Carmelites from Britain, the Philippines and Poland took part in a gathering held in Rome in mid-January 2016 of those involved in the work of pilgrimage and shrine ministry.
As part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has invited people to come to Rome as pilgrims to reflect on some of the Church's particular ministries of mercy. Over the course of the Jubilee Year there will be gatherings of: people who are sick or disabled; those involved in the spirituality of Divine Mercy; priests; deacons; catechists; volunteers of Mercy; and others.
The Holy Father wanted the first gathering to be of those who are involved in the work of pilgrimages and shrines, since going on pilgrimage is often an experience that gives people a special encounter with the love and mercy of God.
Pilgrimage and shrine ministry are important apostolates of the Carmelite Family worldwide, and Carmelites were among the approximately 1,000 participants at the Jubilee which took place between 19th and 21st January.
The British Province of Carmelites was represented by: Fr. Francis Kemsley, O.Carm. from Aylesford Priory (a major site of pilgrimage in southern England); Mr. Matthew Betts, Development Manager at the National Shrine of Saint Jude (which the Carmelites established 60 years ago); and Mr. Johan Bergström-Allen, T.O.C., the Province's Communications & Outreach Manager who coordinates an annual Carmelite pilgrimage to Lourdes, organises special pilgrimage events (such as to Avila for the 'Teresa 500' celebrations last year), and is a Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster.
Two Associates of the Carmelites in the Philippines, Butch and Marissa Cos Alcantara, travelled from Asia to take part in the gathering. These Lay Carmelites operate Pirkk & Troy Tours, a travel agency that organises pilgrimages to the shrines of Europe and the Holy Land. Marissa is very involved with the Order's Institute of Spirituality in Asia (ISA).
Another Carmelite taking part in the Jubilee was a Discalced friar from Poland.
The Jubilee programme consisted of talks, times for prayer, and the opportunity for those involved in pilgrimage ministry to meet one another and share ideas.
The three Carmelites from Britain began their pilgrimage to Rome by visiting the Carmelite Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina.
Fr. Francis Kemsley (left) and Matt Betts in front of the image of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Traspontina Church.
Directly opposite Traspontina Church is the Jubilee Year of Mercy Office where pilgrims officially register.
Collecting passes and programmes from the Jubilee Office.
Participants in the Jubilee were divided into language groups: Italian, English, Spanish, French and German.
The English-language delegates, who came from over 25 different nations, gathered in the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem). Coordinating the Year of Mercy - including the - has been entrusted to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, and a word of welcome was given to the delegates by Fr. Geno Sylva, an American priest who serves as the English-language representative at the Pontifical Council.
Fr. Geno Sylva welcoming English-language participants at the Jubilee.
The first presentation to the English-language group was given by Fr. Richard Gibbons, Rector of the Irish National Shrine at Knock. He spoke on the topic "Pilgrims in the Footsteps of Jesus: The Shrine as an Experience of Mercy". Father Gibbons said that where the Church is dwindling in numbers shrines should not be simply the last bastions of Catholic identity; rather they should be at the cutting edge of the deep questions in life, helping pilgrims to reflect on the meaning of life, and the need for conversion and forgiveness. He advised those involved in shrine ministry not to get caught up in the practicalities of projects, but to make the space and time to remember the purpose of a shrine, always bearing in mind Pope Francis' image of the Church as a field hospital located in the messiness and dirt of people's lives. Speaking of mercy from the sacramental perspective, Fr. Gibbons spoke of the confessional as the "engine room" of a shrine, helping people to encounter God's forgiveness. He described holy sites and sanctuaries as part of the everyday life of the Church, but having a special role where the sacrament of reconciliation can often happen more than in most parishes. This year in Knock, the acts of penance being given to pilgrims in the confessional are to do corporal works of mercy. He described the work of priests, religious and lay people working at shrines as a "ministry of hovering", being available for people to talk to, which is as much a work of evangelisation as going out to engage people elsewhere. Reflecting on the image of the "Holy Doors" that have been established at shrines around the world in this Jubilee Year, Fr. Gibbons spoke of the need to invite people through the door, rather than forcing them through, which requires a spirit of hospitality and patience.
Fr. Gibbons spoke to the English-language participants in the majestic setting of the Basilica that houses relics of Christ's passion brought back from the Holy Land by Saint Helena.
All the language groups gathered together for the first time at the cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. This is one of Rome's four "major basilicas", each of which has a Holy Door through which pilgrims can pass in this Jubilee Year as a sign of their entering into a deeper relationship with God.
Pilgrims passing through and touching the Holy Door at St. John Lateran.
At each Jubilee site in Rome pilgrims are welcomed by volunteers in distinctive tabards; many are from organisations that accompany pilgrims to Lourdes.
Pilgrims from all the language groups gathering at the Lateran Basilica.
The pilgrim delegates gathered at the Lateran for a celebration of Mass presided over by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation.
Archbishop Rino preaching at the Eucharist.
Many pilgrimage organsations and shrines took part in the Jubilee gathering.
The Order of Malta, for example, accompanies pilgrims to Lourdes and elsewhere from many different parts of the world.
The British Province delegates took the opportunity of the Jubilee for Pilgrimage Supporters and Workers to build fraternal links with fellow Carmelites, and to make a pilgrimage to some of the Order's holy sites in the Eternal City. Warm hospitality was offered by the friars at the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti.
British Carmelites at San Martino ai Monti with brothers from Italy, Colombia and India.
Excavations under the Basilica of San Martino have revealed ancient architecture of the Roman Empire, and places where Christians have prayed for centuries.
The second day of the Jubilee gathering began with morning prayer in the various churches being used by the different language groups. The English-language delegates were given a reflection on the topic "From the Shrine to the Parish: Pilgrimage as an integral part of pastoral work in parishes" by Fr. John Armitage, Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, England.
Fr. John Armitage, Rector of Walsingham
Father Armitage spoke of pilgrimages as grace-filled moments that lead people to conversion of heart, just as in the gospels people came to Jesus wanting to touch him and hear him speak. The impulse to go on pilgrimage often comes from a deep sense of either loss or fulness; a profound need for God, or a desire to thank God. Shrines and relics have a place in evangelisation because spreading the Good News of God's love is not a programme but an encounter with the Lord. Sometimes, he said, Christians feel too rational and sophisticated to go to particular sites and venerate relics, but we are incarnational people and whilst pilgrimage and relics are not essential to a Christian life, they can be helpful pointers towards God. The Rector spoke of how shrines, such as Lourdes, give us a glimpse of how the world can be; a reflection of God's kingdom. It is important, he said, for shrines to convey their story or message clearly, but to help people see the connection with their own life story; in this way curious tourists who come out of historical or artistic interest can become pilgrims who encounter the living God. Parishes have a responsibility to help people come on pilgrimage, especially the young who often find a deeper sense of community and commitment on visits to places like Lourdes or gatherings such as World Youth Day.
Fr. Francis responding to the presentations.
The final English-language presentation was a Catechesis on Mercy given by Archbishop Arthur Roche, now working at the Vatican as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, but known to the British delegates from his previous service as Bishop of Leeds.
Archbishop Arthur Roche spoke on the nature of Mercy.
Archbishop Roche began by observing that the work of pilgrimage is not simply a job but a vocation, a calling to draw people to Christ's mercy. God the Father gazes on each human being as a treasure, seeing in each the image of his Son, and therefore when we welcome pilgrims to shrines we welcome God's treasure, and give hospitality to those for whom God has given everything. Drawing on notions closely connected to Carmelite spirituality, the Archbishop invited the pilgrimage personnel to stop working for a moment and simply be loved in the presence of God. He encouraged pilgrimage workers to 'practice the presence of God', taking a few seconds throughout the day to consciously acknowledge and love the Lord.
Archbishop Roche's presentation was prayerful and informative.
Archbishop Roche went on to speak of the term 'Mercy' and its various derivative Hebrew and Greek terms in the Bible. He said it occurs some 500 times in the Bible, including the Psalms, compared with only 170 references to grace and just 54 references to Hell, which gives us a proper perspective on how - according to the title of the Pope's new book - "The name of God is Mercy". As an expert on liturgy, Archbishop Roche noted how every Mass begins with the 'Kyrie Eleison' calling on God's mercy. He spoke of Mercy as a tender and materal quality, which is fundamental to God's nature. The Archbishop spoke of the Gospel (especially Matthew 25) and Church Tradition as the basis for the 'Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy'. He said that mercy needs to be offered in our own time to refugees seeking asylum. He closed by talking about our need to offer as well as receive mercy, advising that if we have been hurt, wounded, or betrayed by another, and find it hard to forgive, we needn't worry; simply ask God for the grace to be able to forgive, since 'to err is human, but to forgive divine'.
Jubilee pilgrims from England and Wales. As well as the Carmelites, a number of groups and shrines were represented, including pilgrimages to Lourdes by dioceses and groups (such as HCPT), the Catholic Grandparents Association, and the newly-established Shrine of Saint Augustine in Ramsgate.
Among the speakers addressing the French-language group was
Fr. Horacio Brito, former Rector of Lourdes.
After the final language-group presentation the British Province pilgrims visited the Curia (international headquarters) of the Carmelite Order.
Matt and Francis with (left) the Vice Prior General of the Order Fr. Christian Körner,
and (right) the Councillor General for Europe Fr. John Keating.
The final afternoon of the Jubilee gathering was a time for prayer, with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Reconciliation available in a number of 'Jubilee Churches' near the Vatican.
Jubilee pilgrims at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
The British Province pilgrims visited a number of sites including the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Mary Majors (pictured), the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and the Venerable English College.
On the final morning of the international gathering, priests, shrine rectors, religious, lay personnel, and all those involved in pilgrimage ministry passed through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.
Pilgrims processing past the Jubilee Office towards St. Peter's.
Johan Bergström-Allen and Fr. Francis Kemsley at the Holy Door in St. Peter's.
The Holy Door is normally only opened for jubilees every 25 years,
or extraordinary jubilees such as the Year of Mercy.
Going to St. Peter's was a special opportunity for the British Carmelites to pray at the altar of Saints Simon and Jude. It is from here that the relics of Saint Jude revered at his National Shrine in Faversham come.
Matt (Director of the National Shrine of Saint Jude at Faversham) and Fr. Francis (former Chaplain to the Shrine) in front of the Chapel of Simon and Jude in St. Peter's Basilica.
As Development Manager of the National Shrine of Saint Jude, Matt Betts took the opportunity to pray for the Shrine and its ministry in its Diamond Jubilee year (it was established by Carmelite friars 60 years ago). To mark the Jubilee, Matt had brought a statue of Saint Jude from Faversham to present to Pope Francis.
Matt holding the statue of Saint Jude from Faversham.
Next to the Chapel of Saints Simon and Jude in St. Peter's is the confessional staffed by friars of the Carmelite Order, a powerful symbol of God's love in this Year of Mercy.
From St. Peter's the Jubilee delegates walked to the Paul VI Auditorium for an audience with the Holy Father, which was preceded by a concert performed by an orchestra from Aquila, an Italian town devastated by an earthquake in 2009.
The orchestra from Aquila included many young people,
given hope by music after the devastation of their town.
When the Holy Father arrived to great applause from the Jubilee pilgrims, Archbishop Rino Fisichella told him about the gathering and the diversity of places from where participants had come.
Archbishop Fisichella addressing the Holy Father.
Pope Francis then spoke for a few minutes on the ministry of pilgrimage and shrine work. In his address the Holy Father spoke of how coming on pilgrimage allows people to express their Christian faith in simple but profound ways. He described religious sanctuaries as privileged spaces to meet the Lord and touch his mercy with your hands. The Pope said that the key word he wanted to underline is "welcome"; that pilgrimage and shrine personnel need to welcome the sick, the sinner, the marginalised just as Christ did, for in receiving them we receive Christ himself. Jesus not only spoke of welcome but practiced it, which transformed the lives of those he met. Welcoming is truly the determining factor for evangelisation, the Holy Father said. Speaking of the sacrament of reconciliation, the Pope said that "A very special form of welcome is that given by the ministers of God's forgiveness ... Priests who carry out a ministry in sanctuaries must have hearts impregnated by mercy; their attitude must be that of a father."
Pope Francis addressing the delegates at the Jubilee for Pilgrimage Workers.
Before imparting his apostolic blessing, Pope Francis asked the delegates to pray for him on his own pilgrimage through life.
Among the participants specially chosen to meet the Holy Father personally were the Lay Carmelites from the Philippines, Butch and Marissa Cos Alcantara.
Butch & Marissa Cos Alcantara meeting Pope Francis.
On behalf of the Carmelite Family, Matt Betts was able to present the Pope with a statue of Saint Jude from the Apostle's National Shrine at Faversham.
Matt presenting the statue of St. Jude to the Holy Father.
With delight Pope Francis asked Matt: "Is the statue for me?"
Pope Francis with the statue of Saint Jude from the Carmelites in Britain.
To watch video footage of the papal audience (in Italian) click on the arrow in the YouTube box below.
An ancient tradition of pilgrims to Rome is to get a certificate. The delegates from the British Province rounded off their experience by getting this document from the Jubilee Office.
The British Province delegates with their Year of Mercy pilgrimage certificates.
The Carmelites who took part in the Jubilee went home inspired and encouraged in their ministry of pilgrimage hospitality.
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