Sacred places are also local

Pilgrims to trek to grotto Aug. 18

Thousands attended the Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Mission,
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010 hosted by St. Joseph's Parish. BCC file photo.

Holy sites are not just reserved for Fatima and Lourdes. Holy sites also exist within the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Mark Merlino explains in this B.C. Catholic story:

Many pilgrims travel to the shrines of Our Blessed Mother, especially Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal, and Guadalupe in Mexico. These are miraculous places of devotion, healing, and faith.

Many pilgrims continue to follow the ancient tradition of visiting the Holy Land, the land of Biblical events and the ancient promised land, now home to great shrines at the places of Christ's birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection.

Countless others stream to the city of Rome, the resting place of the apostles Peter and Paul, to visit the Holy Father and to see the finest examples of sacred art in existence.

Living in a land where the Church is quite young, we might be tempted to think that sacred places are elsewhere, far from here, but it really isn't so. In fact, there are many sacred places right here in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, our own back yard.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.