Roman Pilgrimage
The Station Churches

Quotes

“Roman Pilgrimage is as beautiful as it is profound. Part travelogue, part meditation on Lent and Easter, part art-historical feast, this sumptuously produced book, full of striking photographs and theological wisdom, provides readers with a personal spiritual itinerary through the Eternal City during the holiest time of the year.” New Criterion

“Weigel, popular Catholic author and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, traces an ancient Christian pilgrimage traditionally undertaken during the liturgical season of Lent…These reflections bring the traditional Lenten ascetic practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving into a contemporary context.” Publishers Weekly

“Weigel’s reflections allow one to enter into the spirit of the Lenten experience of conversion. The descriptions of the architecture and artistic decoration of each church by Lev (art history, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas)…enhance the text…Will appeal to any Christian seeking to experience somewhat the pilgrimage that many have followed to prepare themselves to celebrate Easter.” Library Journal

“This is a unique guide book, referencing not only theology but the history of Western art, modern and postmodern literature, urban history, and church history. Valuable to believers, scholars, students, armchair travelers, and those planning pilgrimages following Phil Cousineau’s guides.” Booklist

“Weigel’s Lenten tour of Rome acts as part travelogue and part theological primer, and he introduces readers to some of Rome’s most splendid and historically significant places of worship…Engrossing.” Kirkus Reviews

“On cold, damp, late-winter early mornings, hundreds of priests, seminarians, sisters, and devoted lay people walk the Roman cobblestones to one of the Eternal City’s forty most venerable sites, the station church of that Lenten day. It’s a microcosm of the pilgrim Church and of life’s journey, and Easter is never brighter than after faithfully completing this sixteen-century-old pilgrimage tradition.” Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York

“The Lenten station church pilgrimage is increasingly popular in Rome, especially among English-speaking Catholics…Up to now, though, these sunrise pilgrimages have been known to few outside Rome. No more!” Edwin Cardinal O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem

“Visitors to the Eternal City, either in their armchairs or on foot, will learn much about the spiritual journey of Lent and Easter through Rome’s station churches, many of them little-known artistic treasures.” Bruce Cole, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2001–2009