“Pilgrimage” could be the word that defines St. Willibald best. He was the first known Englishman to visit the Holy Land. Now here we are in front of St. Willibald in Munich. Let me tell you his story.
Willibald was born in Wessex around 700 AD. His parents were Richard the Pilgrim and Wuna of Wessex. He also had a brother and sister. They were Winibald and Walburga.
At three years old Willibald got very sick. His parents prayed and promised God that they would commit him to monastic life if he lived. Willibald survived. At five he entered the Benedictine monastery at Waldheim. Abbot Egwald educated him. He became used to pious rootlessness there.
In 721, Willibald went on a pilgrimage to Rome with his father and brother. They sailed to Rouen in France. They visited shrines and prayed. They arrived in Lucca in northern Italy. Willibald’s father became very ill and died. Willibald and Winibald buried him. They continued to Rome. They visited the Lateran Basilica and St. Peter’s. The brothers got sick with the Black Plague.
Willibald left Rome in 724. He went to Naples. He sailed with two companions and his brother. They visited Sicily and Greece. They arrived in Asia Minor. Winibald lived in a monastery in Rome after his brother left for Palestine.
In Asia Minor, Willibald first arrived in Ephesus. He visited the tomb of John the Evangelist. He continued to Patara in Lycia. He waited out the winter there. He traveled to Mount Chelidonium almost dying of hunger and thirst. He arrived on the island of Cyprus by boat. After Cyprus, they reached Antadoros. There he met a Greek bishop and visited the church of Saint John the Baptist.
Willibald traveled with seven companions to Palestine around 723. He visited Nazareth. From there he went to Bethlehem and then to Egypt. He returned to Nazareth. Then he traveled to Cana, Capharnaum and Jerusalem. He arrived there on November 11, 725.
The pilgrimage went on to Bethlehem. They saw the Church of the Nativity and the Great Lavra of St Sabbas. He visited the church where Philip the Evangelist baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. He went to Gaza, Hebron, Lydda, Joppa, Tyre and Sidon. He reached Tyre again by way of the Ladder of Tyre.
After waiting in Tyre, Willibald sailed to Constantinople. He stayed there for about two years. He had a small room in the Church of the Holy Apostles. He studied documents from the First Council of Nicaea. Emperor Constantine arranged it. He sailed to Sicily. He arrived in Naples about seven years after leaving Italy.
Willibald joined the Benedictine community at Monte Cassino. He taught the community about his travels. He spent over ten years there and at another local Benedictine monastery. He was sacristan, dean and porter.
In 738, Boniface asked Pope Gregory III to send Willibald to help him in Germany. The Pope wanted to meet Willibald. He was happy to hear about his travels. He told him about Boniface’s request.
He was ordained a priest by Boniface in 741. He began missionary work in Eichstätt. A year later, Boniface summoned him to Thuringia. Willibald met his brother Winibald. He had not seen him for over eight years.
In 742, he and Winibald founded the double monastery of Heidenheim. Winibald was the first abbot. After Winibald died, Willibald’s sister Walburga became the first abbess. In 746, Boniface made Willibald bishop of Eichstätt.
Eichstätt was Willibald’s most successful missionary site. The monastery was one of the first buildings in the region. It was important for the diocese. Willibald was bishop in Franconia for over four decades. He lived in the monastery. Visitors from Europe came to hear about his journey and monasticism.
St. Willibald died in 787. His feast day is July 7. He is the patron saint of travelers and Eichstätt. His story reminds us of the power of faith. It shows us the courage to explore the unknown. And here in Munich, St. Willibald stands as a testament to his enduring legacy. A place for the community. A place for pilgrimage.