Travel & Pilgrimage

How Ryanair made Europe

From pilgrimage to family visits and work opportunities, Ryanair has widened access to travel in ways that have reshaped the lives of ordinary Europeans

Declan J. Ganley

Seeing souls on the road to Santiago

The friendships formed on pilgrimage can expose how modern life obscures the true significance of every person we encounter

A first pilgrimage to Chartres

As thousands of Catholics walked to Chartres over Pentecost, one first-time pilgrim discovered how physical hardship can illuminate spiritual truths

Georgia Gilholy

The world gets worse, but the Camino gets better

Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage offers a powerful counterbalance to the alienation, competitiveness and digital disconnection of modern Western life

Gardener to cycle to Jerusalem after Marian experience

Andrew Foote says a life-changing encounter in Ephesus inspired him to undertake a 2,246-mile pilgrimage to Jerusalem for charity

Nathalie Raffray

The monks of Norcia: Benedict’s sons return

From suppression under Napoleon to destruction by earthquake, the Benedictines of Norcia have rebuilt their monastic life through prayer, work and perseverance

Fr Dwight Longenecker

Rocamadour, the Black Madonna and Houellebecq's crisis of belief

A journey inspired by Michel Houellebecq’s novel leads to Rocamadour’s Black Madonna and reflections on faith, nationhood and modern Europe

Chartres shows why Mary matters

A pilgrimage to Chartres and a visit to the Colosseum illuminate the moral gulf between Christian and pagan civilisation, and the enduring power of Marian devotion

Clement Harrold

New study claims John Paul II's visits boosted fertility rates across Latin America

rome – a new study claims that by stressing themes of marriage and family during 13 visits to the region between 1979 and 1996, st. john pau...

Baghdad’s forgotten British-built church is kept open by one Iraqi Christian's dedication

in a baghdad neighbourhood famous for a shia muslim pilgrimage, there stands a tiny whitewashed catholic church, lovingly brought back to li...