Michael Kelly
Fr John Carroll blesses pilgrims at the river Jordan. Photo: Chai Brady The first group of post-coronavirus pilgrims in the Holy Land received a warm welcome, writes Michael Kelly
It was with a certain sense of the unknown that 40 pilgrims set off from Dublin Airport late last month to make our way to the Holy Land. Regulations then in place (since thankfully dropped) meant we all required a Covid-19 test before leaving Ireland and another one on our arrival in Tel Aviv. Despite some apprehension, the process was extremely smooth and we were soon on our way to Nazareth – the childhood home of Jesus. As we arrived at our hotel, phones were already pinging with results from the tests carried out at the airport. All pilgrims were mercifully negative and the real pilgrimage could begin.
I’ve been to the Holy Land more than 20 times over the last 15 years, and I have never seen it so quiet. Covid-19 has crippled the pilgrimage landscape in the Holy Land and many in the pilgrimage community have had a hungry two years.
The plus side for our pilgrims, of course, was that all of the holy sites associated with Christ’s life were quiet – almost eerily so. In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, site of Jesus’ tomb, pilgrims were privileged to spend intimate moments alone inside the tomb. The site of the crucifixion was also quiet and meant that rather than the usual split-second visit, our pilgrims were able to spend time meditating at this holiest of sites.
Everywhere our merry band of pilgrims went, we were welcomed with open arms. Locals – particularly the local Christian community – were delighted to see pilgrims returning. The fact that we were the first group from Ireland brought particular cheer to locals as Irish pilgrims have long been a welcome feature in the Holy Land.
In Nazareth, we had a chance to visit the site of the Annunciation and celebrate Mass together before moving to nearby Cana where married couples who were pilgrims were able to renew their matrimonial vows at the site where Christ turned the water into wine.
A highlight for many pilgrims was the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we read together about the call of the first disciples who were fishermen on this same lake. There are few more idyllic places to contemplate the Gospel stories that took place on the shores around this water.
In Jerusalem, a solemn air descended as our pilgrims took up the cross and walked the Via Dolorosa – the way of sorrow symbolically retracing the journey of Christ on that first Good Friday. It was a marked shift in mood from our earlier visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where we prayed at the site of the birth of Jesus where Mary laid the Christ-child in the manger.
With Covid-19, please God, no longer a threat to international travel we plan to recommence our regular schedule of Christian Solidarity Pilgrimages to the Holy Land with another two trips planned for this autumn. I hope you’ll consider joining us in walking in the footsteps of Jesus. It’ll enrich and transform your faith.