Krisia's place...

last update: Monday, June 10, 2002

Last week I found out that the Universal House of Justice has invited me for Pilgrimage. To go on Pilgrimage as an adult Baha'i is one of our spiritual obligations. This is also a special bounty for Baha'is as individuals as it is the only time we can visit all of the Holy places in Haifa and Akka. Baha'u'llah spent 24 years of His life here in the Holy Land, and a lot of the time during Pilgrimage is spent visiting the places He lived and praying in the Shrine where His remains are buried. In addition, Abdu'l-Baha spent over 50 years of His life here and we also visit the Holy places associated with His life, and of course the Shrine where His remains are buried alongside those of the Bab.

I applied for Pilgrimage in 1997 and at the time I was told there would be a 5-6 year wait. I realised when I got here that people who applied at the same time as me, will receive invitation letters sometime near the end of this year, with Pilgrimage dates in 2003. As a staff member at the BWC I had the option of being on the staff wait list, which is used to fill spaces vacated at the last minute in the Pilgrim groups. The last week was spent in eager anticipation of finally being a Pilgrim.

My anticipation, however, did not prepare me for the actual Pilgrimage.

Day 1

The first order of business was registration, after which I went to take care of some errands that I had to do. At 2:00 in the afternoon the programme began with an orientation with our guide, Furio Favetti. Furio gave us an idea of some of what we will be doing. An overview of the Pilgrimage and the logistics of it. He also filled us in on the plan for tomorrow so we don't miss it. Followint the 1 1/2  hour orientation, we proceeded to the Pilgrim House where 2 Counsellor Members of the International Teaching Centre, Mrs. Joanie Lincoln, and Dr. Firaydoun Javaheri greeted us and welcomed us as Pilgrims. We then proceeded to the Shrine of the Bab. I have made this visit to the Shrine many many times since I've been here, and I was not prepared for what I felt this afternoon. Walking along the path towards the Shrine, I felt like a different person. The Shrine looked different, the place felt different. As we proceeded towards the Shrine I realised that Pilgrimage is more than just the act of visiting the Holy Places. Being a pilgrim is being someone I wasn't before. I can't really explain it, but at that moment it moved me to tears.

Inside the Shrine of the Bab, Dr. Javaheri chanted the Tablet of Visitation in Arabic. Again, the experience was different from before. In the Shrine of Abdu'l-Baha, as Mrs. Lincoln recited the Tablet of Visitation, the tears continued to flow. The joy I felt at the bounty of eing a Pilgrim is indescribable.

At 5:30 at the Pilgrim Reception Centre, Mr. Ali-Akbar Furutan, Hand of the Cause of God, spoke to us. Mr. Furutan's talks have been a constant source of inspiration and enjoyment and wisdom for me since I've been here. Again, as I had been experiencing all afternoon, I felt the difference between attending the talk as a staff member, and attending as a Pilgrim. Every word felt like it was directed at me, and although the subject matter was similar to what I have heard him speak about on other occasions, I felt like I was a different person, hearing it with new ears. At 6:00 Mr. Furutan was joined by Dr. Varqa. Mr. Furutan and Dr. Varqa, at ages 97 and 90 rspectively, are our living ties to the past, the history of the Faith. Mr. Furutan spoke of, among many other things, his first Pilgrimage in 1941, in the midst of World War II, at the time of Shoghi Effendi. It made me realise how precious a gem he is.