Abstract

This contribution highlights the opportunities that religious pilgrimages offer for the evangelization of today's world. The author starts from considerations on the dimensions of this religious phenomenon: every year around the world there are 240 million pilgrims of which 150 are Christians. Among Catholics, the privileged destinations are the Marian sanctuaries, among which Lourdes, Jasna Góra, Fatima and Guadalupe stand out above all.In recent years, several international congresses organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Emigrants and Tourists have been dedicated to pilgrimages. The first took place from 2 to. 4 of September 1996 at Mariapocs in Hungary. The second, during which representatives of the pilgrimage cities gathered, took place in Loreto in Italy in 1995, the third instead, with the same participants as before, in Altotting in Germany in 1997.During the work of the congresses the fact was emphasized many times that pilgrimages as well as religious tourism will become one of the most popular forms of pastoral care in the near future. Today's people not only travel willingly, but in their travels they often seek opportunities to enrich themselves spiritually. The sanctuaries, with their climate, welcome, prayerful atmosphere favor people's openness to the Word of God and participation in the sacraments. They are therefore an important place for evangelization. According to many  this is a sign of the Church's vitality. The author concludes his considerations by offering a brief overview of the situation of the Marian shrines in Poland led by the Salesians.