“Direct the way of your servants”
Liturgical Prayers for Pilgrims in the Traditional Roman Rite
Pilgrimages have been a feature of Catholic life and popular piety for many centuries. One can easily point to famous literary passages such as the General Prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400): “Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote… Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages…” (ll. 1-2, 12) Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that pilgrimages “evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer” (n. 2691), and the recent Jubilee Year has seen many pilgrimages to Rome, as well as many other holy places and shrines across the world, whether local or further afield:
Pilgrimage is of course a fundamental element of every Jubilee event. Setting out on a journey is traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life. A pilgrimage on foot is a great aid for rediscovering the value of silence, effort and simplicity of life.1
In keeping with this, the Church’s liturgy has traditionally provided votive Masses and blessings for pilgrims and travellers. We will first look at the current Mass formulary in the 1962 Missal.
The introit, taken from Psalm 25, is the same as that of Monday in Week 2 of Lent, demonstrating the often-penitential beginnings of journeys of pilgrimage, which culminate in the celebratory arrival at the destination: “Redeem me, O Lord, and have mercy on me: my foot stands on level ground: I will bless the Lord in the assembly: Give judgment for me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity: I have trusted in the Lord; I have not wavered” (vv. 11b-12, and 1).
The collect originates in the eighth-century Gelasianum Vetus (n. 1313), and occurs in forty-two other extant liturgical manuscripts as the collect for the Mass for pilgrims and/or travellers:
Hear, O Lord, our supplications, and direct the way of your servants in the prosperity of your salvation, that, amidst all vicissitudes on their way through this life, they may ever be defended by your help.
There is a clear eschatological aspect to this collect: the particular pilgrimage the faithful are about to embark on is, as it were, a sign and type of their pilgrimage though this earthly life towards eternal life in heaven. We could say, in fact, that this prayer sums up the words of Saint Augustine towards the end of his Tractates on the Gospel of John, in which, adopting pilgrimage as a metaphor, he writes that through baptism, the faithful “might be freed from eternal damnation and might live in faith and hope and love, foreign travellers in this world, and amid its toilsome and dangerous temptations, but God’s both bodily and spiritual consolations, they might walk on towards his visible presence, keeping the way, that which Christ was made for them” (Tr 124, 5).2
The lesson for the Mass (Gen. 28:10-12a, 13b-15, 18, 20-22) is taken from the account of the dream of Jacob in the midst of his God-given journey to Abraham’s homeland. The Lord promises Jacob that his offspring will inherit the land in which he is sleeping (v. 13), and tells him that “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (v. 15). From the stone he used as a headrest while sleeping, Jacob then erects a shrine to the Lord and makes a vow: “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go…then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house” (vv. 20-22). There is a typology in play here: just as God was with Jacob, leading him along both the way of his journey and the way of his life, the Lord leads the faithful pilgrims of his Church today in the same manner.
The Gradual and Alleluia, taken from Psalms 22:4 and 118:133, continue these themes:
V. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me, O Lord. R. Your crook and your staff will give me comfort.
Alleluia, alleluia. Let my steps be guided by your promise; may evil never rule me. Alleluia.3
The Gospel reading is taken from Matthew 10:7-14, where the Lord Jesus sends out the Apostles to preach the kingdom of heaven. This introduces another aspect of pilgrimages: their apostolic or evangelical character. “The pilgrim’s journey, in a certain sense, recalls the journey of Christ and his disciples as they travelled throughout Palestine to announce the Gospel of salvation. In this perspective, pilgrimage is a proclamation of faith in which pilgrims become itinerant heralds of Christ.”4 And this also involves having firm faith in the help of the Lord: in this Gospel reading, the Apostles are instructed to leave behind their money and take nothing extra with them (vv. 8b-10). Through their preaching of a kingdom not of this world (Jn. 18:36), the Apostles “have unloosed their ties to the present age…By going about without possessions the disciples not only put themselves beyond suspicion but also become examples of trust in God’s providential care.”5
The offertory antiphon, from Psalm 16:5-7, continues this theme of the pilgrim’s trust in God on the journey:
Direct my steps firmly in your paths, that my feet will never falter; turn your ear to me; hear my words; display your merciful love, you who deliver those who trust in you, O Lord.
Like the collect, the secret prayer originates in the eighth-century Gelasianum Vetus (n. 1316), and appears in forty-one other extant manuscripts in Masses for pilgrims and/or travellers. The themes of guidance and protection from the collect are recapitulated in this oration, which also indicates the trust and dependence that pilgrims on their journey should have on the unfailing grace of almighty God:
Have mercy, O Lord, on our supplications, and graciously accept these oblations which we offer to you for your servants, that you may deign to send your grace before them to guide their way and to let it follow after them to accompany them, so that by the protection of your mercy we may rejoice in their progress and safety.
The Communion antiphon is taken from Psalm 118, the great acrostic psalm in praise of God’s law, which we have already seen in the Alleluia verse of this votive Mass: “You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.” The Church’s liturgy teaches us that through diligently following the paths to holy places and shrines when we go on pilgrimage, we model our pilgrimage through this earthly life, in which we should love the Lord by following the way of his commandments (cf. Mt. 28:20; Jn. 14:15; Rom. 7:22; II Thess. 3:5).
The postcommunion, with some minor variation in word order, is taken from the 1474 Missal of the Roman Curia,6 the direct antecedent of the Missal of Pius V (1570). It occurs in seventeen other extant liturgical manuscripts dating from the eighth century, in Masses for pilgrims and/or travellers:7
May your sacraments which we have received, O Lord, keep safe your servants who trust in you, and protect them against all assaults of the enemy.
The prayer asks that the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist may protect the pilgrims on their journey. We have, of course, seen this theme of protection throughout this Mass, woven with the other themes of penitence, guidance, evangelisation and trust in the Lord. But it is very appropriate that, at the conclusion of this Mass, just before the faithful set out on pilgrimage, we focus on the Lord’s protection, specifically against attacks from the enemy. As we read daily at Compline, “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Pet. 5:8); on pilgrimages, which can be physically and spiritually draining, our faithful daily resistance to the devil (v. 9) takes on extra importance.
In this votive Mass, then, the Church’s traditional liturgy provides the faithful with all the key elements and themes of pilgrimage: their eschatological meaning, the celebratory or festive aspect, the proclamation of the faith, their penitential nature, the protection and guidance of the Lord, and trust in his unfailing grace. It is thus a surprise, as well as a great loss, that there is no formulary provided for pilgrims and travellers in the “Masses for Various Needs and Occasions” section of the Novus Ordo.8
Why is there no such Mass in the post-Vatican II Missal? The study group of the Consilium responsible for the reform of the ad diversa and Votive Masses (Coetus XIII) did have a Mass “for pilgrims, travellers and refugees” in their early lists,9 but later on this Mass was deleted in favour of one “for refugees and exiles.”10 The group did suggest the provision of a separate collect “for travellers,”11 but this would not make it into the 1970 Missale Romanum. The precise reasons for these omissions are unclear, but some remarks of the group are perhaps illuminative:
[C]ountless letters have come to us almost daily urging the institution of Masses of all kinds: for young people, for schools, for holiday camps, for ‘tourists,’ for those participating in spiritual retreats of five, ten or even thirty days…
Some of these requests are certainly worthy of consideration, but it is not up to us to satisfy them…
Already it is anticipated and feared that the future Roman Missal will be of enormous size and weight. It would not be prudent to burden it with more Masses which would hardly be celebrated by anyone.12
In addition to the Mass for pilgrims, the traditional Roman Rite also provides a special blessing for pilgrims on their departure, as well as their return.14 For reasons of space, we will only look at the first of these blessings here.
The blessing of pilgrims on their departure usually takes place after Mass. It begins with the Benedictus, which is said with a proper antiphon that asks for peace and prosperity for the pilgrims, and the accompaniment of the archangel Raphael, patron of travellers. The Kyrie and Pater noster follow. Then there is a responsory taken mostly from various different psalms:
V. Save your servants.
R. Who trust in you, O Lord.V. Send them, O Lord, help from your holy place.
R. And watch over them from Sion.V. Be to them, O Lord, a mighty tower.
R. In the face of the enemy.V. Let the enemy have no power over them.
R. And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm them.V. Day after day, may the Lord be blest.
R. The God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.V. Show us your ways, O Lord.
R. And teach us your paths.V. May our ways be directed.
R. In keeping your statutes.V. The crooked shall be made straight.
R. And the rough places plain.V. For you, God has commanded his angels.
R. To keep you in all your ways.15
Five prayers over the pilgrims are then said by the priest. The first of these is as follows:
O God, who led the children of Israel on dry ground through the midst of the sea, and showed the way to the three Magi by the guidance of a star: grant these pilgrims, we pray, a prosperous journey and peaceful days; that, accompanied by your holy Angel, they may safely reach the place to which they are going, and come at last to the haven of eternal salvation.
This prayer originates in the thirteenth-century Pontifical of Durandus, Bishop of Mende (France). This book would be very influential, serving as the basis for the 1485 editio princeps of the Pontificale.16 The biblical motifs of the Israelites passing through the Red Sea (Exodus 15) and the three Magi (Matthew 2) precede the petition for a prosperous and peaceful pilgrimage, a precursor to the ultimate heavenly destination of the faithful.
The second prayer is similar, but much more in the style of a litany:
O God, who led your servant Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans, unharmed in all the ways of his pilgrimage, be pleased, we pray, to protect these your servants: be to them, O Lord, a help in their readiness, comfort on the way, shade from the heat, shelter from the rain and cold, a means of transport in weariness, protection in adversity, a support in insecurity, a harbor from shipwreck: so that, guided by you, they may successfully reach where they are going, and at last return safely to their homes.
This prayer is also used in the Pontifical of Durandus, but it is an abbreviated version of an oration found in the eleventh-century Sacramentary of Vich,17 of Hispanic origin. The biblical motif of Abraham is taken from Genesis 15:7, with the wonderful litany of help, comfort, shelter and protection following.
The third prayer is the collect from the votive Mass for pilgrims and travellers as found in the 1962 Missal, which we looked at above.
The fourth prayer is as follows:
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your family may advance in the way of salvation, and by following the exhortations of blessed John the Precursor, may they safely reach him whom he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
This oration is the collect for the Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in the 1962 Missal, and is extant in fifty-one manuscripts dating from the eighth century. Why does this prayer occur here, during the blessing of pilgrims? Because the liturgy presents St. John the Baptist to us almost as a model for our own pilgrimage, and who we are to focus on: the Baptist’s entire ministry points solely towards the Lord Jesus (Mt. 3:11-12; Jn. 1:19-37), he whose Kingdom we continually journey towards, and he who is the beginning and end of our life-long pilgrimage in the faith.
The final prayer over the pilgrims is as follows:
Hear our prayers, O Lord: graciously accompany your servants on their journey, and bestow your mercy everywhere as you are everywhere, that, protected by your aid from all adversities, they may give you thanks. Through Christ our Lord.
The source of this oration is the ninth-century supplement (often referred to as the Hadrianum) to the Gregorian Sacramentary, which itself is a variation of a collect for pilgrims/travellers found in the Gelasianum Vetus (n. 1315). Along with a final petition for protection, the celebratory aspect of pilgrimages is brought out here (“they may give you thanks”).
The ritual then ends with the blessing over the pilgrims (“May the peace and blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever”), who are then sprinkled with holy water. Just as with the votive Mass formulary, all the key elements and themes of pilgrimage are brought together in the course of this blessing.
In the Novus Ordo, there is a blessing for pilgrims on their departure (and on their return),18 but it has been drastically simplified in many respects. The rite may begin with Psalm 121 “or some other suitable song,” after which there is the sign of the cross, greeting and introduction. A liturgy of the word follows, comprised of a biblical reading, psalm, and intercessions (prayer of the faithful). There is then one prayer over the pilgrims, and the concluding rite, both of which lack any explicit blessing.19
The prayer over the pilgrims, a completely new composition, reads as follows:
All-powerful God, you always show mercy toward those who love you and you are never far away for those who seek you. Remain with your servants on this holy pilgrimage and guide their way in accord with your will. Shelter them with your protection day by day, give them the light of your grace by night, and, as their companion on the journey, bring them to their destination in safety.20
In this oration, the various biblical motifs present in the traditional Roman Ritual have mostly disappeared, though the phrase “light of your grace by night” probably alludes to the pillar of fire that God gave the Israelites to light their way on their journey out of slavery in Egypt (Ex. 13:21-22). The themes of protection and guidance are present, though in a much more prosaic, functional manner; the loss of the wonderful litany in the second oration of the traditional blessing is unfortunate. Other themes, however, are noticeably absent from this prayer: the eschatological meaning of pilgrimages, their celebratory aspect, evangelization, and their penitential nature. It is true that eschatology does get a mention in the intercessions,21 but as per the rubrics of the Book of Blessings, the intercessions as given are optional: “other intentions that apply to the particular circumstances may be composed.”
As is the case in many other aspects, the usus antiquior of the Roman Rite provides a much more balanced and comprehensive view of pilgrimage than the Novus Ordo does. The richness of the votive Mass and blessings for pilgrims and travellers, expressed in prayers used in the Church’s tradition over many centuries and that have lost none of their relevance for the faithful today, are a great grace for pilgrims as they devoutly ask the almighty and merciful God: “direct the way of your servants!”
Endnotes
1 Francis, Bull Spes non confundit (9 May 2024), n. 5.
2 English translation: John W. Rettig, Tractates on the Gospel of John, 112–24; Tractates on the First Epistle of John (The Fathers of the Church, 92; Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1995), p. 88.
3 This is replaced in Septuagesimatide and Lent with the following Tract, from Ps. 90:11-13: “For you has the Lord commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways. V. They shall bear you upon their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. V. On the lion and the viper you will tread, and trample the young lion and the serpent.” In Eastertide, the same Alleluia verse is used alongside Ps. 121:1: “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
4 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines (17 December 2001), n. 286.
5 W.D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (3 vols.; London: T&T Clark International, 2004), vol. II, p. 171.
6 Anthony Ward and Cuthbert Johnson (eds.), Missalis Romani editio princeps. Mediolani anno 1474 prelis mandata (ILQ 3; Rome: CLV Edizione Liturgiche, 1996), n. 2998.
7 This oration has numerous similarities to the secret for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost in the traditional Roman Missal: see Corpus orationum CCSL 160-160M; Brepols, 1992-2004, 14 vols.), n. 5958. This book also contains the manuscript history of this prayer (n. 5950) and the other traditional prayers cited in this article.
8 The closest formulary in the Novus Ordo is “For a Spiritual or Pastoral Gathering” (VNO, n. 20), but this seems a poor substitute given, for instance, there is no mention of any sort of journey.
9 See Schema 29 (De Missali, 3), 10 September 1964, p. 6; Schema 38 (De Missali, 4), 29 September 1964, p. 5.
10 See Schema 306 (De Missali, 52), 9 September 1968, p. 3 (pro profugis et exsulibus).
11 Ibid., p. 4 (pro iter agentibus).
12 Ibid., p. 5.
13 See Lumen gentium, nn. 48, 50; Dei Verbum, n. 7; Ad gentes, n. 2; see also Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 8; Lumen gentium, nn. 7, 21; Unitatis redintegratio, nn. 2-3; Apostolicam actuositatem, n. 4; Dignitatis humanae, n. 12; Gaudium et spes, nn. 45, 57.
14 Rituale Romanum, editio typica (1952), tit. IX, cap. IV, nn. 1-2. These particular blessings in the Roman Ritual have not changed since the post-Tridentine reforms: see Manlio Sodi and Juan Javier Flores Arcas (eds.), Rituale Romanum. Editio princeps (1614) (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004), nn. 630-637 and 638-644.
15 These responses are taken, in order, from Psalms 85:2b; 19:3; 60:4b; 88:23; 67:20; 24:4b; 118:5; Isaiah 40:4b; and Psalm 90:11.
16 See Cyrille Vogel, Medieval Liturgy: An Introduction to the Sources (Washington, DC: The Pastoral Press, 1986), pp. 253-256.
17 Alejandro Olivar (ed.), El Sacramentario de Vich (Monumenta Hispaniae Sacra, Serie liturgica, IV; Barcelona: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1953), n. 1430.
18 Rituale Romanum ex decreto SS. Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum. De benedictionibus, editio typica (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1984), nn. 409-419 (departure) and 420-430 (return). English translation by ICEL: The Book of Blessings (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1989), nn. 595-605 (departure) and 606-616 (return).
19 This is arguably a feature rather than a bug: in the reform of blessings, Coetus XXIII avoided the use of the word “bless” as much as they could, particularly for objects and places. See the analysis in Matthew P. Hazell, “A Historical Survey of the Reform of De Benedictionibus (1959-1984),” in Joseph Briody (ed.), Blessings and Exorcisms: studies on the De Benedictionibus and on the De Exorcismis. Proceedings of the Twelfth Fota International Liturgical Conference, 2019 (Wells: Smenos Publications, 2025), pp. 76-115, esp. 95-114.
20 Book of Blessings, n. 603 (De benedictionibus, n. 417).
21 Book of Blessings, n. 602 (De benedictionibus, n. 416), fifth intercession: “You lead us along right and peaceful paths; grant that we may one day see you face to face in heaven.”
TITLE IMAGE: The Adoration of the Magi, Gerard David (1460–1523) [Source: Ricardalovesmonuments].
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