Looking back on the pilgrimage retreat in Weitenhagen, August 2025

It began with an arrival—and a letting go.

On Wednesday evening, six people gathered at the House of Silence in Weitenhagen. Initially strangers, curious about each other, they soon bonded over their shared desire to “seek the open spaces.”

On Thursday, the path led out into the forests and open spaces around Weitenhagen.

“You set my feet in a spacious place.” (Psalm 31:9) In this outer expanse, personal horizons opened up. Scientifically speaking, the human eye can see up to 20 kilometers away – but what matters is what we focus on. This also became apparent: the vastness outside helps to relieve the confinement inside.

On Friday, the “search for vastness” in the church of Behrenhoff became an inward look. Pastor Willfried Knees introduced us to the old paintings inside the church with lively words,

Adam and Eve, temptation, the Last Judgment – and prompted the questions: “What hellish abysses open up today and how do I find my way through them?”

On Saturday, we were on the trail of spiritual vastness. The path led us through the Elisenhain to the former Cistercian monastery. What few people know is that there used to be a pilgrim chapel and a pilgrim hermitage here during the monastery era. For a short time, we tried to connect with pilgrims who, centuries before us, connected Vorpommern with the rest of the world... or vice versa.

Expansiveness is not just space, it is relationship. It happens where trust grows. And so, in the evening, we shared our very personal stories of faith, of searching for God and of very deep encounters with God. Honestly, this was my personal highlight of the pilgrimage week.

“Arriving in the vastness” was the theme of the last day. We celebrated a joint service with the Weitenhagen parish.

Our days resonated in the concluding feedback round. I would like to share some feedback from my namesake, Sabine Renate Wegener, on behalf of everyone:

 "When I said yesterday that you all revealed yourselves to me like an exciting book, page by page, during this unique retreat, my amazement knows no bounds!
And that reminds me of another song: “Stop, stop, where are you running to? Heaven is within you! Heaven is within you! If you look for it elsewhere, you will miss it forever!”
And imagine what spontaneously came to mind: I wish that we could meet again sometime, maybe in a year or whenever... What do you think?
Yes, dear namesake

You opened a door that encouraged us all to venture into unknown spaces and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit! And in retrospect, this coincides with the idea of ENERGY, which you, dear Birgit, were convinced of from the beginning and remained convinced of, and which is present throughout the universe!
But I now also include pilgrimage itself in learning to recognize and understand these connections...
You can be sure of my daily prayers! THANK GOD!
Yes, HE will show us the way and make us willing to walk it!
Feel my embrace! Blessed be the Camino!"

/Sabine Petters