Micro Pilgrimages: A New Post-Secular Trend?

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

I appreciate the knowledge of the issues on an international scale.

I appreciate the extensive bibliography

The list of sources, however, requires an alphabetical order (look: Thomas, Bret) and uniformity of the inscriptions of names (look: Beckman, C.)

 I encourage you to clearly distinguish a pilgrimage from a tourist trip and pro-health walks in the text, to emphasize the religious aspect. Provide information in the Catechism of the Catholic Church on pilgrimage destinations.

 It is valuable to note that despite the difficulties caused by external factors: COVID, disability, lack of money and time, people who believe in God find ways to deepen their religiosity

Author Response

AUTHOR’S RESPONSES TO REVIEWER 1

Thank you for taking the time to read my article, for your positive feedback, and for your helpful comments.

I shall certainly check the alphabetical ordering of my bibliography; thank you for alerting me to this issue.

I suspect that the names in the references match those published in the original sources, but I shall check.

I’m a little unclear about exactly what information is required re the Catechism of the Catholic Church on pilgrimage destinations.

I’ll re-read my manuscript to look for ways in which I can more clearly distinguish between tourism and pilgrimage.

The observation that Covid has not put off committed Christians from finding ways to engaging in spiritual activities is worth mentioning. I’ll add something to this effect in the conclusion.

Reviewer 2 Report

• A brief summary 

The aim of this article is to both document and explain the increase in micro pilgrimages, particularly in the United Kingdom. The author thoroughly documents the rise of micro pilgrimages, especially in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic. Many examples and variations are discussed. The article also goes a long way in explaining the factors behind the recent popularity of this phenomena. Readers unfamiliar with the term or the rise in this practice will learn a great deal. The article provides both an excellent introduction to current practices and compelling historical explanations that have led to the apparent popularity of micro pilgrimages today.

• General concept comments
  Article: highlighting areas of weakness,

In section 2 the author starts with a definition of pilgrimage that is commonly used as is noted, but this simple definition is far from being the last word on the topic. Scholars have many different definitions of pilgrimage and there are several nuances and variations that have been discussed in the literature. Having a broader and more variegated definition of pilgrimage might also lead to a broader and more insightful definition of micro pilgrimages as well.

Micro and mini are used throughout this article and the author acknowledges that they are interchangeable terms. It can be a bit confusing however, especially when sometimes they are hyphenated and sometimes not. Micro seems to be the preferred adjective, so perhaps all references except those in quotes should use micro.

The discussion of the impact of COVID 19 is useful and gives additional insights into a phenomenon that was perhaps already on the rise. I especially like the wording on lines 272-273 about taking the practice of ‘taking mindfulness out on a walk.’

The author does a good job of comparing contemporary micro pilgrimages from Protestant and Catholic perspectives. Most micro pilgrimages in the Catholic world are rightly seen as not a new phenomenon, but largely one that has been present in one form or another for centuries. Pilgrimage itself is relatively new in the Protestant world, being condemned and ultimately banned for centuries by its founding figures. Historically, pilgrimage especially for Protestants was largely seen as a metaphor for their earthly journey and travails that would eventually lead them to heaven. Protestants are only recently beginning to engage in actual walking pilgrimages. However, I do not think that the doctrine of divine immanence can be especially associated with Protestant pilgrimage. Protestants, at least in America, had a deep distrust of the material world and for centuries were especially reluctant to associate the natural world with God’s presence. They did not acknowledge sacred qualities with any place, natural or man-made. To the extent that Protestant pilgrims today might expect to encounter God during a ‘walk in the countryside’ rather than at a man-made shrine can be more attributed to Romanticism or more recent cultural developments than to Protestant doctrine.  I would suggest removing or revising the text from lines 434-438.

The author is right to bring up Romanticism in the next paragraph (lines 439-444). Thomas Burnet’s classic book the Sacred Theory of the Earth, published first in 1684, might also be mentioned as one of the first instances in which the natural world was positively associated with the Abrahamic God and the sublime.

In the next paragraph (lines 445-453) the author tries to incorporate even more recent trends in cultural and religious practice by bringing up the Hippy and New Age Movements. Since nothing more in particular is then said about these two developments, perhaps their mention should be removed or just say that alternative spiritualities have been on the rise as affiliation with mainstream Christianity has waned.

Although it is perhaps beyond the scope of this article it might be interesting to note that micro pilgrimages are much less common in the United States, even though COVID 19 was equally or more prevalent and post-secular practices and sentiments are also widespread. What might explain the relative lack of micro pilgrimages in the US?

The title of this article ends with a question mark. The answer provided seems to be both yes and then again, only somewhat. The article seems to show that micro pilgrimages are indeed something relatively new and novel for Protestants and other non-affiliated pilgrims, particularly during the pandemic. For Catholics, micro pilgrimages today are mostly, but not entirely, a variation of practices that have been around for centuries. In the abstract it says that this article will challenge the notion that micro pilgrimages are novel and new. It does, but it also shows that there is indeed much that is new, at least in scope. Perhaps the abstract might reflect this more complicated response to the question.

Author Response

AUTHOR’S RESPONSES TO REVIEWER 2

Thank you for taking the time to read my article, for your positive feedback, and for your helpful comments.

Here are my responses:

In section 2 the author starts with a definition of pilgrimage that is commonly used as is noted, but this simple definition is far from being the last word on the topic. Scholars have many different definitions of pilgrimage and there are several nuances and variations that have been discussed in the literature. Having a broader and more variegated definition of pilgrimage might also lead to a broader and more insightful definition of micro pilgrimages as well.

I purposely kept the definition of pilgrimage simple to avoid going into a complicated aside. To be honest, I’m not keen on expanding this. But I could perhaps add a footnote acknowledging that pilgrimage definitions are fluid.

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Micro and mini are used throughout this article and the author acknowledges that they are interchangeable terms. It can be a bit confusing however, especially when sometimes they are hyphenated and sometimes not. Micro seems to be the preferred adjective, so perhaps all references except those in quotes should use micro.

I completely agree and will go through the article to standardize the term ‘micro’. I shall also check the hyphenated and non-hyphenated examples, and only hyphenate where the term occurs as an adjective.

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However, I do not think that the doctrine of divine immanence can be especially associated with Protestant pilgrimage. Protestants, at least in America, had a deep distrust of the material world and for centuries were especially reluctant to associate the natural world with God’s presence. They did not acknowledge sacred qualities with any place, natural or man-made. To the extent that Protestant pilgrims today might expect to encounter God during a ‘walk in the countryside’ rather than at a man-made shrine can be more attributed to Romanticism or more recent cultural developments than to Protestant doctrine.  I would suggest removing or revising the text from lines 434-438.

I really appreciate this comment and will happily remove the reference to Divine Immanence.

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The author is right to bring up Romanticism in the next paragraph (lines 439-444). Thomas Burnet’s classic book the Sacred Theory of the Earth, published first in 1684, might also be mentioned as one of the first instances in which the natural world was positively associated with the Abrahamic God and the sublime.

Many thanks for pointing me to this book. I’ll look it up and add it as a reference.

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In the next paragraph (lines 445-453) the author tries to incorporate even more recent trends in cultural and religious practice by bringing up the Hippy and New Age Movements. Since nothing more in particular is then said about these two developments, perhaps their mention should be removed or just say that alternative spiritualities have been on the rise as affiliation with mainstream Christianity has waned.

I am happy with this and will revise as suggested.

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Although it is perhaps beyond the scope of this article it might be interesting to note that micro pilgrimages are much less common in the United States, even though COVID 19 was equally or more prevalent and post-secular practices and sentiments are also widespread. What might explain the relative lack of micro pilgrimages in the US?

Off the top of my head, I would say that the reason is because walking pilgrimages are less common in the US.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2022/06/when-the-pilgrim-trails-return/

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The title of this article ends with a question mark. The answer provided seems to be both yes and then again, only somewhat. The article seems to show that micro pilgrimages are indeed something relatively new and novel for Protestants and other non-affiliated pilgrims, particularly during the pandemic. For Catholics, micro pilgrimages today are mostly, but not entirely, a variation of practices that have been around for centuries. In the abstract it says that this article will challenge the notion that micro pilgrimages are novel and new. It does, but it also shows that there is indeed much that is new, at least in scope. Perhaps the abstract might reflect this more complicated response to the question.

I wanted to keep the abstract simple but can certainly nuance it better reflect my argument.

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear author, dear editor,

This is a good article with a coherent argument that is written in a clear and accessible style. The argument is supported with concrete examples. I especially liked the quote in line 159-161, which captures how "micro-pilgrimages" negotiate a field between traditional Christian religiosity, postsecular spirituality, self-optimization and tourism.

Some remarks to further improve the article:

The reference to FSSPX News (by the Society of Saint Pius X) as an example for groups organizing micro pilgrimages is a little unexpected in the Catholic context but I would not object to it. The operating loss of the sanctuary in Lourdes should, however, be referenced with a different source.

The expression that shorter pilgrimages "have been with us for some time" is too unspecific.

135-138 needs a reference. Generally, the paper is strong in terms of examples but could benefit from some more engagement with theory/academic literature.

In particular: I was wondering if the increased use of "micro" is not a more general cultural trend (such as "microagression", and I just read an ad for a micro facial). Here some hard numbers about word usage e.g. in online sources could be added, for micro in general and micro relating to pilgrimage. Merriam Webster ranks "micro" in the top 2% of look-up popularity. If there is a wider trend, that might (or might not) be indicative of contemporary preferences for short time commitments as part of a fast paced lifestyle. Is there research on this? If so, the article would benefit from engaging in the discussion of how micro pilgrimages form part of a wider surge of terming things "micro".

Author Response

AUTHOR’S RESPONSES TO REVIEWER 3

Thank you for taking the time to read my article, for your positive feedback, and for your helpful comments.

Here are my responses:

The operating loss of the sanctuary in Lourdes should, however, be referenced with a different source.

I shall chase this up and see if I can track down the original source.

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The expression that shorter pilgrimages "have been with us for some time" is too unspecific.

I can amend this.

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135-138 needs a reference

The reference is (Green 2022), line 139. Should I repeat this?

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Generally, the paper is strong in terms of examples but could benefit from some more engagement with theory/academic literature.

I didn’t want to complicate the article with academic theory, but can add some ethnographic literature if this is required?

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In particular: I was wondering if the increased use of "micro" is not a more general cultural trend (such as "microagression", and I just read an ad for a micro facial). Here some hard numbers about word usage e.g. in online sources could be added, for micro in general and micro relating to pilgrimage. Merriam Webster ranks "micro" in the top 2% of look-up popularity. If there is a wider trend, that might (or might not) be indicative of contemporary preferences for short time commitments as part of a fast paced lifestyle. Is there research on this? If so, the article would benefit from engaging in the discussion of how micro pilgrimages form part of a wider surge of terming things "micro".

This is a very interesting thought. I did an internet search for the word ‘micro’ and didn’t come up with anything suggesting a wider popular trend. However, given this comment I shall certainly look into this and see if I can find any academic literature on the topic.