was established which in later times was to revolutionize Europe by inaugurating the Crusades.

From the Holy Land the circle widens to Rome, as a centre of pilgrimages. St. Chrysostom, as has been shown, expressed his vehement desire to visit it. And in the early church histories of Eusebius, Zosimus, Socrates, and others, notices are frequent of the journeyings of celebrated princes and bishops of the City of the Seven Hills. Of course the Saxon kings and royal families have made this a familiar thing to us. The "Ecclesiastical History" of St. Bede is crowded with references to princes and princesses who laid aside their royal diadems in order to visit the shrine of the Apostles; and the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" after his death takes up the same refrain. Then from Rome again the shrines of local saints begin to attract their votaries. In the letter already cited in which Paula and Eustochium invite Marcella to Palestine they argue from the already established custom of visiting the shrines of the martyrs: "Martyrum ubique sepulchra veneramur" (Ep. xlvi, 488, in P. L., XXII). St. Augustine endeavors to settle a dispute by sending both litigants on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Felix of Nola, in order that the saint may somehow or other mmakessome sign as to which party was telling the truth. He candidly admits that he knows of no such miracle having been performed in Africa, but argues to it from the analogy of Milan where God had made known His pleasure through the relics of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius (Ep. lxxvii, 269, in P. L., XXXIII). Indeed, the very idea of relics, which existed as early as the earliest of the catacombs, teaches the essential worth of pilgrimages, i.e., of the journeying to visit places hallowed by events in the lives of heroes or of gods who walked in the guise of men (St. Aug., "De civ. Dei", XXII, 769, in P. L., XXXVIII).

At first a mere question of individual traveling, a short period was sufficient to develop into pilgrimages properly organized companies. Even the "Peregrinatio Silviæ" shows how they were being systematized. The initiators were clerics who prepared the whole route beforehand and mapped out the cities of call. The bodies of troops were got together to protect the pilgrims. Moreover, Christian almsgiving invented a method of participation in the merits of a pilgrimage for those unable actually to take part in them; it established hospices along the line (Ordericus Vitalis, "Hist. eccles.", ed. Le Prévost, Suc. hist. France, II, 64, 53; Toulmin Smith, "English Guilds", passim). The conversion of the Hungarians amplified this system of halts along the road; of St. Stephen, for example, we read that "he made the way very safe for all and thus allowed by his benevolence a countless multitude both of noble and common people to start for Jerusalem" (Glaber, "Chron.", III, C. I. Mon. Germ. Hist., VII, 62). Thus these pious journeys gradually harden down and become fixed and definite. They are allowed for by laws, civil and ecclesiastical. Wars are fought to insure their safety, crusades are begun in their defense, pilgrims are everywhere granted free access in times alike of peace and war. By the "Consuetudines" of the canons of Hereford cathedral we see that legislation was found to be necessary. No canon was to make more than one pilgrimage beyond the seas in his lifetime. But each year three weeks were allowed to enable any that would to visit shrines within the kingdom. To go abroad to the tomb of St. Denis, seven weeks of absence was considered legal, eight weeks to the body of St. Edmund at Pontigny, sixteen weeks to Rome, or to St. James at Compostella, and a year to Jerusalem (Archæol., XXXI, 251-2 notes).

Again in another way pilgrimages were being regarded as part of normal life. In the registers of the Inquisition at Carcassone (Waterton, "Pictas Mariana Britannica", 112) we find the four following places noted as being the centres of the greater pilgrimages to be imposed as penances for the graver crimes, the tomb of the Apostles at Rome, the shrine of St. James at Compostella, St. Thomas's body at Canterbury, and the relics of the Three Kings at Cologne. Naturally with all this there was a great deal of corruption. Even from the earliest times the Fathers perceived how liable such devotions were to degenerate into an abuse. St. John Chrysostom, so ardent in his praise of pilgrimages, found it necessary to explain that there was "need for none to cross the seas or fare upon a long journey; let each of us at home invoke God earnestly and He will hear our prayer" (Ad pop. Antioch, hom. iii, 2, 49, in P. G., XLIX; cf. hom. iv, 6, 68). St. Gregory Nazianzen is even stronger in his condemnation. He has a short letter in which he speaks of those who regard it as an essential part of piety to visit Jerusalem and see the traces of the Passion of Christ. This, he says, the Master has never commanded, though the custom is not therefore without merit. But still he knows that in many cases the journey has proved a scandal and caused serious harm. He witnesses, therefore, both to the custom and the abuse, evidently thinking that the latter outweighed the former (Ep. ii, 1009, in P. G., XLVI). So again St. Jerome writes to Paulinus (Ep. lxviii in P. L., XXII) to explain, in an echo of Cicero's phrase, that it is not the fact of living in Jerusalem, but of living there well, that is worthy of praise (579); he instances countless saints who never set foot in the Holy Land; and dares not tie down to one small portion of the Earth Him whom Heaven itself is unable to contain. He ends with a sentence that is by now famous, "et de Hierusolymis et de Britannia æqualiter patet aula cœ;lestis" (581).

Another well-quoted passage comes from a letter of St. Augustine in which he expounds in happy paradox that not by journeying but by loving we draw nigh unto God. To Him who is everywhere present and everywhere entire we approach not by our feet but by our hearts (Ep. clv, 672, in P. L. XXXII). For certainly pilgrimages were not always undertaken for the best of motives. Glaber (ed. Prou, Paris, 1886, 107) thinks it necessary to note of Lethbald that he was far from being one of those who were led to Jerusalem simply from vanity, that they might have wonderful stories to tell, when they came back. Thus, as the centuries pass, we find human nature the same in its complexity of motives. Its noblest actions are found to be often caused by petty spites or vanity or overvaulting ambition; and even when begun in good faith as a source of devotion, the practices of piety at times are degraded into causes of vice. So the author of the "Imitation of Christ' raises his voice against overmuch pilgrimage-making: "Who wander much are but little hallowed." Now too the words of the fifteenth-century English Dominican, John Bromyard ("Summa Prædicantium", Tit. Feria n. 6, fol. 191, Lyons, 1522):–"There are some who keep their pilgrimages and festivals not for God but for the devil. They who sin more freely when away from home or who go on pilgrimage to succeed in inordinate and foolish love–those who spend their time on the road in evil and uncharitable conversation may indeed say peregrinamur a Domino–they make their pilgrimage away from God and to the devil."

But the most splenetic scorn is to be found in the pages of that master of satire, Erasmus. His "Religious Pilgrimage" ("Colloquies" ed. Johnson, London, 1878, 11, 1-37) is a terrible indictment of the abuses of his day. Exaggerated no doubt in its expressions, yet revealing a sufficient modicum of real evil, it is a graphic picture from the hand of an intelligent observer. There is evident sign that pilgrimages were losing in popularity, not merely because the charity of many was growing cold, but because of the excessive credulity of the guardians of the shrines, their overwrought insistence on the necessity of pilgrimage-making, and the fact that many who journeyed from shrine to shrine neglected their domestic duties. These three evils are quaintly expressed in the above mentioned dialogue, with a liberty of speech that makes one astonished at Rome's toleration in the sixteenth century. With all these abuses Erasmus saw how the spoiler would have ready to hand excuses for suppressing the whole system and plundering the most attractive treasures. The wealth might well be put, he suggested, to other uses; but the idea of a pilgrimage contained in it nothing opposed to the enlightened opinions of this prophet of "sweet reasonableness". "If any shall do it of their own free choice from a great affection to piety, I think they deserve to be left to their own freedom" (op. cit., 35). This was evidently the opinion also of Henry VIII, for, though in the Injunctions of 1536 and 1538 pilgrimages were to be discouraged, yet both in the bishop's book (The Institution of the Christian Man, 1537) and the king's book (The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition of the Christian Man, 1543), it is laid down that the abuse and not the custom is reprehensible. What they really attack is the fashion of "putting differences between image and image, trusting more in one than in another" (cf. Gairdner, "Lollardy and the Reformation", II, London, 1908, IV, ii, 330, etc.). It admits the danger but does not allow it to prejudice the good use ("Diayloge of Syr Thomas More", London,1529). Before dealing with each pilgrimage in particular one further remark should be made. Though not properly included under a list of abuses, a custom must be noted of going in search of shrines utterly at haphazard and without any definite notion of where the journey was to end (Waterton, "Piet. Mar. Britt.", London, 1879, III, 107; "Anglo-Sax. Chron.", tr. Thorpe in R. S., London, 1861, II, 69; Beazley, "Dawn of Mod. Geog.", London, 1897-1906, I, 174-5; Tobl. Bibl. Geog. Pal. 26, ed. of 1876).

EFFECTS

Among the countless effects which pilgrimages produced the following may be set down:

Towns–Matthew Paris notes ("Chron. major." in R. S., I, 3, an. 1067) that in England (and the same thing really applies all over Europe) there was hardly a town where there did not lie the bodies of martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins, and though no doubt in very many cases it was the importance of the towns that made them the chosen resting-places of the saint's relics, in quite as many others the importance of the saint drew so many religious pilgrims to it that the town sprang up into real significance. So it has been noted that Canterbury, at least, outshone Winchester, and since the Reformation has once more dwindled into insignificance. Bury Saint Edmunds, St. Albans, Walsingham, Compostella, Lourdes, La Salette have arisen, or grown, or decayed, accordingly as the popularity among pilgrims began, advanced, declined.

Roads were certainly made in many cases by the pilgrims. They wore out a path from the sea- coast to Canterbury and joined Walsingham to the great centres of English life and drove tracks and paths across the Syrian sands to the Holy City. And men and women for their soul's sake made benefactions so as to level down and up, and to straighten out the wandering ways that led from port to sanctuary and from shrine to shrine (Digby, "Compitum", London, 1851, I, 408). Thus they hoped to get their share also in the merits of the pilgrim. The whole subject has been illuminated in a particular instance by a monograph of Hillaire Belloc in the "Old Road" (London, 1904).

Geography too sprang from the same source. Each pilgrim who wrote an account of his travels for the instruction and edification of his fellows was unconsciously laying the foundations of a new science; and it is astonishing how very early these written accounts begin. The fourth century saw them rise, witnessed the publication of many "Peregrinationes" (cf. Palestine Pilg. Text Soc., passim), and started the fashion of writing these day-to-day descriptions of the countries through which they journeyed. It is only fair to mention with especial praise the names of the Dominicans Ricaldo da Monte Cruce (1320) and Bourchard of Mount Sion (Beazley, II, 190, 383), the latter of whom has given measurements of several Biblical sites, the accuracy of which is testified to by modern travelers. Again we know that Roger of Sicily caused the famous work "The Book of Roger, or the Delight of whoso loves to make the Circuit of the World" (1154) to be compiled, from information gathered from pilgrims and merchants, who were made to appear before a select committee of Arabs (Symonds, "Sketches in Italy", Leipzig, 1883, I, 249); and we even hear of a medieval Continental guidebook to the great shrines, prefaced by a list of the most richly indulgenced sanctuaries and containing details of where money could be changed, where inns and hospitals were to be found, what roads were safest and best, etc. ("The Month", March, 1909, 295; "Itineraries of William Wey", ed. for Roxburgh Club, London, 1857; Thomas, "De passagis in Terram Sanctam", Venice, 1879; Bounardot and Longnon, "Le saint voyage de Jhérusalem du Seigneur d'Auglure", Paris, 1878).

Crusades also naturally arose out of the idea of pilgrimages. It was these various peregrinationes made to the Sepulchre of Jesus Christ that at all familiarized people with the East. Then came the huge columns of devout worshippers, growing larger and larger, becoming more fully organized, and well protected by armed bands of disciplined troops. The most famous pilgrimage of all, that of 1065, which numbered about 12,000, under Gunther, Bishop of Bamberg, assisted by the Archbishop of Mainz, and the Bishops of Ratisbon and Utrecht, was attacked by Bedouins after it had left Cæsarea. The details of that Homeric struggle were brought home to Europe (Lambert of Gersfield, "Mon. Germ. Hist.", 1844, V, 169) and at once gave rise to Crusades.

Miracle Plays are held to be derived from returning pilgrims. This theory is somewhat obscurely worked out by Père Monestrier (Représentations en musique anc. et modernes; cf. Champagnac, I, 9). But he bases his conclusions on the idea that the miracle plays begin by the story of the Birth or Death of Christ and holds that the return to the West of those who had visited the scenes of the life of Christ naturally led them to reproduce these as best they could for their less fortunate brethren (St. Aug., "De civ. Dei" in P. L., XXXVIII, 764). Hence the miracle plays that deal with the story of Christ's Passion were imported for the benefit of those who were unable to visit the very shrines. But the connexion between the pilgrimages and these plays comes out much more clearly when we realize that the scene of the martyrdom of the saint or some legend concerning one of the miracles was not uncommonly acted before his shrine or during the pilgrimage that was being made to it. It was performed in order to stimulate devotion, and to teach the lessons of his life to those who probably knew little about him. It was one way and the most effective way of seeing that the reason for visiting the shrine was not one of mere idle superstition, but that it had a purpose to achieve in the moral improvement of the pilgrim.

International Communications owed an enormous debt to the continued interchange of pilgrims. Pilgrimages and wars were practically the only reasons that led the people of one country to visit that of another. It may safely be hazarded that an exceedingly large proportion of the foreigners who came to England, came on purpose to venerate the tomb of the "Holy blissful Martyr", St. Thomas Becket. Special enactments allowed pilgrims to pass unmolested through districts that were in the throes of war. Again facilities were granted, as at Pontigny, for strangers to visit the shrines of their own saints in other lands. The result of this was naturally to increase communications between foreign countries. The matter of road-making has been already alluded to and the establishment of hospices along the lines of march, as the ninth-century monastery at Mount Cenis, or in the cities most frequented by pilgrims, fulfilled the same purpose (Acta SS., March, II, 150, 157; Glaber, "Chron." in Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script, VII, 62). Then lastly it may be noted that we have distinct notices, scattered, indirect, and yet all the more convincing, that pilgrims not infrequently acted as postmen, carrying letters from place to place as they went; and that people even waited with their notes written till a stray pilgrim should pass along the route (Paston Letters, II, 62).

Religious Orders began to be founded to succor the pilgrims, and these even the most famous orders of the medieval Church. The Knights Hospitallers, or Knights of St. John, as their name implies, had as their office to guard the straggling bands of Latin Christians; the Knights of Rhodes had the same work to carry out; as also had the Knights Templars. In fact the seal of these last represented simply a knight rescuing a helpless pilgrim (compare also the Trinità dei Peregrini of St. Philip).

ORIGIN

The idea of a pilgrimage has been traced back by some (Littledale in "Encycl. Brit.", 1885, XIX, 90; "New Internat. Encyc.", New York, 1910, XVI, 20, etc.) to the primitive notion of local deities, that is, that the divine beings who controlled the movements of men and nature could exercise that control only over certain definite forces or within set boundaries. Thus the river gods had no power over those who kept away from the river, nor could the wind deities exercise any influence over those who lived in deserts or clearings or on the bare mountainside. Similarly there were gods of the hills and gods of the plains who could only work out their designs, could only favor or destroy men within their own locality (III Kings, xx, 23). Hence, when some man belonging to a mountain tribe found himself in the plain and was in need of divine help, he made a pilgrimage back again to the hills to petition it from his gods. It is therefore the broken tribesmen who originate pilgrimages.

Without denying the force of this argument as suggesting or extending the custom, for it has been admitted as plausible by distinguished Catholics (cf. Lagrange, "Etudes sur les relig. sémit., VIII, Paris, 1905, 295, 301), we may adhere to a less arbitrary solution by seeking its cause in the instinctive notion of the human heart. For pilgrimages properly so called are made to the places where the gods or heroes were born or wrought some great action or died, or to the shrines where the deity had already signified it to be his pleasure to work wonders.

 The Incarnation was bound inevitably to draw men across Europe to visit the Holy Places, for the custom itself arises spontaneously from the heart. It is found in all religions. The Egyptians journeyed to Sekhmet's shrine at Bubastis or to Ammon's oracle at Thebes; the Greeks sought for counsel from Apollo at Delphi and for cures from Asclepius at Epidaurus; the Mexicans gathered at the huge temple of Quetzal; the Peruvians massed in sun-worship at Cuzco and the Bolivians in Titicaca. But it is evident that the religions which centered round a single character, be he god or prophet, would be the most famous for their pilgrimages, not for any reason of tribal returns to a central district where alone the deity has power, but rather owing to the perfectly natural wish to visit spots made holy by the birth, life, or death of the god or prophet. Hence Buddhism and Mohammedanism are especially famous in inculcating this method of devotion. Huge gatherings of people intermittently all the year round venerate Kapilavastu where Gaukama Buddha began his life, Benares where he opened his sacred mission, Kasinagara where he died; and Mecca and Medina have become almost bywords in English as the goals of long aspirations, so famous are they for their connexion with the prophet of Islam.

Granting then this instinctive movement of human nature, we should expect to find that in Christianity God would Himself satisfy the craving He had first Himself created. The story of His appearance on earth in bodily form when He "dwelt amongst us" could not but be treasured up by His followers, and each city and site mentioned became a matter of grateful memory to them. Then again the more famous of His disciples, whom we designate as saints, themselves began to appeal to the devotion of their fellows, and round the acts of their lives soon clustered a whole cycle of venerated shrines. Especially would this be felt in the case of the martyrs; for their passion and death stamped more dramatically still the exact locality of their triumph. Moreover, it seems reasonable to suppose that yet another influence worked to the same end. There sprang up in the early Church a curious privilege, accorded to dying martyrs, of granting the remission of canonical penances. No doubt it began through a generous acceptance of the relation of St. Stephen to St. Paul.

But certain it is that at an early date this custom had become so highly organized that there was a libellus, or warrant of reconciliation, a set form for the readmittance of sinners to Christian fellowship (Batiffol, "Etudes d'hist. et de théol. posit.", I, Paris, 1906, 112- 20). Surely then it is not fanciful to see how from this came a further development. Not only had the martyrs in their last moments this power of absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, but even after their deaths, their tombs and the scenes of their martyrdom were considered to be capable also–if devoutly venerated–of removing the taints and penalties of sin. Accordingly it came to be looked upon as a purifying act to visit the bodies of the saints and above all the places where Christ Himself had set the supreme example of a teaching sealed with blood.

Again it may be noted how, when the penitential system of the Church, which grouped itself round the sacrament of the confessional, had been authoritatively and legally organized, pilgrimages were set down as adequate punishments inflicted for certain crimes. The hardships of the journey, the penitential garb worn, the mendicity it entailed made a pilgrimage a real and efficient penance (Beazley, "Dawn of Modern Geography", II, 139; Furnival, "The Stacions of Rome and the Pilgrim's Sea Voyage", London, 1867, 47). To quote a late text, the following is one of the canons enacted under King Edgar (959-75): "It is a deep penitence that a layman lay aside his weapons and travel far barefoot and nowhere pass a second night and fast and watch much and pray fervently, by day and by night and willingly undergo fatigue and be so squalid that iron come not on hair or on nail" (Thorpe, "Ancient Laws", London, 1840, 411-2; cf. 44, 410, etc.). Another witness to the real difficulties of the wayfaring palmer may be cited from "Syr Isenbras", an early English ballad:–

"They bare with them no maner of thynge That was worth a farthynge Cattell, golde, ne fe; But mekely they asked theyre meate Where that they myght it gette.   For Saynct Charyte."

(Uterson, "Early Popular Poetry", I, London, 1817, 83). And the Earl of Arundel of a later date obtained absolution for poaching on the bishop's preserves at Hoghton Chace only on condition of a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Richard of Chichester ("Archæologia", XLV, 176; cf. Chaucer, "Works", ed. Morris, III, 266). And these are but late descriptions of a practice of penance which stretches back beyond the legislation of Edgar and the organization of St. Theodore to the sub-Apostolic age. Finally a last influence that made the pilgrimage so popular a form of devotion was the fact that it contributed very largely to ease the soul of some of its vague restlessness in an age when conditions of life tended to cramp men down to certain localities. It began to be looked upon as a real help to the establishment of a perfectly controlled character. It took its place in the medieval manuals of psychology. So John de Burg in 1385 (Pupilla oculi, fol. LXII), "contra acediam, opera laboriosa bona ut sint peregrinationes ad loca sancta."

GARB

In older ages, the pilgrim had a special garb which betokened his mission. This has been practically omitted in modern times, except among the Mohammedans, with whom ihram still distinguishes the Hallal and Hadj from the rest of the people. As far as one can discover, the dress of the medieval pilgrim consisted of a loose frock or long smock, over which was thrown a separate hood with a cape, much after the fashion of the Dominican and Servite habit. On his head, he wore a low-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, such as is familiar to us from the armorial bearings of cardinals. This was in wet and windy weather secured under his chin by two strings, but strings of such length that when not needed the hat could be thrown off and hang behind the back. Across his breast passed a belt from which was suspended his wallet, or script, to contain his relics, food, money, and what-not. In some illuminations it may be noted as somehow attached to his side (cf. blessing infra). In one hand he held a staff, composed of two sticks swathed tightly together by a withy band. Thus in the grave of Bishop Mayhew (d. 1516), which was opened a few years ago in Hereford cathedral, there was found a stock of hazel-wood between four and five feet long and about the thickness of a finger. As there were oyster shells also buried in the same grave, it seems reasonable to suppose that this stick was the bishop's pilgrim staff; but it has been suggested recently that it represents a crosier of a rough kind used for the burial of prelates (Cox and Harvey, "Church Furniture", London, 1907, 55). Occasionally these staves were put to uses other than those for which they were intended. Thus on St. Richard's day, 3 April, 1487, Bishop Story of Chichester had to make stringent regulations, for there was such a throng of pilgrims to reach the tomb of the saint that the struggles for precedence led to blows and the free use of the staves on each other's heads. In one case a death had resulted. To prevent a recurrence of this disorder, banners and crosses only were to be carried (Wall, 128). Some, too, had bells in their hands or other instruments of music: "some others pilgrims will have with them baggepipes; so that everie towne that they came through, what with the noice of their singing and with the sound of their piping and with the jangling of their Canterburie bells, and with the barking out of dogges after them, that they make more noice then if the King came there away with all his clarions and many other minstrels" (Fox, "Acts", London, 1596, 493).

This distinctive pilgrim dress is described in most medieval poems and stories (cf. "Renard the Fox", London, 1886, 13, 74, etc.; "Squyr of Lowe Degree", ed. Ritson in "Metrical Romanceës", London, 1802, III, 151), most minutely and, of course, indirectly, and very late by Sir Walter Raleigh:–

"Give me my scallop-shell of quiet.  My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of Salvation, My gown of glory (hope's true gage), And then I'll take my pilgrimage."

(Cf. Furnivall, "The Stacions of Rome and the Pilgrim's Sea Voyage".) In penance they went alone and barefoot. Æneas Sylvius Piccolomini tells of his walking without shoes or stockings through the snow to Our Lady of Whitekirk in East Lothian, a tramp of ten miles; and he remembered the intense cold of that pilgrimage to his life's end (Paul, "Royal Pilgrimages in Scotland" in "Trans. of Scottish Ecclesiological Soc.", 1905), for it brought on a severe attack of gout (Boulting, "Æneas Sylvius", London, 1908, 60).

Pilgrim Signs

A last part of the pilgrim's attire must be mentioned, the famous pilgrim signs. These were badges sewn on to the hat or hung round the neck or pinned on the clothes of the pilgrim.

"A bolle and a bagge he bar by his syde, And hundred ampulles; On his hat seten Signes of Synay, And Shelles of Galice, And many a conche On his cloke, And keys of Rome, And the Vernycle bi-fore for men sholde knowe And se bi hise signes Whom he sought hadde"

(Piers Plowman, ed. Wright, London, 1856, I, 109).

There are several moulds extant in which these signs were cast (cf. British Museum; Musée de Lyon; Musée de Cluny, Paris; etc.), and not a few signs themselves have been picked up, especially in the beds of rivers, evidently dropped by the pilgrims from the ferry-boats. These signs protected the pilgrims from assault and enabled them to pass through even hostile ranks ("Paston Letters", I, 85; Forgeais, "Coll. de plombs historiés", Paris, 1863, 52-80; "Archæol. Jour.", VII, 400; XIII, 105), but as the citation from Piers Plowman shows, they were also to show "whom he sought hadde". Of course the cross betokened the crusader (though one could also take the cross against the Moors of Spain, Simeon of Durham, "Hist. de gestis regum Angliæ", ed. Twysden, London, 1652, I, 249), and the colour of it the nation to which he belonged, the English white, the French red, the Flemish green (Matthew Paris, "Chron. majora", ed. Luard, London, 1874, II, 330, an. 1199, in R. S.); the pilgrim to Jerusalem had two crossed leaves of palm (hence the name "palmer"); to St. Catherine's tomb on Mount Sinai, the wheel; to Rome, the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul or the keys or the vernicle (this last also might mean Genoa where there was a rival shrine of St. Veronica's veil); to St. James of Compostella the scallop or oyster shell; to Canterbury, a bell or the head of the saint on a brooch or a leaden ampulla filled with water from a well near the tomb tinctured with an infinitesimal drop of the martyr's blood ("Mat. for Hist. of Thomas Beckett", 1878 in R. S., II, 269; III, 152, 187); to Walsingham, the virgin and child; to Amiens, the head of St. John the Baptist, etc. Then there was the horn of St. Hubert, the comb of St. Blaise, the axe of St. Olave, and so on. And when the tomb was reached, votive offerings were left of jewels, models of limbs that had been miraculously cured, spears, and broken fetters. etc. (Rock, "Church of our Fathers", London, 1852, III, 463).

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

FOL World Peace Ministries’ management and ISIS Ministers are pleased you have chosen  to accompany us on our ISIS Pilgrimages. We are committed to do all we can to ensure that your “business” and “spiritual” adventure of approaching the Divine Cosmic Mother’s holy and sacred sites is comfortable and productive. Our goal is to assist our ISIS Pilgrims in their quest to draw closer to the Virgin Mary, ISIS, Kali, Sekhmet, & your own divine goddess on our ISIS Pilgrimages.

TRAVEL FOR FREE - ORGANIZE YOUR OWN ISIS “Circle of LOVE” GROUP

Become a “certified” ISIS Minister to lead your own large or small “Circle of LOVE” groups. We will work together to design a unique and memorable ISIS Pilgrimage. Each of our “certified” ISIS Ministers is knowledgeable in group sales and operations. ISIS Pilgrimages are ideal for “divine feminine” “women in business” associates, “women in media” nonprofits, “women film makers,” “women church groups,” “youth groups,” “student groups,” singles, interest groups, neighbors, friends, family, or anyone seeking the spiritual refreshment that only an ISIS Pilgrimage can provide.

Simply choose a destination and indicate our most desirable departure date. We will design flyers at no cost to you. For further details and incentives, please email us at:  [email protected], and we will be happy to guide you through each step. And remember, if you don't find an itinerary you like in the following pages, tell us and we'll gladly customize an ISIS Pilgrimage to accommodate your requirements (minimum of 15).  

"OH LORD, OUR HEARTS ARE RESTLESS UNTIL THEY REST IN YOU."  SAINT AUGUSTINE
 

Reservations

Terms & Conditions

Airfares

Travel Insurance

FAMILY OF LIGHT WORLD PEACE MINISTRIES

AVE MARIA! – SACRED TOUR
44676 Springvail Court, Temecula, CA, 92592
[email protected]