Three men have been walking across Victoria and south-east New South Wales on a journey that they hope will raise the profile of pilgrimage in Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
David Schutz, Josh Martin, and Sean Deany have already traversed hundreds of kilometres on a four-year pilgrimage along the “Mary MacKillop-Woods Way” which was mapped by Mr Deany in honour of Australia’s first – and only – saint, Mary MacKillop.
The “Mary MacKillop-Woods Way” begins at the birthplace of Mary MacKillop in Melbourne and ends at her tomb and shrine in North Sydney.
To ensure that the pilgrimage is achievable, the men are walking the “way” in stages over several years. The trio set off from Eden on Tuesday, April 17, on the third stage of their journey which will take them as far as Ulladulla, where they plan to arrive by April 27.
The men are undertaking the pilgrimage on foot in the hope of inspiring others to walk it as well.
“Over half a million people walk the Spanish Camino every year. We have our own saint here in Australia. You can undertake a pilgrimage without leaving the country,” Mr Schutz said.
Pilgrimage is undertaken across many faiths and is often focused on journeying to a destination of spiritual significance, Mr Schutz said.
READ MORE:
The destination for these men is Mary MacKillop’s shrine and her tomb, which includes her physical remains.
“What makes a journey a pilgrimage is the destination. The destination gives the journey meaning,” Mr Schutz said.
Embedded in this meaning is the physicality of walking, Mr Schutz said.
“God touches us in our humanity, in our physical being,” Mr Schutz said. “It is appropriate to honour physical holiness and we are doing that through walking, in a physical tangible sense.”
Undertaking a pilgrimage that takes in highways as well as bushland is not without its challenges.
“In Europe and the UK, there are established walking trails that encourage rambling through the countryside. Australia is not set up for walking.”
Despite the challenges, walking the “way” has granted the men an opportunity to connect with the broader community.
“We are touching base with people as we go along, and we have been well supported by the community parishes,” Mr Schutz said.
Mr Schutz said the pilgrimage is not a re-creation of Mary MacKillop’s footsteps, but does take in places and sites that were a significant part of her life and eventual canonisation.
“The Eden to Sydney route makes sense given her connection to the area. To miss Eden would be a mistake,” Mr Schutz said.
