Being Sponsored To Walk A Pilgrimage To Raise Money For Charity?

[oremus1]

A few of my friends are walking the Camino pilgrimage, and others walking the Chartres to Paris pilgrimage, others still, pilgrimage to Holy Land. That's great, and it seems that a pilgrimage is ensuring great suffering to visit a place of devotion.

 

But a few are also doing it sponsored to raise money for a charity.

 

While that is a good end, something about that strikes me to be wrong. Im not sure what it is. perhaps because there is a difference between a sponsored walk with the end point being raising money, and a pilgrimage with the main focus being on penance and spiritual growth? It seems like if you are using it as a sponsored walk then you are not doing a pilgrimage.

 

what do you think about being sponsored to walk a pilgrimage to riase money for a charity?

[beatitude]

I do not see why it couldn't be both. After all, pilgrims used to receive alms, traditionally - it is not much different to ask that people give the alms to some person in far greater need.

 

I think it depends how you do it, though. Some people have special T-shirts made when they go on sponsored walks and they do lots of publicity stunts and it all focuses on their training and their endurance. Pilgrimage should be about something deeper, not, "Look at me, I'm walking hundreds of miles and it's hard and my blisters hurt!". But providing you weren't too ostentatious about the physical challenges and made it clear that the focus is on intimacy with God, I think asking for sponsors would be OK. You could even use it as a gentle evangelisation tool.

[brandelynmarie]

I have to agree, why not both? :)