Hiking - I don't like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."

-John Muir

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For centuries, Christian pilgrims have been sauntering in and through the Alps - so much so, that people like St. Bernard established monasteries and hospices atop the mountains to help weary travelers.  Although it is true that one can go on a pilgrimage just about anywhere, there is something about the majesty and history of the Alps that makes for an unforgettable journey!

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Just as so many lives have been changed through treks in the Alps,

 

Certain Place Ministries is offering this contemplative pilgrimage as a means to discover how the breath-taking, external landscape through which we journey is a mirror to the breath-giving, internal landscape of the

Spirit within.

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WHAT

​The Alps Pilgrimage is a 5-10 day "saunter" through one of the Alpine regions in Europe.  As we hike from hutte to hutte or rifugio to rifugio, each day is centered around a "pilgrimage theme" that is explored through a morning prayer (before the hike), a presentation (after midday lunch break), and a discussion/reflection (before or after dinner).

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WHO

The Alps Pilgrimage is for adults only (21 and up).  Individuals may sign up for a scheduled trip or groups may book a pilgrimage seperately.  The maximum number of participants for a trip is 15.  Participants must be experienced hikers who are physically fit and mentally prepared for the difficulty of the journey. ​​​

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WHERE

There are multiple options for this pilgrimage (which is great for those who want to do it more than once)!  At CPM, we go big or we go home.  Here are the current options:

• Walkers Haute Route in France & Switzerland.  (difficult)

• Dolomites in Italy (moderate)

• ​The Stubai High Trail in Austria (moderate)

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WHEN

Summer is the only time of year to do this pilgrimage without a serious threat of weather.  This, of course, means the crowds come that time of year.  Our plan is to offer The Alps Pilgrimage during the first or second week of September to avoid the crowds yet still take advantage of the good weather.  Groups may inquire about doing a pilgrimage in August.

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WHY

Because...

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A pilgrimage is a ritual journey with a hallowed purpose. Every step along the way has meaning. The pilgrim knows that life giving challenges will emerge. A pilgrimage is not a vacation; it is a transformational journey during which significant change takes place. New insights are given. Deeper understanding is attained. New and old places in the heart are visited. Blessings are received and healing takes place. On return from the pilgrimage, life is seen with different eyes. Nothing will ever be quite the same again.

- Macrina Wiederkehr

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We can pray perfectly when we are out in the mountains or on a lake and we feel at one with nature. Nature speaks for us or rather speaks to us. We pray perfectly. 

- St. John Paul II

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Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.

-  William Blake

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You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.

- St. Bernard

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Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!

- Dr. Seuss

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Fear not that life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.

- John Henry Cardinal Newman

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I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.

- Henry David Thoreau

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Our outer world and its inner significance must come together for there to be any wholeness—and holiness. The result is both deep joy and a resounding sense of coherent beauty. What was personified in the body of Jesus was a manifestation of this one universal truth: Matter is, and has always been, the hiding place for Spirit, forever offering itself to be discovered anew.

-Richard Rohr

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Get busy living or get busy dying.

-Shawshank Redemption

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Our hearts are restless because they are pilgrim hearts whose Home is not here...

-Joyce Rupp

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The mountains are calling and I must go.

- John Muir

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HOW

Step 1:  Inquire

Step 2:  Information Meeting

Step 3:  Registration (at least 10 months in advance)

Step 4:  Planning Meetings, Bookings and Training

Step 5:  Meet in the Alps (agreed upon date and place)

Step 6:  Pilgrimage

Step 7:  Celebrate

Step 8:  Go Home

Step 9:  Reflect Back

Step 10:  Change the World! (or at least your world)

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COST

This will depend on the amount of days and type of room and board chosen.  Expect the total cost of the pilgrimage (not including airfare and other travel expenses) to be between $800 and $1300 plus an additional:

• ​$350 per participant (for the program fee)

 

INQUIRE​