We have mentioned previously that Apostleship of the Sea is an Apostleship of the Catholic Church that screens priests for cruise lines in order to be certain that they are truly Roman Catholic priests and that they are in good standing. There are also staffing agencies that provide this service, and our concern in the past has been that they may not be as thorough in checking out the priest as to his background and his standing with his Bishop or Provincial.
We recently had an email from a staffing company, Compass Speakers and Entertainment Inc. They stated that they provide priests to the following cruise lines on the following itineraries:
Most brides…not sure about the grooms….long for a beautiful wedding ceremony in a beautiful setting. And certainly there are many gorgeous venues in which to hold the ceremony. But gosh, those darn Catholics have so many restrictions! Or some people say so. There is a reason that, of course. To be validly married there are certain restrictions, because Marriage is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Church (can you name the other six?).
Google “Catholic wedding venues” and you come up with more than one so-called Catholic priest or bishop who says, “don’t worry….we can do it your way”. Whether these people are well-meaning or are just purposely misleading you to make a quick buck, we cannot say. The fact is that they cannot offer you a Catholic wedding. In most cases they claim to be associated with an Orthodox Church or some unknown body (the word “contemporary” is sometimes used) and have no legitimate status within the Roman Catholic Church.
One tip-off might be the fact that telephone calls are accepted, but not emails. Hence, no paper trail. No way that the priest, or whoever, can be held accountable since nothing is in writing.
So it’s not so easy to get married in the Catholic church, but that is for a reason. As mentioned previously, marriage is a sacrament, and the location for the wedding is more than just a pretty backdrop. The Marriage Rite should take place during the Mass and the place for celebrating all Sacraments is a Catholic Church. Only rarely will a Bishop allow a dispensation.
Picture breakfasting in Italy! Those of you who have been to this magnificent country before perhaps found the traditional Italian breakfast of a hard roll and coffee somewhat disappointing. But, good news, due to popular demand from tourists, some hotels have begun offering a ‘reinforced breakfast” that includes cereals, eggs, etc.
And we were truly ecstatic when we recently discovered that Cafe Pompi, a popular local Roman restaurant, offers a fantastic Sunday Brunch. Their specialties are poached and scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, toast, butter and jam, baked beans, tasty sausages, pancakes, fluffy muffins, donuts, yogurt with cereal, fruit salad, all invariably accompanied by orange juice and a steaming cup of coffee.The cost is pretty reasonable for an Italian brunch of this quality: about 10 Euros.
But if you don’t happen to be here on a Sunday morning, then consider stopping here some time for their famous Tiramisu, which is their main claim to fame. Many consider it the best they have ever tasted. You can get all kinds of flavors, but their original is still a big draw.
I can’t decide whether I want the brunch or the Tiramisu, but I am not in Rome that often, so I’ll have both!
They have a couple of new locations, but we recommend the original one at Via Albalonga 7 in the San Giovanni neighborhood. Open Tuesday thru Sunday 6:30 AM to 1:30 AM. Metro to Re di Roma stop and two minutes walk to restaurant. The restaurant is south of the Termini Train station.
Been there? Please let us know how you
By the way, we are not compensated in any way for this review. Just wanted to pass this on to everyone.
I travel frequently, often with organized tour groups, but one thing I’ve noticed is that after spending the day touring various sites, we head back to the hotel, have dinner at a decent hour, but then what? I’m not really that tired and it’s too early for bed. Should I head down to the hotel bar for a Cappuccino? Watch the foreign-language TV station in my room? Or check out CNN International? Hmm……is this really why I traveled all this way? The night is young and so am I!
A great idea, if you happen to be in a major city, is to attend a concert in one of the concert halls or churches in the city. You can attend one in the evening as I often do, or if there is some part of the tour that doesn’t interest you that much, then break away from the group and attend an afternoon concert.
People sometimes are uncertain about striking out on their own in an unfamiliar city and certainly that is understandable. You don’t know your way around, probably don’t speak the language, etc. But breaking away from the group can often be one of the most rewarding experiences of your holiday. After paying so much money to get there, why sit in the hotel? Travel is about memories, after all.
Concert at Notre Dame Cathedral
Can you imagine being able to say “oh, yes while in Paris we went to a concert at Notre Dame” or perhaps “in Rome we went to see Guiseppe Verdi’s La Traviata“. And often the venue, whether it be a church or opera house, is as spectacular as the music .
If I’ve convinced you to break away even for a little while, then I have some advice: be sure you purchase your tickets from a reliable supplier. It can be a little scary to order tickets from an unknown source in a country far away and wonder if the company will actually come through for you.
A company that I recommend highly is CassicTic. Check out their website and you will find concert information for 21 countries from Austria to USA. It is safe, secure and tickets will be delivered directly to you. Be aware of sites that offer deals too good to be true…..they probably are! ClassicTic is an official authorized agent for the artist, venue, or arts organization. You can even order upon arrival with your mobile phone.
With music no interpreter is needed, because music is an International language that binds all people together. So don’t miss out!
Classic Tic Website
By the way, just in case you didn’t know, people in Italy (and elsewhere) don’t drink cappuccino in the evenings. It is a morning drink. So my trip down to the lounge will invariably be a cafe mocha or a glass of wine. But I don’t plan to be in the lounge, I am off to a concert.
Yes, this is possible and welcomed news! Those traveling from Paris to Barcelona have always had the option of taking a high-speed train, but it had one serious drawback. Due to the fact that France and Spain use different rolling stock, you had the inconvenience of having to change trains near the border between the two countries. With the construction of anew high-speed rail line that links the two cities directly, that problem has been eliminated…no change of trains is necessary.
The upper level in the first class coach. Second class is basically the same, but with two seats on each side of the aisle. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
The trains clip along at a speed of about 200 mph (320 kph ), enough to get you there in a hurry but slow enough to see quaint French villages with the majestic Alps in the background and then, on the final leg, the beautiful Mediterranean coastline of Spain. For a better view, try a seat on the upper deck (these are bi-level carriages).
The Paris-Barcelona trains run from Gare de Lyon station, one of five stations in Paris.
Le Train Bleu Restaurant inside Gare de Lyon Station. A step back in time to the golden age of travel. (photo courtesy wikipedia)By happy coincidence one of our favorite lunch spots in Paris just happens to be in a train station: Train Bleu Restaurant inside Gare du Lyon. Sit down, have lunch from the set menu (which includes a half-bottle of red) and then at train time you just walk a few yards (meters) directly on to the train.
There are currently two trains each day, with a travel time of approximately 6 and a half hours from Paris to Barcelona making several stops in France and a couple in Spain. In March 2014 that will be increased to four trains per day.
For British travelers this new service will also allow you to take the Eurostar to Paris, change stations and then catch the train to Barcelona. So it is possible to have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and dinner in Barcelona. What a convenience and a great entry for your travel journal!
Those of you coming from the UK might also want to check out Loco 2. This booking website gets great reviews.
We are big believers in train travel in Europe. First, the romance of train travel is hard to resist, especially since air travel has long since lost any semblance of romance and the wait to check in can often be longer than the flight itself. Also, since most train stations are located downtown, you avoid a long (and often expensive) trip from the airport to the city.
Why anyone would choose fly rather than take the train eludes me. Certainly more relaxing than flying….and the food is better!
Most importantly, you can actually see the countryside and its people rather than looking down from 30,000 feet.
You can get up, walk to the snack or restaurant car, and socialize with others. This is the beauty of train travel, it’s definitely more rewarding than just the utilitarian need to get from one place to the other.
So, sit back, relax, meet new friends….whatever. That’s probably the whole reason you’re traveling in the first place.
For a more in-depth look at train travel in Europe we recommend the website called the Man in Seat 61.
The Good Shepherd portrayed in this fresco on the walls of the Catacombs of Priscilla
A visit to any of the catacombs of Rome is always interesting if you want to get a glimpse of the life of early Christians. Contrary to some assumptions, these were not secret places of worship during various persecutions, although there may have been occasions for Mass. They also adorned the walls of these catacombs with symbols of the teachings of their faith in the form of frescoes. The catacombs are perhaps the earliest example of these, since the religion was not practiced openly before the 4th Century.
More likely any Mass here was a funeral Mass because the catacombs is where Christians…and for that matter the pagans as well…buried their dead. Unlike the pagans, however, the Christians believed in the Resurrection of the dead. Death was not the end, but the beginning. A difficult concept for most Romans to grasp I would think.
One of these Catacombs, the Catacombs of Priscilla, have what is believed to be the earliest known image of the Blessed Virgin Mary nursing the child Jesus that is believed to date from around 230 AD. This depiction of Mary nursing Jesus was common as a symbolism for the way Jesus nourishes his church. Although there are many later examples of this image in Catholic art, this appears to be one of the first.
Benedictine nuns are in charge of the Catacombs and offer the visitor guided tours.
The Catacombs of Priscilla are under the care of Benedictine Nuns who offer guided tours of the Catacombs. We suggest you consider a visit on your next trip to Rome. There is a fee, but that is the case for all of the catacombs of Rome.
Those familiar with Medjugorje have surely heard about the recent letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the alleged apparitions in Medjugorje that states in part: “clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such ‘apparitions’ would be taken for granted“. This letter was delivered by the Papal Nuncio to the U.S. and sent to all U.S. Bishops.
Medjugorje Visionary Ivan
Dragicevic
Such talks by visionaries from Medjugorje are something that has been going on in the U.S. and other countries for many years. Most notable among the visionaries who travel giving talks is Ivan Dragicevic. Ivan lives in Medjugore during the summer but lives in the U.S. during the winter months and normally has a full speaking schedule at various parishes and locations during that time. During most of those talks he also allegedly has apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To those who oppose the reported apparitions in Medjugorje, this seems a great victory. To those who believe in the apparitions in Medjugorje, this seems like a severe defeat.
Actually, it is neither, in our opinion. It is a prudent move on the part of Holy Mother Church to avoid scandal by appearing to approve an apparition that is still under investigation.
This brings up the often-asked question: can individuals still travel to Medjugorje and be loyal to the Magisterium of The Church? The answer is yes! The latest directive does not deal with this issue at all.
Saint James Church, Medjugorje
As has been the case for many years, pilgrimages are not allowed to be organized at the Parish or Diocesan level, but priests are encouraged to accompany such groups to provide spiritual guidance so long as they do not assume official approval. And, of course, individuals can travel their on their own.
To add to the confusion is the fact that many Priests, Bishops and Archbishops continue to visit Medjugorje and concelebrate Mass in the church.
Since so many priests have reportedly found their vocations in Medjugorje and the fruits seem widespread, we encourage you to find out for yourself, if you feel called to travel there.
The Church will probably put out some kind of ruling in the future, but what that will be is anyone’s guess. It will possibly not be outright approval of the apparitions, since they are still on-going, but rather might be approval of Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage.
When we mention barge, most of us have an image that is certainly not likely to make us hop on one and float away. But the kind of barge we are talking about….more properly called “hotel barges” is nothing like you might think.
True, these were once used for hauling lumber and other commodities along the rivers of Europe. The rivers were the main means of transport back then and so a series of canals and locks were built to help expedite the shipment of goods.
The barge Anjodi.
Nowadays many of those barges have been converted to floating hotels that offer every modern convenience. They offer a chance to really slow down and enjoy the scenery. Most of these are in the U.K. or Europe from the Netherlands all the way south to Venice, so there are bound to be Catholic churches, cathedrals and other places of interest to Catholics.
Such hotel barges hold only 6-20 passengers, so there is obviously a closeness that develops among passengers. An in many cases you can charter the whole barge and have a private hotel barge cruise.
Biking and Barging go together
The cruises almost always include a chef on board and 3 or more crew members as well. And normally almost everything is included in the price (even bicycles), so you don’t have to worry about those hidden extras that can sneak up on you and ruin you budget. As you can see, the atmosphere is definitely relaxing.
Ground hog day started again with the bacon and eggs and cappuccino’s. Today we were supposed to leave for Vetirbo and we changed plans. I love this place and I even conquered the very small shower. I have learned to drop water on my legs before I get in and then rub with body wash and then squeeze sideways into the box as the water is running and this works until I drop the soap and Susan has to come in to get it for me. With the right attitude you can get used to anything.
The car or as we call now the UFO (Carmine named it that when he was with us at night and I locked it…..and 42 lights blinked all over the car, not to mention the new feature I found that jabs you in the butt as you drive if you cross the center line) it is filthy and I think I don’t care. For what they charged they should come to America and wash mine at home.
Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Love
Today was beautiful as we visited 2 apparitions from Our Lady in the outskirts of Rome. Both were wonderful in their own way and we had mass and prayed and walked most of the grounds. Our Lady of Divine Love and the three fountains. There are actually two places known as Tre Fontane in this area.
On Sunday we will return to Our Lady of Divine Love where we will leave all of the petitions we have received and carried for you and invoke the Blessed Mother to answer you in some way or another. It is always a very emotional day for us as we re-read all of your needs and hope that we all remember that it is the will of God that we need to accept.
The Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls
Before heading back we went to St. Paul of the Cross outside the walls. We had been here before and remembered it all like yesterday. There are plenty of explanations in the photos, so you are on your own, we are beat and plan to go back and have leftovers and snuggle up together and watch a good movie. We will see who falls asleep first!
I guess we can say see you soon since tomorrow is our last full day of adventures before we leave on Mon. 6:15 AM—ugh. Sunday night we will definitely be in bed early. We hope you have enjoyed our journey and in some way were filled with the grace of Our Lord and His blessed Mother, Our Mother too.
