Pilgrimage

This unit will help the children explore pilgrimage in different faiths and begin to understand why people go on a pilgrimage.  

Key Questions:

• What is a pilgrimage?
• What does pilgrimage involve?
   E.g. Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Christian pilgrimage to Walsingham, Lourdes, Iona, Jerusalem, Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, Hindu pilgrimage to the Ganges, etc.
• Environmental impact of pilgrimage

We will begin the topic by exploring Christian pilgrimage, exploring Christian sites of pilgrimage, e.g. Lincoln, Walsingham, Lourdes, Lindisfarne, Jerusalem.  We will also discuss some pilgrimages relating to specific denominations of Christianity, e.g. sites connected with the Wesley brothers for Methodists or George Fox for Quakers.  We will also look at the key features of pilgrimages and the ways in which these practices relate to Christian beliefs about God, the world and human beings; pilgrim badges as a symbol of having completed a pilgrimage.