Blessings of Pilgrims

by Rev. Cav. William Rock, FSSP, SMOCSG

In May of 2026, I accompanied the servers of the parish, along with some of their fathers, on a self-organized pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, perhaps better known as the Shrine of the North American Martyrs.  It marks the area where Sts. Isaac Jogues, René Goupil, and Jean de Lalande were martyred and also the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha.  Prior to boarding the bus, Mass was celebrated and the Blessing of Pilgrims Before Setting Out was invoked over those making the journey.  The Blessing of Pilgrims on Their Return was duly conferred at the conclusion of the day.  All of this having happened, I thought the readers of the Missive would be interested in reading the ceremonies from the Roman Ritual which were used.

To begin, then, the following text, presented in red, is the rubrics presented at the beginning of the Blessing of Pilgrims before they set out for the holy shrines (benedictio peregrinorum ad loca sancta prodeuntium).

In accord with ancient ecclesiastical discipline, pilgrims who are to visit the holy shrines should obtain a letter of recommendation from their Ordinary or pastor before they set out.  Having put their affairs in order, they prepare themselves with sacramental confession, assist at Mass and receive holy communion. In this Mass the Collect for pilgrims (pro re gravi) is said.  After Mass they kneel before the priest who says the following¹

The Mass prayers referenced at the end of the above rubrics, taken from the Votive Mass for Pilgrims and Travelers (Missa votiva pro peregrinantibus et iter agentibus), are as follows:²

Collect: Hear, O Lord, our humble prayers, and set Thy servants in the path of Thy salvation; that amidst all the changes and chances of this life, they may ever be sheltered by Thy help.  Through our Lord…

Secret: Be appeased, O Lord, by our humble prayers and in Thy bounty receive these offerings which we make to Thee on behalf of Thy servants; send Thy grace before them to guide their steps, and sending it with them be pleased to accompany them on their way; that by the protection of Thy mercy, we may rejoice both in their progress and in their safety.  Through our Lord…

Postcommunion: May Thy sacraments, O Lord, which we have received, preserve Thy servants who hope in Thee; and defend them from all assaults of the enemy.  Through our Lord…

After the rubrics begins the text of the ceremony:

Antiphon: May the almighty and merciful Lord lead you in the way of peace and prosperity.  May the Angel Raphael be your companion on the journey and bring you back to your homes in peace, health, and happiness.

Luke 1.68-79³

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! * He has visited His people and brought about its redemption.
He has raised for us a stronghold of salvation * in the house of David His servant,
And redeemed the promise He had made * through the mouth of His holy prophets of old–
To grant salvation from our foes * and from the hand of all that hate us;
To deal in mercy with our fathers * and be mindful of His holy covenant,
Of the oath he had sworn to our father Abraham, * that He would enable us–
Rescued from the clutches of our foes–* to worship Him without fear,
In holiness and observance of the Law, * in His presence, all our days.
And you, my little one, will be hailed ‘Prophet of the Most High’; * for the Lord’s precursor you will be to prepare His ways;
You are to impart to His people knowledge of salvation * through forgiveness of their sins.
Thanks be to the merciful heart of our God! * a dawning Light from on high will visit us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: May the almighty and merciful Lord lead you in the way of peace and prosperity. May the Angel Raphael be your companion on the journey and bring you back to your homes in peace, health, and happiness.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)
℣. And lead us not into temptation.
℟. But deliver us from evil.
℣. Save Thy servants.
℟. Who trust in Thee, my God.
℣. Lord, send them aid from Thine holy place.
℟. And watch over them from Sion.
℣. Let them find in Thee, Lord, a fortified tower.
℟. In the face of the enemy.
℣. Let the enemy have no power over them.
℟. And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm them.
℣. May the Lord be praised at all times.
℟. May God, our helper, grant us a happy journey.
℣. Lord, shows us Thy ways.
℟. And lead us along Thy paths.
℣. Oh, that our life be bent.
℟. On keeping Thy precepts.
℣. For the crooked ways will be made straight.
℟. And the rough places plain.
℣. God has given His angels charge over you.
℟. To guard you in all your undertakings.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come onto Thee.
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.
God, Who led the children of Israel dry-shod through the sea, and showed the way to the three Magi by the guidance of a star; grant these pilgrims, we pray, a happy journey and peaceful days, so that, with Thine holy angel as a guide, they may safely reach their destination and finally come to the haven of everlasting salvation.

God, Who led your servant, Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and kept him safe in all his wanderings; may it please Thee, we pray, also to watch over these servants of Thine. Be to them, Lord, a help in their preparations, comfort on the way, shade in the heat, shelter in the rain and cold, a carriage in tiredness, a shield in adversity, a staff in insecurity, a haven in shipwreck; so that under Thy guidance they may happily reach their destination, and finally return safe to their homes.

Lord, we beg Thee to hear our request that Thou guide the steps of Thy servants along the path of well-being that comes from Thee, and that in the midst of this fickle world they may always live under Thy protection.

Grant, we pray, O almighty God, that Thy family of pilgrims find a safe route; and heeding the admonitions of blessed John, the precursor, come finally to Him whom John foretold, Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hear, Lord, our prayers, and kindly accompany Thy servants on their journey; and as Thou are present everywhere lend them Thine aid at all times, so that with Thee as their shield they will be defended from all dangers and pay Thee their homage of gratitude; through Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.

May the peace and blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, ✠ and Holy Ghost, descend upon you and remain with you forever.
℟. Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

If there is only one pilgrim the prayers are said in the singular; but if the priest who bestows the blessing is a member of the pilgrimage they are said in the plural.

The main theme of the ceremony is the protection and safe return of the pilgrims.  The blessing fittingly begins with the Benedictus, the Canticle of Zachary, the father of St. John the Baptist, with its reference to the ways of the Lord, which in this case refers to the way of the pilgrimage.  After the versicles and responses, reference is made to the divinely guided and protected journeys of the Israelites out of Egypt, of the Magi, and of Abraham with the ceremony asking God to watch over the pilgrims in a similar way.  The text in the second prayer, asking God to accompany the pilgrims in a variety of ways, is similar to a passage in the Prophet Isaias : “And the Lord will create upon every place of mount Sion, and where He is called upon, a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flaming fire in the night: for over all the glory shall be a protection.  And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a security and covert from the whirlwind, and from rain” (Isa 4:5-6).⁴  The requests are also reminiscent of the fourth stanza of the Veni, Sancte Spíritus, the Pentecost sequence, which reads: “Thou in toil art comfort sweet; Pleasant coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.”  Overall, this Blessing of Pilgrims before they depart follows closely to the Itinerarium which can be used for any travel.

The translation of the blessing for pilgrims on their return (benedictio peregrinorum post reditum) is as follows:⁵

℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
℟. Who made heaven and earth.

Antiphon: Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

Psalm 127 [Vulgate]⁶

Happy are you who fear the Lord, * who walk in His ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; * happy shall you be, and favored.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine * in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants * around your table.
See, thus is the man blessed * who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Sion: * may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;
May you see your children’s children. * Peace be upon Israel!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)
℣. And lead us not into temptation.
℟. But deliver us from evil.
℣. Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord.
℟. Blessed be you by the Lord who made heaven and earth.
℣. Look with favor, Lord, on Thy servants and their works.
℟. And keep them in the way of Thy precepts.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come onto Thee.
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.
We beg you, Lord, be appeased, and lavish on Thy servants pardon and peace, so that being cleansed of all their transgressions they may serve Thee with tranquil hearts.

Almighty everlasting God, the ruler of our lives and destinies, grant to Thy servants continual and abundant peace, so that those whom Thou have brought back safely to their various occupations may bask in the security of your protection.

God, the support of the lowly, Thou Who console us by the love of our brethren; bestow Thy grace on our brotherhood, so that we may always see Thy presence in those in whom Thou live by Thy grace; through Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.

May the peace and blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, ✠ and Holy Ghost, descend upon you and remain with you forever.
℟. Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

The blessing upon return begins with Psalm 127.  The reference in the Psalm to those “who walk in His ways,” is a reference to the pilgrims who have, by undertaking the pilgrimage, walked in the way of the Lord, and thus serves as a parallel to the Benedictus used in the previous ceremony which also mentions the ways of the Lord.  The first prayer asks for the forgiveness of sins, presumably those which unfortunately may have been committed during the pilgrimage.  The second recognizes that God has brought the pilgrims back safely and asks for His blessing as they return to their normal routines.  Lastly, the third prayer asks for the grace to see God in those in whom He is indwelling.  This prayer also indicates that those who have gone on pilgrimage together form a brotherhood (societati) and that a love exists between them (fraterna dilectione).

The ceremony for blessing departing pilgrims is noticeably longer than that used upon returning, no doubt because going on pilgrimage was, and can still be, a very dangerous affair.

In conclusion, dear reader, if you are ever setting out on a pilgrimage, either alone or with a group, please consider having these ceremonies performed so that you may have available to you all of the graces which the Church desires to offer to her pilgrims.

Rev. Cav. William Rock, FSSP, SMOCSG was ordained in the fall of 2019 and was invested as an Ecclesiastical Knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George in the summer of 2025.  He currently resides at the FSSP Canonical House of St. Casimir in Nashua, NH, and ministers at St. Stanislaus parish.

In support of the causes of Blessed Maria Cristina, Queen, and Servant of God Francesco II, King 

1. Rituale Romanum [1957], Titulus IX – Caput 4, 1; English adapted from the Weller translation provided online by EWTN (2, XI, III, 8).
2. Translations taken from Lefebvre, Gaspar. The Saint Andrew Daily Missal-Regular Edition. (St. Paul: E. M. Lohmann Co., 1940), pp [157], [159].
3. English from the Weller translation provided online by EWTN in the blessing of Epiphany Water (2, II, 5).
4. The similarities are clearer in Latin where the blessing uses “…in æstu umbraculum, in pluvia et frigore tegumentum…,” and the Prophet “et tabernaculum erit in umbraculum diei ab æstu et in securitatem et absconsionem a turbine et a pluvia.“
5. Rituale Romanum [1957], Titulus IX – Caput 4, 2; English adapted from the Weller translation provided online by EWTN (2, XI, III, 9).
6. English from the Weller translation provided online by EWTN in the rite for celebrating marriage (1, VII, II).