2003 Gathering : A Pilgrimage to the Centre

In 2003 the Wellspring Community entered into a Pilgrimage to the Centre of Australia. In preparation for the pilgrimage, Neil Holm coordinated the preparation of six books. These guides to pilgrimage were prepared for two groups of people: those who will travel to Alice Springs and Uluru on the Wellspring Community Pilgrimage in July 2003 and those who are remaining at home but commencing a personal pilgrimage in that setting.

Each book has seven segments: one for each day of the week. Day 7 is a liturgy that may work well on a Sunday or another day when you are able to be a little more reflective. You may like to revisit each segment four times before moving to the next instalment. Neil included some suggestions for prayer or reflection at the end of each segment. There is too much to attempt in any one day. As you revisit the segments, you may like to follow up a different suggestion.

Book 1: Commencing the Pilgrimage - (279KB)
Author: Neil Holm
  • Day 1: Christian Pilgrimage Today
  • Day 2: A Celtic Perspective on Pilgrimage
  • Day 3: An Orthodox (Antiochan) Perspective on Pilgrimage
  • Day 4: A Catholic Perspective on Pilgrimage
  • Day 5: Pilgrimage: Seeking the Place of One's Resurrection
  • Day 6: The Way of a Pilgrim
  • Day 7: A Liturgy for Pilgrimage

Book 2: Another Step along the Way: Finding spiritual meaning in the desert and other places - (292KB)
Author: Neil Holm
  • Day 1: The Heart Of Australia
  • Day 2: Wide Open Spaces
  • Day 3: Desert
  • Day 4: A Spiritual Geography
  • Day 5: Landscape as Spiritual Laboratory
  • Day 6: The Spiritual Significance of Place
  • Day 7: A Liturgy for Pilgrimage: Beginning a New Journey Together
This book refers to Eugene Stockton's book Landmarks: A Spiritual Search in a Southern Land. Click here for Landmarks.

Book 3: A Trysting Place with the Living god: Finding spiritual meaning in nature and animals - (285KB)
Author: Neil Holm
  • Day 1: Sensing the presence of God in the world
  • Day 2: Spiritual Earthiness
  • Day 3: The Creator's Handiwork
  • Day 4: A Spiritual Landscape
  • Day 5: Reverence for Life and Land
  • Day 6: Not a Retreat but an Advance (A contribution by Jack Goodluck)
  • Day 7: A Liturgy for Pilgrimage: the Integrity of Creation
This book refers to Eugene Stockton's book Landmarks: A Spiritual Search in a Southern Land. Click here for Landmarks.

Book 4: Camping With The Creator Spirit: Finding spiritual meaning in relationships - (211KB)
Author: John Connor
  • Day 1: The Communion of Saints and Pilgrimage
  • Day 2: Journeying Together
  • Day 3: Pilgrimage and Friendship
  • Day 4: A Celtic Soul Friend - St. Brigit of Kildare
  • Day 5: Relationships with the Aborigines of the Centre and their sacred land
  • Day 6: Pilgrimage - A time to deepen our relationship with God
  • Day 7: Some journeying prayers

Book 5: Going Outside the Camp: Finding spiritual meaning in the stranger or the other - (279KB)
Author: Neil Holm
  • Day 1: Ways of Understanding the Sacred
  • Day 2: Encountering the Amhaaretz
  • Day 3: Let Us Go to Him, Outside the Camp
  • Day 4: Creating Space for Strangers I
  • Day 5: Creating Space for Strangers II
  • Day 6: Feeding Our Wolf
  • Day 7: Hospitality
This book refers to Eugene Stockton's book Landmarks: A Spiritual Search in a Southern Land. Click here for Landmarks.

Book 6: Pilgrim's Progress: Great pilgrims and great pilgrimages - (304KB)
Author: Neil Holm
  • Day 1: Pilgrim's Progress
  • Day 2: A Pilgrimage to Lourdes (A contribution by Marylin van Winsen)
  • Day 3: Santiago de Compostela
  • Day 4: Little Walsingham
  • Day 5: Whithorn
  • Day 6: An Irish Pilgrimage
  • Day 7: A Form of Prayer for Welcoming and Commissioning of Pilgrims

Isolated Members and Friends
Wellspring seeks to support and encourage members and friends who are isolated. For more information send a message by clicking here

Facebook
The Wellspring Community has a Facebook group. For more information about Facebook click here. If you want to look at the Wellspring group then first you need to sign up. When you've signed up use the search function and you should find the Wellspring group. You'll need to ask for permission to join the group. That will come to the Wellspring office for approval.

Wellspring Book Publication
"Campfires and Wellsprings", a great read to supplement the urban pilgrimage.