Melbourne's Catholics answer the call to be pilgrims of hope

In the Catholic tradition, pilgrimage is a spiritual journey as much as it is a physical one; a tangible expression of faith with roots in the earliest biblical times; a time to deepen one’s connection with God.

The act of pilgrimage takes on added significance in a Jubilee year, which is traditionally marked by pilgrimages to Rome. Acknowledging that not everyone can get to Rome from Australia, the Archdiocese of Melbourne has designated more than a dozen pilgrim places for people to experience a local pilgrimage of faith.

Archbishop Peter A Comensoli said at the beginning of Jubilee 2025 that the year is an invitation to renewal: ‘This Year of Jubilee calls us to embrace, and be renewed in, the hope of Christ—a hope that does not disappoint,’ he said.

‘We are embarking on a particular time of pilgrimage, and as the Holy Father has reminded us, Jesus “is the destination of our pilgrimage”. He is both the way, and the path to be travelled.’

These local journeys to Jesus are underway joyfully across the Archdiocese, by parishes, diverse community groups, students and teachers, some of whom have shared their stories with us.

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you (Psalm 32:8).

Even before Jubilee 2025 officially began, parishioners of St Mary’s in Dandenong embarked on a 6km walking pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Keysborough, with the purpose of ‘praying for peace in a troubled world’. Around 100 people from some of the parish’s dozens of ethnic communities walked ‘in public witness to the faith’, carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the head of the procession.

Among them was Ruth Kirlapani, who describes herself as a septuagenarian with chronic pain, but wanted to join in anyway. ‘I desired to go on the pilgrimage to deepen my spiritual life and make a more intimate relationship with God through His Blessed Mother,’ she said.

‘I was deeply touched. We had all sorts of participants, including at least two who I know are battling cancer and a couple of octogenarians.”

The organisers described pilgrimages as having a revered place in Catholic religious tradition, involving a ‘bit of discomfort, and sacrifice, symbolic of our status as wayfarers in this life’, mirroring ‘that truth we find in Scripture: For we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come (Hebrews 13:14).’

Melbourne’s multicultural Catholic communities have embraced local pilgrimages. Members of the Vietnamese community from Our Lady of La Vang and the community from the Polish Marian Shrine—both pilgrim places themselves—have embarked on their own pilgrimages and filled visitor books at several sites with their signatures and comments of thanks.

The Croatian Catholic community are particularly active pilgrims. Parishioners from St Nikola Tavelic Church in Clifton Hill made a very early Jubilee pilgrimage, with nearly 100 faithful walking to St Patrick’s Cathedral. The journey culminated with Mass celebrated by Bishop Anthony Ireland and priests from the Croatian community.

In May—traditionally known as the Marian month—60 pilgrims from the same parish journeyed to the Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu Shrine in Bacchus Marsh. Ta’Pinu, while not one of the official Jubilee pilgrim places, is a popular destination for Melbourne’s Catholic pilgrims, particularly local migrant communities.

The organisers from St Nikola Tavelic Church described the day as meaningful for young and old, with an atmosphere that was ‘serene and prayerful’. The pilgrimage ‘not only deepened the faith of all who attended’, the group shared in an interview with Croatian publication Hrvatski Vjesnik, ‘but also beautifully reflected the unity and richness of a multicultural Church, gathered in devotion under the loving protection of Our Lady.’

As what could be described as ‘pilgrims of formation’, many primary school students and staff across the Archdiocese have undertaken a variety of pilgrimages this Holy Year.

Student leaders from 20 Catholic schools across the Geelong region set out together recently on a ‘symbolic’ 4km pilgrimage from the Venerable Archdeacon Slattery Chapel, passing St Mary’s, one of the oldest schools in the area, before gathering for a Mass at the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels.

Rebecca O’Leary, acting principal of St Robert’s Newtown, said the pilgrimage was a profound journey of faith, history, and unity that had strengthened community bonds. ‘For staff and students alike, it was an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of those who shaped our Catholic heritage, deepen our connection to the land, and reaffirm our shared commitment to service,’ she said.

Staff at St Joseph’s Primary School in Malvern used a professional development day to go on a pilgrimage to historic Melbourne churches, including St Francis’ Church in the CBD and St Patrick’s Cathedral. Religious Education leader Donnella Devisser noted: ‘This experience was a powerful reminder of our dual role as Catholic educators—nurturing both the academic and spiritual growth of our students.’

Older students have also taken the opportunity to deepen their faith through pilgrimage this year. The University of Melbourne’s COSDU (Catholics of One Spirit Down Under) organised a pilgrimage to pilgrim place St Mary Star of the Sea Church in West Melbourne, aligning with their semester theme, ‘Hope in Our Journey.’

The then-club president Jad Cordon linked the journey to Pope Benedict XVI’s Spe Salvi: ‘The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life.’

From the elderly walking through pain to students seeking purpose, Melbourne’s Catholics exemplify pilgrimage as a lived expression of hope. It is embodied in Jesus’ words: ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me’ (Luke 9:23).