10 apps to make any place a pilgrimage
- Aimee Boudreaux MacIver
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Pilgrimage isn’t defined by the distances or specific places you travel. Instead, pilgrimage is defined by how and why you go. You can make any place a pilgrimage by going differently and seeking the Creator in creation. You don't necessarily have to rearrange your plans or itinerary, but rather use the gifts all around you to contemplate the highest and deepest things. A pilgrimage is ultimately about how the natural world communicates to us about truth, love, eternity, and God.
When we design itineraries or create companion journals to help individuals and families make any place a pilgrimage, two questions guide the process:
How can we practice prayer and the sacraments wherever we are (yes, even at the beach, Disney World, or museums)?
What potential pilgrimage sites and stories are tucked around our destination?
We draw on our own deep travel expertise, firsthand experiences, a network of great personal connections, regular scouting trips, and meticulous destination research. Here are some of our favorite tools to help make pilgrimage possible almost anywhere in the world.
The Church is the same Church everywhere. (Universal, even!) It’s old-school, but the USCCB website is my most-used resource for the liturgical calendar and Mass daily readings. There are zero features or frills, which feels blessedly simple in a sea of bells and whistles. Save the daily Mass readings page as a shortcut on your home screen to create an app-like, single click direct portal. From there, you can read the text or play it aloud.
When you need to find Mass in an unfamiliar city or country, start here. Search by location to find parishes nearby with schedules, addresses, and additional details about the church. I always verify with a quick parish website (see below), but MassTimes is the fastest first step to answer that urgent question: where and when will we go to Mass?
We love using the free site iBreviary for a simple, straightforward presentation of the office of readings as well as morning, daytime, evening, and night prayer.
The free Ascension app offers the daily Mass readings with expert commentary and short video reflections that can make a long travel day into something more meaningful. On overnight flights, train rides, or layovers, the podcasts and commentaries can turn transit into something closer to retreat.
Local church websites (via Google)
Always, always verify with the local source. Most churches, shrines, and basilicas have websites that list opening hours, special feasts and events, and liturgical times. And, perhaps most importantly: contact info. Don’t be intimidated by a website written in a language you don’t speak; just click the translate button on your browser.
Social media
I know we’re supposed to scowl at social media as the enemy, but hold on: the social media accounts of dioceses, parishes, Catholic communities, and even influencers around the world can show you what's actually happening on the ground. Following local accounts before a trip has led me to unique feast day celebrations, special local traditions, and processions that were not published elsewhere. Plus: maybe you’ll make some new long-distance friends!
Oh yeah, this is about food. St John Paul II reminds us: “The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it.” On pilgrimage, don’t forget good food.
Use The Fork to find a restaurant whose dishes will make you praise God all over again. Even better: Find a restaurant that connects to your pilgrimage theme. See this pilgrimage itinerary in the footsteps of St Frances Cabrini to see how I chose meaningful food and drink options.
Apple Music and Spotify
Singing is “praying twice,” according to the great St Augustine. Make a playlist to stir your heart to contemplation during your trip. Don’t limit yourself to spiritual music, but add any music that calls you to authentic contemplation. You can start with these: a not-your-typical Marian playlist; a playlist inspired by the saints; a hurricane-themed playlist; and a “divine romance” playlist of secular songs that shimmer with spiritual analogy.
Enter your location in the CatholicGo app to find an array of Catholic sites near you. It’s a great starting point for discovery and building your travel wish list. And when you’re ready to design and book your trip, let’s talk!
We created Thy Ship to help individuals, families, and groups plan travel rooted in beauty and faith, both locally and abroad. We unite the precision of a professional travel concierge with the heart of a Catholic apostolate to create experiences of authentic encounter. We can design and build any kind of travel with pilgrimage built into its bones.
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