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Knights of Columbus Annual International Convention Aug 6-8, 2013 San Antonio, Texas

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Opening ceremonies will begin on Tuesday August 6, 2013 with Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia Siller, M.Sp.S., of San Antonio along with 11 Cardinals, over 90 Archbishops and Bishops, along with scores of priests. 

Mass will be broadcast live at 9:30 a.m. Central U.S. time (14:30 GMT) on EWTN (TV, radio and shortwave); Catholic TV and Canada’s Salt+Light TV.    

The stations mentioned above will also have live coverage of the Opening Session on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m Central U.S. time (17:30 GMT) and States Dinner at 8:30 p.m. Central U.S. time (01:30 GMT) The keynote speaker in the evening will be Cardinal Sean O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap.  You can also follow the events on Twitter:  #KofCSA13

For those Knights attending the convention, we hope they will take advantage of the many Catholic sites in the city.  Named after Saint Anthony, it was founded in 1731, and is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. The San Fernando Cathedral is the oldest continually-operating Cathedral in the country. Along the famous river walk you find a statue of Saint Anthony given to the city by the government of Spain. 

For more about the Catholic sites of San Antonio click here.

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WYD venues changed for Saturday & Sunday

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It seems that the rain never quits.  Although it has apparently not dampened the enthusiasm of what could be over one million young people—as well as Pope Francis—it has resulted in flooding of the original planned site for the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening as well as the closing ceremonies on Sunday.  

No doubt this is a disappointment to those who worked so hard to set everything up, but the weather dictated otherwise.

Therefore these events have been moved to Copacabana Beach.  The schedule remains the same.  And as we said, enthusiasm remains high, and Pope Francis seems to draw energy from the crowds.  We will keep you updated on any changes in the next 24 hours.

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Are Travel Guidebooks passé?

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Earlier this year the venerable “Frommer’s” travel guides were purchased by Google and soon thereafter it was announced that they would discontinue publishing the travel guides in book form.  Word on the street is that Google was mainly interested in the social media followers of Frommer’s, not in publishing guidebooks, so they sold the publishing rights back to Arthur Frommer and the good news is that he will continue to publish the books. 

A frommer's guide book from 2000
Even an older guide book can have a lot of great information….and you can probably pick them up cheap at a used book store.

So are guide books still useful?  Well, let me give you my “two cents”.  Guide books are still a great planning tool: you can lay them out on the table, flip from page to page and share with one another much easier than if you were on a computer or tablet.  Also, you can highlight items that are of interest to you.  Even an old guide book that might seem out of date can provide great insights you may not find on a website.

Once you’re on the road, a guide book can be invaluable to you. Although most travel websites are now adapted for mobile use, and there are many apps available as well, there are times when a guide book is more convenient, especially if you have bookmarked or highlighted pertinent pages when planning.

So bottom line…..both guide books and travel websites together can help you plan the trip of a lifetime. Hint….check out our website first!

We offer reliable guidebooks that are carefully selected for Catholic travelers.  Together with secular guide books they are a great resource. If we can quote Rick Steves, he said something like “$30 tools for $3,000 experiences.

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Relics of Saints to be venerated at WYD 2013 in Rio

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The veneration of relics is an age-old tradition in the Church, and no, we do not worship them as some people might think.  It is a tradition going back to the early days of the Church to venerate them as reminders of the holiness of these great Christians.  As the originator of World Youth Day, John Paul II obviously had a great connection to this event.  A vial of his blood was sent to World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011 and has again been sent to World Youth Day in Rio to be venerated by the faithful.  

This vial arrived in Rio in early July and will remain in Rio for several weeks after World Youth Day officially ends on July 28th so that visitors and locals alike will have the opportunity venerate his relic. 

Among other relics at WYD in Rio are the body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and St. Antônio Galvão de Santana, the first Brazilian-born Saint. 

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Pope Francis to celebrate Mass at the Jesuit Church in Rome July 31st

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According to Vatican sources, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Church of the Gesu (home Church of the Jesuits) in Rome on July 31. This is the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order.  Pope Francis will celebrate the closing Mass of World Youth day in Brazil on Sunday July 28th and is due back from World Youth Day on Monday, July 29.   We do not have the details of the Mass yet (the time or whether it is open to the public) but will try to find out in the next few days.

If you are in Rome, whether this July 30th or any other time, we encourage you to visit the Gesu Church.  In addition to its architectural beauty (the “domed” ceiling is not actually a dome, but is painted to look like one) you can also visit the rooms next door where Saint Ignatius lived out the last 17 years of his life.

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Relics of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati arrive at WYD 2013

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Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati holding cigarIn a time when young people are under attack from so many secular sources, Blessed Pier Giorgio is truly a man for our times. He showed that a Christian can be fun-loving and devout at the same time.  Born to a wealthy family, he loved to ski, smoked cigars and clown around just as most young people.  His sense of humor was well-known and he loved to pray practical jokes.  At the same time he let all his actions be guided by his Catholic faith.  

But he was best known for his efforts at social justice and service to the poor that he exhibited throughout his short life—he died July 4, 1925 at the age of 24 from Polio.  In 1981 his body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. In 1989 Pope John Paul II traveled to visit his tomb at the family plot in Pollone, Italy before it was moved to the Cathedral in Turin.  And it was Pope John Paul II who Beatified him in 1990.  

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Summer Organ Recitals at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

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During the months of July and August the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. will be offering their Summer Organ Recital Series. Performances are  Sundays, July through August, at 6:00 p.m. in the Crypt Church. Admission is free although there is a goodwill offering taken.  Here are the details of each performance at the Basilica and those who are performing.

July 7            Michael Lodico        St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square

July 14         Peter Latona   Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

July 21        Timothy Duhr     Holy Trinity Parish, Georgetown

July 28       Benjamin Straley     Washington National Cathedral

August 4  Russell Weismann  Basilica of the Nat’l Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

August 11  Josh Stattford   Saint Paul Parish, K Street & Saint John the Beloved, McLean

August 18        Adam Detzner     Stanford University

 August 25  Benjamin LaPrairie    Basilica of the Nat’l Shrine of the Immaculate Conception