admin

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

How do you handle those hiccups when traveling?

by

There can…and probably will be…”hiccups” that arise when traveling. Most, thankfully, are minor but some can be major.    You might know people who are like Oscar the Grouch and are sure to find a cloud behind any silver lining.  Others are the ones who decide that when life hands them lemons, it’s time  to make lemonade!

An example would be a problem Celebrity Cruises encountered on an Alaska cruise scheduled to begin Friday, August 9th. Only a few hours before it was due to leave, the cruise was cancelled. The reason being….propulsion problems. This came as a shock and a big disappointment for every one, I am sure.

Although Celebrity hopes to have the ship repaired by Tuesday, August 13th, they had to bypass any ports of call on the original itinerary and  sailed directly to Vancouver.  So it is definitely not what people had planned on.

Celebrity handled it very well, in our opinion.  Celebrity offered passengers the option to stay on board the ship and use it as their floating hotel. The ship’s bathrooms are working, and all on-board activities and dining options are available.  The cruise line is also bringing on additional entertainers and is working with local tour operators to offer  shore excursions at deeply discounted rates.  Those who chose to stay will get a full refund for the cruise plus a 100% discount on a future cruise. 

Or, if they chose to leave, they will get a full refund and a 50% discount on a future cruise.

Not sure what Oscar the Grouch did….probably said “I’ll never sail with them again” and flew home in a huff.  Meanwhile those who were flexible and stayed with the ship, were enjoying dog sledding trips, salmon fishing excursions, etc while the ship was being repaired.  They did not get the vacation they planned….but they had an experience they will always remember.  And oh the stories they’ll have for their friends and family back home!

So…..are you Oscar or the Lemonade type?  If you are like Oscar you might be  missing out on life’s joyful and unexpected adventures.  

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

Non-Stop Houston to Istanbul

by

Until now if you wanted non-stop travel to Istanbul from the U.S. you had to depart from Chicago, New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles.  You can now add Houston to that list.  Turkish Airways began  non-stop Houston to Istanbul in April 2013.  They were voted best European airline by Skytrax.

 It is about a 12 hour flight going East, a bit longer coming back. As of now they have three flights a week but we expect that to grow.

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

Memorial of the death of Father James Coyle

by

August 9th a memorial Mass was held at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama for Father James Coyle who was murdered on August 11, 1921 .  For those who have forgotten….or perhaps never knew….anti-Catholicism, encouraged by the Ku Klux Klan, was rampant in the United States throughout much of the deep south at that time.  Father Coyle, a native of Ireland, came to the U.S.  and eventually was assigned to the parish in Birmingham.  

The daughter of a local Methodist pastor, E.R. Stephenson, converted to the Catholic faith, a fact that enraged her father.  When it became known that Father Coyle had secretly married her daughter to a Puerto Rican immigrant, Stephenson approached Father Coyle at the rectory and shot him three times in view of everyone.  

The ensuing trial was a sham and Stephenson was acquitted.  

The encouraging part of this story is the fact that On February 22, 2012, Bishop William H. Willimon of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church presided over a service of reconciliation and forgiveness at Highlands United Methodist Church in Birmingham.

Father Coyle is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, a ten-foot high Celtic cross marking his resting place. Plans are underway to re-inter his body near the Cathedral of St. Paul in downtown Birmingham.

 To learn more about this courageous priest click here (source for this article).

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

New Zealanders Stranded in China with a newborn..need your prayers

by

Traveling when pregnant is usually just fine, but here is a story that has not worked out well and the family is asking for your prayers.  The couple and their newborn, who needs serious medical care, are still stranded in Shanghai. So far they are caught between a diplomatic tug of war and we ask you to pray for them.  The mother and father are from New Zealand and were en-route home when the baby was born in China during a stop-over just a few hours from home.

You can read the details in the article, but what is not mentioned is the fact that most of the Chinese doctors just wanted her to abort the baby since it was going to be born with health problems (this is China, so of course abortion is nothing to them, just another means of birth control).  Fortunately she had one doctor who was on her side, and was able to deliver the baby. but they need modern pre-natal care that will be available to them in New Zealand and is not available in China.  Our prayers are with them and we hope you will join us as we invoke the intercession of Saint Philomena.  

And also we want to caution anyone who is pregnant to avoid layovers that include countries that might be hostile to the unborn.  Certainly China is up there near the top of the list, although there are quite a few others as well.  

We are hoping to hear from the New Zealand authorities about their progress in helping their citizens.

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

Catholic Martyrs of Nagasaki

by

August 10, 1945 was the date that the second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan.  The first, Hiroshima, was two days earlier.  It was felt that just one bomb would not be enough to convince the fanatical Japanese military to surrender, since they might assume this was a one-time event and the U.S. military did not have the capability to repeat it.  That thinking came to an end on August 10th, and although some of the Japanese leadership still wanted to fight to the death, the emperor Hirohito intervened and announced the unconditional surrender.  Of course much debate raged over the use of the atomic bomb, but there is no doubt that thousands….and probably hundreds of thousands…of lives, both Japanese and American, were saved by avoiding a land invasion of Japan.

Nagasaki was famous long before that date as  the heartland of Catholicism in Japan.  It was here that 26 Jesuit priests were martyred in 1597.  Today a museum stands here in memory of those martyrs and is  fascinating look at the early efforts to evangelize among the Japanese.  To learn more about the 26 Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki click here.

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

Is there a priest on my cruise?

by

.

That is the question often asked by Catholics who are going on a cruise.  The answer depends upon which cruise line you are using and when you are going.  Only two cruise lines promise a priest on every cruise:  Holland America and Costa Cruises.  Some others do offer a priest on select cruises, mainly Christmas, Easter and re-positioning cruises.  For a complete list of cruise lines that have a priest on board click here.

Mass with the crew on board
Fr. Jack Treacy after Crew Mass onboard the Celebrity Mercury. Crew members often spend weeks or months at sea without the opportunity to attend Mass, so having a priest on board is a real blessing.

My first inclination when looking for a cruise with a priest aboard is: “this is great, a priest all to myself for the entire cruise”.  But equally important, maybe more, is that a priest onboard helps to provide for the spiritual needs of the crew members.     Often from predominantly Catholic countries such as the Philippines, crew members spend months at sea without the opportunity to attend Mass, go to confession, or receive spiritual guidance. 

Fr. McCarthy on a Holland America cruise.
Fr McCarthy with a group on Holland America’s Veendam. A great experience for priest and parishoners alike.

If you find a cruise that you love, but the cruise line does not offer a priest on board, then we encourage you to consider taking a priest along with you. Often times you find a group of friends who want to cruise together and you can all chip in a bit, pay for the priest’s cabin and not only have the benefit of Mass daily but also be doing a good deed for the priest who probably could use a bit of relaxation himself.  

And finally, make your preferences known to the cruise line. There are probably 25% of cruisers who are Catholic.  If enough people let the cruise line know that having a priest on board would impact their decision on which line to choose, it can make a difference.   

So if you had a priest on board be sure to write the home office and thank them.  If you did not, be sure to indicate that you would have preferred to have a priest on board and that may enter your buying decision next time around.  You will no doubt get some sort of form letter or email in return, but you can bet if they get enough of these they will start to pay attention.

Photos courtesy of Apostleship of the Sea.

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

Shrines to Blessed John Paul II around the world

by

.

Photo of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II in the early days of his papacy

For many, he was the only Pope they knew.  For others, his youthful vigor and willingness to reach out to all people and, indeed, travel the world to evangelize was something they had not seen before.  His love for young people is evidenced in the success of World Youth Day, which he began and became a world-wide success.  As one of the longest reigning Popes, it is sometimes easy to forget how young and active he was when he first took office.  Too often the images we see are of his later years when physical limitations took their toll while his mind remained as sharp and resolute as ever.  

With the prospect of Sainthood drawing near, his name will be in the news once again.  But even before that event we have evidence of the great love and admiration for him in the many shrines dedicated to him throughout the world.  

One of the most significant is the Shrine of Blessed John Paul II in Washington, DC.  After having some tough times getting started it was sold to the Knights of Columbus in 2012 and with their financial and organizational might we expect it will become one of the most visited shrines in the world.

Other shrines may have garnered less publicity but have an interesting story nonetheless.  An example would be the simple shrine in Bataan, the Philippines.  It was here that Pope John Paul II came in 1981 to celebrate Mass in a remote refugee camp populated with an estimated 400,000 Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians (known as “the boat people”) who had fled here for safety in the late 1970’s.  Many of these people were not Christian and did not even know who he was, but the message of hope buoyed their spirits.  This is a small shrine and we are not aware of a website for the shrine.

Of course, as expected, there is a shrine to him in his native Poland in the city of Krakow.  The new John Paul II Cultural Center in Krakow has just been completed and is still being staffed.  Since the next World Youth Day in 2016 will be in Krakow this is sure to be one of the main attractions.

 Is there a Shrine to Pope John Paul II we haven’t mentioned?  Please let us know and we will add it or you can post it here yourself.

Home » Archives for admin » Page 42

See live coverage of Mass from Mount Tabor on August 6, 2013

by

.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 is the Feast of the Transfiguration celebrated throughout the Universal Church. In addition to attending Mass in your local parish, you can view Mass  live from the Church of the Transfiguration at Mount Tabor in the Holy Land in observance of the Feast of the Transfiguration.  

Broadcast will be August 6th at 10:30 a.m. local time (07:30 GMT) using the link above and also on the following media:

Tv2000 (Italian language)
Popolar Tv Murcia (Spanish language)
Maria Vision (Spanish language)
Tele Lumiere (Arabic)
KTO France (French)