Pilgrims of Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in the Lord, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
The Year 2025 marks a jubilee year for the Catholic Church, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope” chosen by Pope Francis. This significant year of grace and renewal will be celebrated universally across Notre Dame College, CESL, and the Marist community.
Pilgrims are people who journey with a specific destination in mind, usually to a religious shrine, sacred site or spiritually significant spot. The roads leading to Santiago de Compostela, Vatican City, and the holy city of Jerusalem are particularly well trodden.
Displaced people, refugees, those fleeing danger with just the clothes on their backs are also on a journey. Millions have left their homelands in search of shelter and safer havens.
Certainly, some pilgrims have set out from peaceful places as pioneers to worlds unknown, compelled to go by God, or conscience, or a spirit of personal enlightenment or exploration.
There are even selfless souls who set out on quests purely in the service of others. Pilgrims of help, and hope.
Such pilgrims have chosen the road less travelled. St Peter and St Paul considered themselves, and all Christians, to be pilgrims on Earth. The Pilgrim people of God. Women, men, and young people on a journey, passing with purpose through this world, leaving it a better place than they found it. That is the hope. Even when it comes at a cost.
Pause for a moment and reflect—have you ever seen your journey as a pilgrimage? Or yourself as a pilgrim? Where in your life do you bring hope to others?
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
by Phil Guthrie
A pilgrim you say, what on earth Sir is that?
Did you get up today child, or just lie on your mat?
Oh, sir I did wake when I opened my eyes
And eventually from my sweet bed did I rise
I looked in the mirror and tried not to see
What I dreamed were not mine and I wished would fly free
I brushed off the dust and threw on my clothes
And said to myself I’m not sure but here goes
Then you journeyed I see, set off into the world
With your flag in the air, fluttering free and unfurled
And I take it you did so with an air of good grace
With a belief in your heart there was something to chase
Well sir, I do wish to your ask I could say
That my step it had purpose, I was ready to play
But the truth is I really just went through the motions
With no sense at all for the magical potions
I think you are going to tell me I missed
With the blessing of this brand new day I’d been kissed
Aha, you are right, if you walk with awareness
You have something to offer with all of your fairness
Then let me assure you a pilgrim you are
For that part of our theme I will give you a star.
Oh thank you kind sir, the rest is quite easy
Pilgriming with hope I am sure will be breezy
I hope that for me that this day will go well
And at the end of the day of the fun I can tell.
Well I guess you could think that, it would be OK
To wish for the blessings of ease and good pay
But I fear for your heart were you being full true
You would hope that there might be some more you could do
As just like it’s been since the first sun did rise
Our world has some problems and sometimes it cries
In search of our friendship, our love and support
To believe that in true bonds of love we were caught
Oh Sir, you can’t possibly expect me to fix
The woes of our world from this poor bag of tricks
I am only just one and our problems you see
Stretch from this little toe up to eternity
The earth’s heating up and the bombs they do fall
Money is king and so many do call
Out with fire and with angst and with dark and with hate
And with fear and with stop …I can’t help it’s too late
Oh yes that is true, I can’t disagree
That our issues are many, more than leaves on a tree
But there still is so much that’s so good and so grand
And all that we’re asked for’s a soft helping hand
To not only walk out the front door each day
But to do so believing in our role to play
That the dawn of the morning has given me time
To do something special, to let my light shine
Oh thank-you kind sir, I think now I can see
That hope on its own is a feeling, a dream
But to carry hope with me, to find it a place
Is the fight of the pilgrim, for the warrior to embrace
To open my eyes to the binds of today
And accept that there is a fair price I can pay
To think of the selfish, the soft and say nope
Today I am being a Pilgrim of Hope
Phil Guthrie is a teacher at Notre Dame College.
Phil is also the College’s Sustainability Leader and leads Terra Tomodachi, a student group with a focus on sustainability initiatives and student led projects.
