Travel is ministry. Yes, you read that right: travel is ministry. And there is no clearer connection between travel and ministry than within the context of pilgrimage. The Catholic Church has understood this relationship for centuries and therefore has promoted the concept of and importance of embarking on pilgrimages since the time of Jesus Christ. But it didn’t begin there; Jews also understood the significance of sacred travel, and the Old Testament is replete with stories of pilgrimage. Today, in the twenty-first century, pilgrimages remain a vital ministry and mission of the Christian faith.

But what exactly is “travel ministry”? Let’s first take a look at the word ministry. Ministry is generally defined as the spreading of the Gospel through evangelization, catechesis, and/or fulfillment of the spiritual and physical needs of others. Ministry is the rendering of one’s services to God and people.

Taking that definition into account, travel ministry is the spreading of the Gospel through travel to evangelize, catechize, and/or fulfill the spiritual and physical needs of others. It’s the rendering of one’s services to God and people through travel. For these reasons and more, pilgrimage travel has remained an enduring and essential ministry of the Christian community for two millennia—and will remain so until the end of time.

The word pilgrimage derives from the Latin peregrinum, which originally meant “stranger” and denoted a person traveling in a foreign land; the Latin term also referred to “the idea of wandering over a distance.”

In its most basic modern definition, a pilgrimage is “travel to a religious destination or sacred place with a spiritual intent.” The latter portion of the definition is integral to any authentic pilgrimage. Although many people often visit religious sites for leisure purposes, this does not necessarily constitute a pilgrimage. For example, visiting the Vatican for sightseeing enjoyment is not a pilgrimage. Traveling to the Vatican with a spiritual motive in mind is.

The concept of pilgrimage serves another important role in Christian spirituality and theology. The Church has often taught that life itself is a pilgrimage—a journey to God. Here on Earth we are all considered “wanderers” and “strangers living in a foreign land” and know that our real home (or sacred destination) is heaven itself. Saint Augustine expressed this pilgrimage spirit so well in his Confessions when he wrote, “O Lord, our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”