In April 2021 the US State Department advised that the turn-around time on Unites State Citizen Passport Renewals had slowed to 10 – 12 weeks. As of July 2021, some are seeing wait times of up to 18 weeks to receive an updated passport. In the past, typical renewal processing time had been about 4 – 6 weeks.

It is important to note that travelers should always be sure their passports are valid at least six months after their travel dates.

We recommend that all who are contemplating future travel, or who have trips booked, make sure to update their passports with ample time, in case of delays.

In many cases, you may be able to pay extra to have a passport expedited if needed within 4 to 6 weeks.

For more travel tips, click here: 206 Tour Travel Tips 

On April 9, 2021, Monsignor Hilary C. Franco celebrated the 66th Anniversary of his Priestly Ordination. This May, he will release his latest book, SIX POPES: A Son of the Church Remembers. The Book reflects on Monsignor’s personal accounts of historical moments and figures in the Catholic Church. He details his experiences and gathered lessons from his time serving under these six Papal Fathers; Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I, Pope  John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. In his remarkable 66 years of service, Monsignor Franco has encountered and befriended many world leaders, fascinating public figures, and even Saints like Padre Pio and Mother Teresa, and soon-to-be Saints like the venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Pre-Order the Book Here:

SIX POPES: A Son of the Church Remembers

Monsignor Franco continues to be a driving force in the Catholic Church through his work in the United Nations, and even still leads 206 Tours Pilgrimages. In 2019, he was a Spiritual Director on our very popular Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with The Passion of the Christ actor, Jim Caviezel, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, seven other incredible Priests, and 240 holy pilgrims from around the world. In 2021, Monsignor is leading a Pilgrimage to Poland in the footsteps of his late friend, St. John Paul II.

Limited Spots Remain!  Poland Pilgrimage with Msgr. Hilary Franco October 5 – 13, 2021

More on the Extraordinary Life of Msgr. Hilary Franco

Educated in the United States and Italy, Monsignor Franco was ordained a priest in Rome at the young age of just 22. By the time he was 24, he had achieved a doctorate in Biblical Theology “magna cum laude”, from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He went on to attend Fordham University where he earned a master’s degree in Sociology and then a further degree in Canon Law at the Lateran University.

In the late ’50s the Monsignor was the Assistant Pastor at several churches in the Bronx and on Staten Island. In 1962 he was the Assistant to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen at the National Office of the Propagation of the Faith in New York, a role that created a friendship that would last a lifetime. During this time, he was also a member of the Board of Editors of “World Mission” magazine and a contributor of Biblical articles to the “New Catholic Encyclopedia”. Even more impressive, Msgr. Franco worked on the preparation of the conciliar documents for the Second Vatican Council as a “peritus” or expert.

In 1967 he became the first New York Priest to ever be called to Washington, D.C. to serve in the Diplomatic Corps of the Vatican at the Apostolic Delegation. From 1968 to 1970 he was an Official of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See, before being named an official of the Congregation of the Clergy of the Vatican, a post he held for twenty-four (24) years in charge of the “English World”. It was in 1971 that he became a Monsignor, and ten (10) years later he was named a Prelate of His Holiness. Msgr. Franco became close acquaintances with Pope Francis years before he was named the Holy Father, and speaks of him as a true “man of the people” who reminded him very much of Archbishop Sheen. The monsignor also maintained close friendships with Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and with Mother Teresa

Since 1994 he has been the Pastor of Saint Augustine’s Church in Ossining, NY. Currently, he is also a Judge of the Interdiocesan Ecclesiastic Tribunal which refers to the Court of Appeals for the entire State of New York, a board member of the Pontifical “Path To Peace Foundation”, an Adviser at the Office of the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and an active member of the “Catholic Biblical Association of America.”

His book, “Bishop Fulton J. Sheen: Mentor and Friend” is a compilation of over one hundred (100) letters received from the Venerable Archbishop Sheen documenting their lives and relationship. His amazing life has led to several International Awards, including “Solemare 1988” in Taormina, Italy, for popular International Television Programs (“Life is Worth Living”, “The Bishop Sheen Show”), and the first International Award “Civilizations Without Frontiers” which has been conferred also on that occasion to the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

On April 28, 2019, Monsignor Hilary C. Franco honored his friend, St. John Paul II at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The Divine Mercy Sunday Mass, celebrated by his Eminence, Cardinal Dolan, hosted the Polish Consulate and commemorated the fifth anniversary of the canonization of Saint Pope John Paul II. The next day Monsignor Franco jetted off to Israel for our 206 Tours Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Jim Caviezel.

Penny Abbruzzese is a dedicated Group Leader for 206 Tours who has helped thousands of people find God through Pilgrimage. Since 1984, Penny has been working alongside 206 Tours, and in February 2020, made her 104th Pilgrimage to Medjugorje. In addition to Medjugorje, Penny has visited countless Catholic Holy sites around the world. She is an inspiring author, filmmaker, wife, mother, and grandmother, who has converted so many hearts through sharing her story and her ministry.

Penny’s book; “Medjugorje: My Lifelong Journey with Our Lady, Queen of Peace” will be released June 2021 for the 40th Anniversary of Our Lady Apparitions in Medjugorje. In her book, Penny shares with the reader her bittersweet conversion story, starting with the painful suicidal death of her brother and then finding a profound peace (and many graces) in the little village of Medjugorje. The book details Penny’s experiences in Medjugorje for over 35 years of pilgrimages with 206 Tours. The book takes an inside look at the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin that six visionary children witnessed in the 1980’s. Today three of the visionaries continue to have daily apparitions of Our Lady. Penny’s book can be purchased in June here:  https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/medjugorje

“Penny Abbruzzese is the co-founder (along with Fino Giordano) of Our Lady Queen of Peace, which is 206 Tour’s longest Group Leader. Since 1985, Penny and her core group of trusted friends have materialized close to 200 group pilgrimages, to all of the international destinations that we serve and operate. The first group pilgrimage that we organized for Penny was to Medjugorje in April 1986, and she has since led 100 groups to Medjugorje. Penny is one of the holiest friends and people that I have ever known. Penny has lived and shared Medjugorje Messages, in the most humble way, like no other person on the planet. She has been my close friend, and I have said to my family,  “when I die, and I am at heaven’s gates, I will tell St. Peter: ‘Please let me in, I know Penny’!”

– Milanka Lachman, President, and Founder of 206 Tours

Click here for a special interview with Penny on the significance of Pilgrimage.

“If we say YES, and it doesn’t work out….We still get the GRACE through Our Lady with our simple yes!”

– Penny Abbruzzese, Co-founder of Our Lady Queen of Peace Prayer Group

For a full listing of all Our Lady Queen of Peace Pilgrimages, visit:
https://www.pilgrimages.com/ourladyqueenofpeace/

Listen to this fantastic Podcast by one of our valued 206 Tours Spiritual Directors, Fr. Luke Fletcher, CFR. In this Easter Sunday Homily delivered on April 4, 2021, to the Franciscan Friars based in the Bronx, NY, Fr. Fletcher details how his first Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, specifically saying Mass inside the tomb of Christ, had a huge impact on his life.

To listen to the moving Homily, click the podcast link below:

DEATH, TEARS AND THE SHROUD Podcast

“For years I had secretly been praying to the Lord for the grace to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land… I was aked to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to be a chaplain, I just had a tremendous experience, and this pilgrimage company 206 Tours… they do such a wonderful job. A 12-day Pilgrimage, and you see all the places and you get to the place and take out your bible and read what happened there. It was just tremendous. The whole pilgrimage comes to a conclusuion in the tomb of Jesus… As I’m proclaiming the gospel, it said “they laid His body in this tomb” – the word ‘this’ is added. As I’m proclaiming that gospel in front of the entrance, it was so overwhelming – this is the place… this is the place where it happened! And although I’d never been there before, I felt like I had been there before. And I started to realize that in every Mass, every Mass, we’re in contact with that place.”

Visit the Holy Land Pilgrimages with 206 Tours! All details for 2022 and 2023 departures: www.206tours.com/tour111