The pilgrimage from

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

Telgte Telgte (, regionally ; ) is a town in the Warendorf (district), Warendorf district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the river Ems (river), Ems 12 km east of Münster and 15 km west of Warendorf. Telgte is famous as a place of pilgri ...

takes place since 1852 on the second Sunday after the

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Chri ...

; it is known as Telgte pilgrimage ("Telgter Wallfahrt") or Osnabrück pilgrimage ("Osnabrücker Wallfahrt (nach Telgte)"). Each year approximately 8,000 pilgrims participate in the 47 km long walk along the B51 and more visitors arrive by bus or car.

History

The pilgrimage was started by layman citizen of Osnabrück in 1852, approved by the Catholic Church under the condition, that no spirits or other alcoholic beverages will be drunk. In 1856 the procession was led for the first time by a priest.
Despite an interdiction during the wars in 1864-1866 (

Second War of Schleswig The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

) and 1914-1918 (

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

), during the

Kulturkampf In the history of Germany, the ''Kulturkampf'' (Cultural Struggle) was the seven-year political conflict (1871–1878) between the Catholic Church in Germany led by Pope Pius IX and the Kingdom of Prussia led by chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Th ...

1872-1882 and during

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

1938-1944 many people went in small groups or alone on the pilgrimage to Telgte.

Object of veneration

The object of veneration is the statue of the painful

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. It shows Mary, holding the body of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

after his death. The statue was made in 1370 and is thus one of the oldest portrayals of this motive (see

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

). The statue is made from wood of the poplar and 150 cm in height.
In 1654 the

Prince-Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

Bernhard von Galen Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, in Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family. Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism Christoph Ber ...

had a chapel built especially for the pietà and the pilgrimage. After this the interest in the Osnabrück pilgrimage increased even more.

Course of the pilgrimage

The pilgrimage starts on Saturday at 1:30 am with masses in the churches St. Johann and St. Joseph in

, and at 3 am the walk begins. The pilgrims walk through the village Oesede (

Georgsmarienhütte Georgsmarienhütte () is a town in the Osnabrück (district), district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 7 km south of Osnabrück. History In 1856 the company "Georgs-Marien-Bergwerks- ...

) and the town

Bad Iburg Bad Iburg (; Westphalian: ''Bad Ibig'') is a spa town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück, and the Hermannsweg long-distance hiking trail passes throug ...

. They reach Glandorf at about 8 am where another mass is celebrated. At 10 am they rest in Oedingberge and a meditation is held. The procession reaches

Ostbevern Ostbevern (, , in contrast to " West Bevern"; ) is a municipality in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Ostbevern is situated on the river Bever, approx. 18 km north-east of Münster and 18 km no ...

approximately at 1 pm and after a lunch break they set out for the last part of the walk. They reach Telgte at 4 pm and visit the

pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

. With prayers for the night in the church St. Clemens, the schedule for the first day ends.
The first pilgrim mass starts on Sunday at 4:30 am with at least one other mass following for children and youths. Before they begin their way back at 8 am they come together for a last prayer. At 7 pm they reach The church of Peter and Paul in Oesede (Georgsmarienhütte), where the final meditation is held.

External links

{{Commons cat, Telgte Pilgrimage
Osnabrück pilgrimage
official website of bishopric Osnabrück (German)
Telgte pilgrimage
official website of parish St. Clemens, Telgte (German)
Pietà in Telgte
an article from bishopric Münster (German) Marian devotions Christian pilgrimages