PORT TOWNSEND — When John Wayne addressed another character in a Western movie as “pilgrim,” implying the person was a stranger in town, just passing through, he was using the term correctly.
“Pilgrim” derives from “per,” meaning “through,” and “ager,” meaning “land or field.” As “pereger,” it meant a person passing through the countryside, usually for a religious reason.
To go on a pilgrimage still means to undertake a journey, usually on foot, to a sacred place.
Three local entrepreneurs are hoping people will want to take that journey in Port Townsend.
On June 18, Roberta Hiday, Margaret McGee and Ann Raymond will launch their new business, Pilgrimage Port Townsend, by leading a day pilgrimage to a place in Port Townsend that has served as a place of passage for centuries.
Their goal: to make Port Townsend a destination for travelers who want to go beyond the surface.
“There is something about Port Townsend that is very sacred,” said Hiday, a spiritual director and retreat leader who embraces her Celtic heritage.
Called “Finding Home,” the pilgrimage will start at 10 a.m. at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., with participants looking at what the term “home” means to them.
Then, they will set out to an unannounced destination, the leaders pointing out places along the way that are part of the community’s story. It will end at 3 p.m.
Registration is necessary for the free event. To register, visit www.pilgrimagept.com.
Hiday, McGee and Raymond plan to offer weekend pilgrimages based at Fort Worden State Park and day pilgrimages to different places in Port Townsend. They also will plan custom pilgrimages for groups.
Although their concept of pilgrimage encompasses all religious traditions, the three women all are involved in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson St., in addition to careers.
Hiday, who lives in Sequim, is the church’s director of spiritual formation and a part-time Peninsula College instructor.
Raymond, director of youth ministries, is an integral coach and adjunct professor at Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University.
McGee, who led the building of the labyrinth in the church courtyard, is the author of books on spiritual practices.
It was when McGee was working on a book on writing haiku, an art form that includes a historic element in the attachment to place, that she started thinking about Port Townsend as a pilgrimage spot.
“I asked people in the community what their sacred places were and was astonished at the volume and intensity of the responses,” McGee said.
“It was revelatory how much place means in people’s lives.’”
For McGee, who goes on retreats at Benedictine monasteries, pilgrimage is a way to explore the connection between spirit and matter in a more active way.
While a spiritual retreat is focused inwardly, pilgrimages are focused outward, McGee said.
“It’s connecting to place and to people,” she said.
Pilgrimage is a universal, historic way of deeper travel, Raymond said, and part of the experience is sharing it with other people on the journey.
“So many people already come to Port Townsend as travelers,” Raymond said.
“We know people are drawn to meaningful travel and are excited about giving them a different experience.”
There also are different means of transportation — people who are unable to walk the route, which will cover several miles, will be given maps so they can get to the destination by car.
“The idea of pilgrimage is you always come home,” McGee said.
“What we’re doing is helping people find home where they are, to find their connection to place.”
The women said the business venture is a way of using their skills while creating a business they are passionate about.
McGee, who is originally from the Midwest, was a technical writer before moving to Port Townsend.
Raymond, who grew up in the Seattle area, spent 25 years in education, the past five working with teachers and administrators on educational and leadership development.
Hiday said it was reading Kurt Hoelting’s book, The Circumference of Home, that got her thinking about how she was connected to her adopted community.
John Wayne, incidentally, considered Sequim Bay on the Olympic Peninsula one of his home ports, a place he would return to in his yacht, Wild Goose.
The property where he moored his boat is now a marina named for the man who recognized that everyone is a pilgrim, everyone is a traveler looking for home.
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Jennifer Jackson is a freelance writer and photographer living in Port Townsend. She can be reached at jjackson@olypen.com.
