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“Destination Weddings” the latest craze

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We’ve all seen those wonderful commercials or movies that show the beautiful ocean background as the couple walks down the “aisle” on their wedding day. Destination weddings are promoted (naturally) by many resorts, hotels, airlines, etc.  Well, that mental image is beautiful but there are definitely some restrictions for Catholics.  See our newer blog post on Catholic weddings at the beach for more details.  

It’s not that the Church does not want you to have a beautiful wedding but because the Catholic view of the wedding is that it is a sacrament and should take place on consecrated ground. I noticed that some non-Catholics who attended our son’s wedding remarked that they wished the bride and groom faced each other during the ceremony  rather than kneeling and facing the altar.    Naturally everything that the secular world has told everyone is that “it is all about the me”.  Not so….they miss the important fact that the center of attention is not the bride and groom, but Jesus Christ. Sadly, there are quite a few Catholics in the same boat.  

Another oft-requested venue is getting married on a cruise.  Why anyone would want to do so is beyond me……having your wedding party and family along on your honeymoon does not sound like a great way to start off married life.  However, if you really want to get married on a cruise, then you need to make some serious plans.  In the first place, as mentioned above, you cannot get married on the ship because it is not consecrated ground.  You would need to arrange for a church at a port along the way and that is not an easy thing.  It’s hard enough planning a wedding in your own home town much less some city a few hundred—or thousand–miles away.  And, if for some reason, there is a last-minute change in the itinerary you could end up missing your own wedding!

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Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen now permanently closed

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On of the Church’s most revered saints, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake here in Rouen, France on May 30, 1431  The trumped-up charges and sham trial were, of course, later proven false and she was proclaimed a saint long after her death.  A museum in her honor was built here with life-size wax figures with scenes depicting the various stages of her life.  Sadly we have received word from the museum that they have closed down and sold off the contents of the museum.  According to the former museum director we have received the following email:

Le musée est Définitivement fermé.
Il sera remplacé par un Piano-Bar
Cordialement
Alain Préaux
Conservateur en retraite 

Translated it means that he museum is closed and going to be replaced with a piano bar.  We don’t know if any of the museum’s contents were purchased for any public displays.

Rouen is a fairly modern city but the old part of the town still has a medieval feel to it and those visiting will be able to visit the Basilica built in her honor which is over the original Church of Saint Sauvieur that was destroyed during the French revolution.

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WYD 2013 Helpful Sites & Apps

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Whether you are traveling with a group or independently, you will get more out of your visit to Brazil if you do a bit of advance planning.  One thing would be to learn a few basic sentences in Portuguese.  Remember, that is the official language of Brazil is Portuguese, not Spanish as in most other South American countries.  A phrase book or phone app would be a wise investment.  At least become familiar with some aspects of the country, emergency contact numbers, etc.  Here are a few basic tips to help you prepare:

  • Emergency phone numbers……medical: 192    fire: 193      police: 197
  • For Mass times and locations try the website Horario da Misa.  It is in Portuguese, so use google translate or some other method.
  • Be sure to check in at the main World Youth Day website..Lots of great info.
  • Follow the Cross app lets you follow the Cross and Icon of the Virgin Mary throughout Brazil. For iphone and ipad click here & for Android users click here.
  • There is also an app for Australians, but we don’t have final information on that yet.
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How to avoid the crowds in the Sistine Chapel

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A portion of the Sistine ChapelAs the tourist season comes into full swing in Rome, one of the most popular attractions not only for Catholics but many non-Catholics as well is the Sistine Chapel.  Actually part of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel can be so crowded during the height of the season (an estimated 20,000 visitors per day) that you cannot really have quiet time to enjoy it.  When you are packed in like sardines it is hard to enjoy the beauty of the artwork.  And some tourists just cannot be quiet while the guards saying “silencio” are equally distracting.  Unfortunately, such crowds also attract pickpockets which can really ruin your visit.  You either worry about getting pick-pocketed or actually do become a victim.  It is not all that likely, but it does happen.  

If you are an independent traveler you might want to consider a private guided tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.  These tours are not cheap—about $300 per person–so they will not fit everyone’s budget.  Those who can afford one may find it worth the expense as you will probably be in a small group of 10-15 people. These tours, as mentioned above, include the Vatican Museums as well as the Sistine Chapel. You will normally have about 30 minutes in the Sistine Chapel without the crowds and noise.

Most Catholic tour groups will include a visit to the Museums and Sistine Chapel during regular hours; however if you have planned to make the Sistine Chapel one of the highlights of your trip to Rome then you can probably take a private tour since most of these tours are after-hours when the daytime activities of the tour group are finished.

Be sure to check around since there are several companies offering these tours and you want to be sure that you choose the right one. Some of these “private” tours offered are during regular hours and although they are much less expensive (about $90 per person), they are not private in the sense that you avoid the huge crowds.  You do, however, have your own private guide and usually a group of about 15-20 people.  For independent travelers who don’t want the after-hours private tour this is a good alternative.

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How to make the most of those airport layovers

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How we all hate those airport layovers!  Of, at least most of us do—endless hours of boredom, questionable airport food, endless CNN broadcasts (often in a language you don’t understand) and waiting, that just tend to wear you out.  But…quite often direct flights are more expensive than those that require a layover so we end up with layovers.  Most of us hope to spend as little time as possible between flights; however, trying to avoid long layovers can come with its own set of problems. 

In this day of flight delays you sometimes you get a close (too close) connection that can cause you to skip that rest room that you really needed to use (should have gone on the plane!) and run breathlessly through the airport as you hear the dreaded announcement “final call” for your flight.  And as it sometimes happens, this is from one end of the airport to the other.  Of course the standard airline response to these close connections is:  “well, it’s a legal connection”.

Our advice is to opt for the longer connection in many instances.  The advantages?  Well, you may get to see some sights that will add to the pleasure of your trip without spending much more.  Here’s an example from one of our readers:

One time my husband and I had a flight on British Gatwick Express train to center LondonAirways arriving at London Gatwick around 9:00 a.m. and our Croatia Airlines flight to Zagreb did not depart until 7:00 p.m.  So we did a bit of research and found out that the Gatwick Express train could zip us into London in less than an hour.  The “helpful” guy at customs told us it wouldn’t be worth it, but fortunately we ignored him. 

The result was a delightful day in London, catching a city tour bus, taking a cruise on the Themes and of course some fish and chips in a local pub.  Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare and had some great memories of our day in London even though that was not part of our original plan.  Did not hit any Catholic sites that day but still it was a pleasant time.

Some people often extend their layover to an overnight stay.  Often this does not change the airfare so long as it is less than 24 hours.  Of course you will have the cost of your lodging but assuming you are some place interesting then it’s a great way to get even more enjoyment out of your travels.

Check out any Catholic sites that may be nearby: perhaps a chance to visit a nearby shrine or even attend Mass.  Two examples among many are the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport or the Shrine of Our Lady of All Nations near Amsterdam’s SchipolAirport.  And you can easily whisk in to Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport and catch Notre Dame, the Miraculous Medal or one of the many other Catholic sites in Paris.

Or if you are not up to going anywhere but are just dead after that long overseas flight and have a later departure that day, consider grabbing a hotel room for a day rate.  You can catch a few hours of sleep, take a shower and be bright eyed and bushy-tailed as you resume your journey later that day.  Many airport hotels offer day rates at less than the normal nightly rate and a Google search for “Airport Hotel Layover Rates” will even pull up a couple of websites dedicated to just that.  Be sure to leave a wake-up call!

How about you?  Do you have a suggestion on any Catholic sites to visit during a layover.  Let others know.

 

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Pope Francis to visit Bonario, Sardinia

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Pope Francis has announced only two trips this first year of his Papacy:  World Youth Day in Brazil in July and to the Mediterranean the island of Sardinia, which is part of Italy, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria (Our Lady of Good Air) to venerate the statue of Our Blessed Mother that has inspired seafarers for centuries. 

At first I did not realize the relationship between this city and his homeland of Argentina.  But after reading more I now understand why this shrine would have such meaning for him. The Conquistadores who came to South America named the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina after this shrine.  Buenos Aires literally means “Good Air”.  Apparently they argued over whether to name it the “City of the Most Holy Trinity” or “The City of Our Lady of Bonaria”.  The sailors, many of whom were from Sardinia and therefore had a devotion to Our Lady of Bonaria prevailed in the argument. The name was later shortened to simply Buenos Aires.

Of course, since Pope Francis is from Argentina he is quite familiar with history of the shrine so it is no surprise that he wishes to pay a visit as many other Popes have done previously.

For more about this shrine check the page on our main website.

Brothers of the Order of Mercy in Bonaria, ItalyThe Shrine has been under the auspices of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (the Mercedians) since its founding in the 14th Century and are active is several areas throughout the world today.  Note the comment below for a description of the above photo.

 To learn more about the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (the Mercedians) click here for their website.

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Great Travel experience: Staying at a Chateau in France

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Like many independent Catholic travelers, we like to try unusual things.  Although staying in a chateau is not terribly unusual, it was the first time for us and therefore we considered it outside the norm.  For some reason, we just don’t seem that keen on B&B’s.  Can’t explain it—just prefer hotels.  Perhaps we feel less privacy when staying in someone else’s house rather than a hotel. So when planning a trip to Normandy (mainly the Catholic pilgrimage site of Pontmain, Mont St. Michel & the D-Day beaches) we decided to try a chateau just to see what it was like.  We hopped a train (our favorite way to travel in Europe) from Paris to Lisieux to visit the Shrine of Saint Therese of Lisieux.  It’s only a little over an hour by train and so we spent a day there and then caught the high-speed TGV to the city of Rennes near the Normandy coast where we picked up our rental car.  From here it was a short drive to the Chateau de Bouceel, our choice for this trip.

As you can see, the setting was like something out of Downton Abbey (minus the staff & the British accent).  The chateau itself was beautifully maintained and definitely had atmosphere.  The chateau briefly housed the German army officers for a few months in the summer of 1940 but they later moved elsewhere since the chateau did not have electricity at that time.   The owner pointed out the front steps where his father, as a member of the French Resistance in World War II, was arrested by the Gestapo and was due to be shipped off to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp where he would no doubt be executed.  However, the rail lines had been bombed and since by now the Allies had landed on the Normandy beaches he eventually was freed by the Allies.   With all this history, staying here was a unique experience.

We had a car and made day trips to nearby Mont St Michel, the Normandy Beaches and Pontmain among other sites.

Our host had a book of cartoons (in French), the cover of which is shown below, detailing his father’s experiences during the war which he signed as follows:

 To the brave young heroes from the U.S., Canada, England, Australia….who gave their life and without whom my dad wouldn’t have come back, this book wouldn’t exist….I wouldn’t be here to sign it.

Let’s never forget!

People who prefer a chateau or B& B cite advantages such as individually decorated rooms, direct contact with the owners or the chance to mingle with other independent travelers.

Those who prefer hotels cite the more flexible check-in times (often you cannot come and go as easily), more anonymity, usually a restaurant on the premises.  So I guess it is just a matter of taste.

Certainly, in our case, the chateau fulfilled all our expectations and then some.

How about you?  Do you have any experiences you would like to share with everyone?

 

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Mother’s Day Mass from the Lourdes Grotto in San Antonio, Texas

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Click here to view the video  Mass from the Oblate Grotto in San Antonio, Texas.  This replica of the Lourdes grotto is one of the most visited places for Catholics in the state of Texas.

For more information about the shrine click here to go to our webpage on the Catholic Travel Guide website.  It is open daily to visitors from all over, but is also a place of worship for locals as well.

In the video you will see Catholic artist Tobin Pilotte with his wife and six beautiful children taking up the gifts.  Isn’t it refreshing to see young Catholics bringing more than 1.6 children in to the world?  One of the tenets of our Faith is that children are a gift from God, not an economic and ecological burden.

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Vatican Announces Pope Francis’ World Youth Day Schedule

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Here is the latest press release from the Vatican Information Service (reprinted with permission):

 Vatican City, 7 May 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis will make an apostolic trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 22 to 29 July of this year on the occasion of the 28th World Youth Day (WYD).

Sketch of Pope Francis
A sketch of Pope Francis by Catholic artist Tobin Pilotte

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Night at the Museum—Vatican style

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For several years now the Vatican Museums have been open to the public on Friday evenings from May through October,  except for the month of August, when most Italians take their vacations.  These nights are different from the usual Vatican Museum tours in that they offer glimpses into areas not necessarily included in regular tours as well as musical performances by some of Italy’s most talented artists.

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