Biblical Hospitality
“Above all, let your love for one another be intense… Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
—1 Peter 4:8-10
Henri Nouwen, the Dutch priest and a great spiritual writer of the 20th century, encapsulates what we seek to accomplish when he writes,
"If there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality. It is one of the richest biblical terms that can deepen and broaden our insight in our relationships to our fellow human beings.”
Watch the video to learn more about our philosophy of hospitality and see it in action on one of our multi-day pilgrimages.
WHY HOSPITALITY?
“Thank you, dear Pilgrims, for blessing our monastery with your presence!”
Breaking Bread Together
Sharing a meal together is one of the core aspects of hospitality, applicable across all our pilgrimages. One-day pilgrimages almost always end with a prayer service and a meal, and we love to be able to do that in relationship with local communities wherever we may be, so pilgrims can reflect on and share the fruits of their journey, and community members can welcome them into their world.
For multi-day pilgrimages, breaking bread can happen a couple different ways: typically, if pilgrims are staying with host families, we ask that the hosts welcome their guests into their evening meal at home. When pilgrims are hosted overnight at a parish or other organization, often the main relational hospitality comes in the form of a meal organized and/or prepared by the local community and enjoyed with the pilgrims at the end of their day of walking.
HOSTING PILGRIMS
“It was such a blessing to host pilgrims, to pray and eat together. They didn’t need much more than a warm meal, a warm bed, and some alone time, but what a blessing to my house and my life.”
Hosting Pilgrims at Home as an Individual or Family
Pilgrims on multi-day pilgrimages will start and end each day at a parish along the route. Typically, hosts pick up the pilgrims they are hosting from that church and drive them to their home for the evening. A minimum of two pilgrims of the same gender should be hosted together.
Most of the time, pilgrims only stay with each host household for one night, so on that night, we ask hosts to invite your guests into family dinner and provide breakfast in the morning, before bringing them back to the parish to depart at a scheduled time in the morning.
Sleeping arrangements can be flexible: guest beds, couches, futons, air mattresses, cots, and even a scrap of floor with a lot of blankets are all welcome arrangements. (Our pilgrims do not travel with sleeping bags or pillows, so we do ask hosts to provide basic bedding in whatever set-up they offer.)
Hosting Pilgrims as a Parish or Community
While the home or family atmosphere is at the core of hospitality, it is also fruitful—and sometimes more feasible—for a parish community to exercise hospitality collectively. A group of pilgrims can stay overnight in a parish hall/space that has separate rooms available for men and women. In most cases, this requires community members loaning cots or mattresses and sleeping bags/blankets. While different from the household environment, it can be a community-building experience for a whole group of pilgrims to stay together in one space for a night or two of their pilgrimage.
This option can work well if there aren't enough households who are able to actually host pilgrims in their homes in a particular community.
If a parish hosts pilgrims at a communal space, we hope that your community would also work together to offer them supper and/or breakfast, ideally with a chance to get to know some members of the community as well.
Apply to be a Host
Becoming a host brings the universal Church right into your home through the opportunities created for prayer and conversation. Thank you for considering diving into the joy of biblical hospitality.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Modern Catholic Pilgrim will provide details about dietary needs and allergies in advance of the pilgrims' arrival at your home.
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Hosts are encouraged to invite pilgrims into your prayer and evening activities, but also to recognize that they have often been walking/on the road for many hours and may prefer to take some quiet time to reflect and recuperate.
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Background check, safe environment requirements, and formation varies somewhat across pilgrimages and MCP's partners, but we are always in communication with local parish and diocesan guidelines to ensure a safe and comfortable atmosphere for both pilgrims and hosts.
