Coming and Going on Pilgrimage
The brothers attended an interesting talk recently by Professor George Greenia, who runs an institute for pilgrimage studies. Professor Greenia is a nephew of Br. Conrad Greenia, who was one of the earliest Mepkin monks, and he has many happy memories of his visits to Mepkin.
In an enlightening talk, he outlines some fascinating ideas about pilgrimage, with particular emphasis on the Camino to Santiago Di Compostela in Spain. Here pilgrims walk to the tomb of St. James, and for many it is a life-changing experience. Professor Greenia illustrated his talk with some beautiful photographs of the Camino.
Father Columba writes, “This talk was of particular interest to me because when I worked as a priest in Dublin, I was youth director, and we organized many pilgrimages, especially to the World Youth Days and also to sites like Rome and the Holy Land. It is a great way of reaching young people who enjoy walking. Wonderful conversations can happen on the road. I have been in touch with Will Peterson, who is going to bring a group of young adults from the Charleston area on a walking pilgrimage to Mepkin next October. They will spend two days walking and two days in the monastery. I’m very excited about the possibilities. More details to follow as October approaches.”