George Weigel - Roman Pilgrimage

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
Roman Pilgrimage

On cold, damp, late-winter early mornings, hundreds of priests, seminarians, sisters, and devoted lay people walk the Roman cobblestones to one of the Eternal Citys most venerable sites, the station church of that day. Its a microcosm of the pilgrim Church and of lifes journey, and Easter is never brighter than after faithfully completing this sixteencentury-old pilgrimage tradition.

TIMOTHY CARDINAL DOLAN , Archbishop of New York

An astonishingly good book. George Weigels meditations on the liturgical texts of Lent and Easter are intellectually rich, spiritually alert, and rendered in beautifully crafted prose; Elizabeth Levs examinations of the station churches themselves are always informative, insightful, and witty. Equally impressive are Stephen Weigels artfully composed photographs. Roman Pilgrimage will delight your eye and feed your soul.

FR. ROBERT BARRON , Rector-President, Mundelein Seminary

Roman Pilgrimage is as beautiful as it is profound. Part travelogue, part meditation on Lent and Easter, part arthistorical feast, this sumptuously produced book, full of striking photographs and theological wisdom, provides readers with a personal spiritual itinerary through the Eternal City during the holiest time of the year.

ROGER KIMBALL , Editor, The New Criterion

A splendid vade mecum to the annual Lenten pilgrimage in Rome. Visitors to the Eternal City, either in their armchairs or on foot, will learn much about the spiritual journey of Lent and Easter through Romes station churches, many of them little-known artistic treasures.

BRUCE COLE , Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities, 20012009

George Weigels original, contemporary reflections on the station church liturgies of Lent and Easter are greatly enhanced by Elizabeth Levs descriptions of the station churches and Stephen Weigels evocative photographs. An indispensable guide.

NOEL FAHEY , Irish ambassador to the Holy See, 20072011

The Lenten station church pilgrimage is increasingly popular in Rome, especially among English-speaking Catholics. Zealously promoted and led by the students of the Pontifical North American College, the daily Eucharistic celebrations at these earliest of the Eternal Citys churches commemorate the martyrs of the first three centuries, whose witness is being emulated throughout the world today. Up to now, though, these sunrise pilgrimages have been known to few outside Rome. No more!

EDWIN CARDINAL OBRIEN, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem

Roman Pilgrimage evokes a tradition dating back to Pope St. Gregory the Great, but it also highlights, in a remarkable way, how relevant, contemporary, and even fashionable pilgrimage continues to be today. This beautiful book is an important gift to contemporary Christians, those looking for their roots and those seeking new ways to deepen their faith. At the same time, it makes an important proposal to those who doubt and to those who got lost on the way. Roman Pilgrimage should be on the packing list of anyone who, setting off for the Eternal City, wants to return with something more than the usual tourist mementos.

HANNA SUCHOCKA, Polish Ambassador to the Holy See, 20012013

Roman Pilgrimage is a special gift to those who cannot be in Rome for Lent, for it connects every reader spiritually to this ancient walk of faith. No one will come away from the station church pilgrimagea unique opportunity to renew our friendship with the Lorddisappointed.

MSGR. JAMES CHECCHIO, Rector, Pontifical North American College

The Roman station churches describe an itinerary with a difference. Along it, pilgrims encounter two thousand years of the masterpieces of culture while being invited to reflect on the claims of Christian faith in light of todays challenges. A great companion on a pilgrimage through the station churches, in Rome or at home.

ANNE LEAHY , Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal

More than a historical and cultural narrative and a striking guide book, Roman Pilgrimage is also an inspiring reflection on the spiritual life, well-suited to an enriching retreat.

ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY P. BROGLIO, Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A.

Theologically rich, spiritually inspiring, historically informative, and beautifully illustrated, Roman Pilgrimage takes the reader on a spiritual journey into the incarnate depths of the Christian faith. Whether we are in Rome or elsewhere, we are invited to walk with the saints and martyrs along the path of paschal renewal in Christ.

FR. JOSEPH CAROLA, S.J., Pontifical Gregorian University

ROMAN
PILGRIMAGE

Copyright 2013 by George Weigel

Published by Basic Books

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107.

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Designed by Brent Wilcox

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Weigel, George, 1951

Roman pilgrimage : the station churches / George Weigel, with Elizabeth Lev ; photographs by Stephen Weigel.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-465-02769-9 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-465-07495-2 (e-book)

1. Christian pilgrims and pilgrimagesItalyRome. 2. LentItalyRome. 3. EasterItalyRome. 4. Devotional literature. I. Title.

BX2320.5.I8W45 2013

263'.04245632dc23

2013025701

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Martyribus Tunc et Nunc

CONTENTS

ROMAN
PILGRIMAGE

Janiculum Hill: Pilgrims on the SantOnofrio steps

DOUBLE-TAP IMAGES TO ZOOM

THE STATION CHURCHES OF ROME

To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another... helps us not only live our lives as a journey, but also gives us a vivid sense of a God who has gone before us and leads us on, who himself set out on mans path, a God who does not look down on us from on high, but who has become our traveling companion.

JOHN PAUL II , Letter on Pilgrimage, 1999

I n virtually every time and place known to history, men and women have gone on pilgrimage.

In the ancient Near East, pilgrimage was a common, usually seasonal, affair: farmers brought the first fruits of the harvest, and herders culled the best of their flocks, to offer in sacrifice at a tribal or familial shrine. The Israelites adapted several Canaanite pilgrimage shrines for their worship of the God who had brought them out of Egyptian bondage and had made them a people uniquely his own. Jerusalem became a great pilgrimage destination after King David brought the Ark of the Covenant there and made it his capital. On three occasions each year, the Israelites were instructed to come before the Lord in Jerusalem: at Passover; at Shavuot [Pentecost], which commemorated the gift of the Ten Commandments; and at Sukkot [Booths, or Tabernacles], a memorial to their wanderings in the desert.