The Good Samaritan Benedictine Pilgrimage is a special formation experience for those in senior positions of leadership and governance in our Good Samaritan Education schools.
By Gabrielle Sinclair*
This year within our group of 21 pilgrims we had eight schools represented along with Good Samaritan Sisters.
The pilgrimage journey began in March at Glebe where we gathered for a preparation retreat to sow the seeds for companionship and story. At the time, we were also navigating the challenges of rerouting flights from heading through war-torn West Asia to get to Europe, with some pilgrims discovering creative ways to achieve their goal.
Towards the end of Holy Week, pilgrims began arriving in Rome where we began our journey together in earnest. The start of the official program coincided with Pope Leo’s call for a Prayer Vigil for Peace. Amid the global context of our travel, this provided a perfect opportunity to ground our pilgrimage in Christ, seeking peace.
So, before we had yet learnt to walk and travel as a group in Rome, we embarked on one of the trickiest of pilgrimage tasks, keeping together in large crowds. This very special evening was a stunningly beautiful and prayerful experience, topped off with many of the group having a close encounter with Pope Leo as he departed.
Pilgrims are treated to a look at the oldest Rule of Benedict. Image: Good Samaritan Education.
With this auspicious start, the group dynamic developed quickly and beautifully. We walked to the Benedictine story around Rome and its surrounds, then followed how the story unfolded across England.
By entering into the English Benedictine story, we were able to better understand the context that formed John Bede Polding OSB, founder of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, with visits to Douai, Downside, Stanbrook and Ampleforth Abbeys.
Thanks to the work of our Pilgrimage Coordinator, Fran Vella, a visit to the Bodleian Library to visit the oldest known copy of the Rule of St Benedict was a unique encounter.
One of the lasting memories for pilgrims is the people along the way who brought story to life, including Sister Margaret Truran OSB at Santa Cecilia, Father Edmund Power OSB at St Paul Outside the Walls, Mother Anna and the Stanbrook community, and Abbott Christopher Jamison who spoke to us at Douai, to name a few.
Pilgrims visit with the Stanbrook Community. Image: Good Samaritan Education.
A word from pilgrim Renata Garnero:
“I had the humbling experience of participating in this pilgrimage as part of my role as Chair of the Board at St Mary Star of the Sea College in Wollongong.
“As an ex-student of St Mary’s, I was familiar with the Benedictine tradition, but it has been a long time since I have been immersed in it. So, I was keen to reconnect and grow my knowledge and experience.
“We travelled through parts of Italy and England, tracing the heritage of the tradition – reflecting on where, when and how it all began, and how it came to be in Australia.
“Thousands of years on, it is incredible to see how the teachings are still relevant and continue to form the spiritual and educational guidance for all Good Samaritan Education schools.
“I learned so much from the people I met, and the experiences that we shared. The time we spent together was both engaging and enjoyable. But the time alone with my own thoughts and reflections was as equal a privilege. In the busyness of work and life, rarely do we get time to just ‘be’.
“There are a few treasured words and concepts that really resonated with me from the pilgrimage experience, which I have brought back to my professional and personal life:
I want to be where my feet are
I want to breathe the life around me
I want to listen as my heart beats, right on time
I want to be where my feet are
(from the Centering Prayer, Music and Words by Porters Gate)
“Heartfulness over mindfulness – taking meaningful action using your character strengths and virtues for the common good. Mindfulness opens you up to acting from the heart. With heartfulness, you bring forth kindness, humility and courage.”
Renata and pilgrims tasting the delights of Rome. Image: Good Samaritan Education.
In our 15th anniversary year, the pilgrimage held special significance as we continue to listen for what we are called to in Catholic education shaped by our Good Samaritan Benedictine tradition.
The pilgrimage experience for each is a different, nuanced and complex journey far from just sites on an itinerary. Pilgrims bring their own stories, which unfold in many meaningful ways.
The Good Samaritan Benedictine Pilgrimage is a significant investment in money, time and energy for all who organise and participate. Each time we run the program, it bears fruit across the community and for the individuals who are invited to encounter it.
Our pilgrimage is an act of communio, bringing together members of our diverse community to share in the wonders in which we hold and grow together, the foundations from which we were founded and are asked to carry forward in our own context and in our own time.
Each person who joins Good Samaritan Education is invited into this new evolving ecclesial community to learn from and help us shape the story for our context.
While the many of the stories and special encounters are still beginning processed, it is the encounter of communion with those we travelled with and met along the way that keeps bringing a smile to the face.
*Gabrielle Sinclair is Director: Formation and Mission Integration, Good Samaritan Education.
Pilgrims gather in Rome. Image: Good Samaritan Education.
