At a time when Church groups and ministries are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain younger members, a Victorian event is proving that achieving such a goal is possible.
More than 200 people from around Australia took part in the 23rd annual Christus Rex Pilgrimage from Ballarat to Bendigo during the last weekend of October.
The three-day walk of more than 90km began on October 25 with a blessing at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat, before the pilgrims commenced the walk.
The pilgrimage concluded on October 27 with a Solemn Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form to celebrate the feast of Christ the King (Christus Rex) at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo.
Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne Peter Elliott celebrated the Mass, with the assistance of several priests who had completed the pilgrimage.
It was the 21st time Perth’s Fr Michael Rowe has taken part in the pilgrimage.
He was one of nine priests who completed the walk, with several others joining in for part of the journey.
The pilgrimage was first held in 1991 with a small group of 25 participants, but has since grown to include pilgrims from every Australian State.
This year, several pilgrims travelled from New Zealand to take part in the walk.
Pilgrimage organiser Tien Nguyen, from Sydney, said although the numbers were slightly down on last year, the majority of pilgrims were of a younger age group and more than half the participants were first-timers.
There were also more clergy involved this year, including two newly-ordained priests, which was an added bonus for the pilgrims.
“With our smaller numbers, it meant that everyone had an opportunity to talk to a priest at some point or go to Confession,” Ms Nguyen said.
The 27-year-old said there were several aspects of the pilgrimage that first attracted her to it as a pilgrim four years ago.
“As a pilgrim, for me it was the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy, it was the ability to meet up with people from around Australia, it was the aspect of doing something completely different to sitting in a church or sitting in a youth room,” she said.
The trek through the Victorian countryside is not for the faint-hearted, but Ms Nguyen said complaints were rare among the pilgrims.
“People are there for a pilgrimage in honour of Christ the King,” she said.
“They understand that it’s not a fancy procession where you’re meant to be comfortable. They understand that they have to camp and that they’re going to have cold showers and they offer it up for Christ and for people they’re praying for.
“A lot of them push on with injuries. Instead of complaining, they march on because at the heart of it all is basically worship of God. They walk the talk and there’s a great amount of courage and strength present over the three days.”
Ms Nguyen told The Record that one pilgrim went to great lengths to take part in as much of the pilgrimage as possible.
Simon Takita commenced the pilgrimage on Friday, before driving eight hours from Ballarat to Bowral to attend a wedding. He then drove back to re-join the pilgrimage the next day.
Mr Takita’s efforts exemplify the great sense of anticipation and excitement that many pilgrims have in the lead-up to the event each year, Ms Nguyen said.
“I work my entire life each year around those three days because there is nothing like it,” she said.
“It brings so many people together who usually would be isolated in terms of physical location and spiritual level as well.”
The pilgrimage is based on the European tradition of walking for days to get to Mass, and shows the richness of the Church family, according to the Sydney school teacher.
“You have people from all ages,” she said.
“There was someone there with a three-month old baby, and there’s a lady who comes every year who I think is 82 years old, and she still walks it with her walking stick.
“It’s an amalgamation and a communal event in that people from around Australia, using their gifts and talents, pool all their resources and show forth the greater glory of God.”
Seventeen-year-old Sean Reeves from NSW told The Record he enjoyed the pilgrimage and the chance to assist as a server at a Solemn Pontifical High Mass.
“I like the pine forest Mass we do on the Saturday, that’s pretty nice,” he said.
“It was pretty cold… and you don’t get the greatest sleep so you’re pretty tired.”
He said he intends to continue going each year.