interior of St Mary's pro-cathedral, Dublin
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A new city centre "Camino," or pilgrim walk, has been launched in Dublin as part of the celebrations surrounding the International Eucharistic Congress set for June 10-17, reports the Catholic News Service.
The walk, involving prayerful visits to seven of Dublin's most historic Catholic and Anglican churches, is partly inspired by the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain and partly inspired by the traditional Dublin devotion of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday.
Unlike the pilgrimage across Spain to the burial place of St James, which takes weeks to complete, the Dublin walk can be completed in about four hours. In typical Irish fashion, the Dublin pilgrimage has no set route; visitors can make their own path to the churches in any order desired.
The pilgrim walk will operate June 2-16. Participants will be given a "Pilgrim Passport" that can be stamped at each church, which will be open 8am-8pm daily.
Father Damian O'Reilly, administrator of St Mary's pro-cathedral and one of the pilgrimage's organisers, said interest in the walk has been high and that 30,000 passports have been ordered.
"There is great excitement in each of the parishes, where there will be volunteer pilgrimage ambassadors to greet the pilgrims and stamp their passports," he said." The volunteers see it as a way of showcasing both their churches and their parishes - there is a great pride of place."
The seven churches involved - St James; Our Lady of Mount Carmel; John's Lane; St Ann's, Dawson Street; St Mary of the Angels; St Michan's, Halston Street; and St Mary's Pro-Cathedral - are each notable in their own right.
In keeping with the ecumenical nature of the congress, an Anglican church is included in the pilgrimage. St Ann's, Dawson Street, is a favorite of Dubliners of all faiths because of its lunchtime recitals and evening concerts.
FULL STORY Dublin city centre Camino (CNS)