Month: July 2022
We’re excited to introduce our Pilgrim Spotlight Series in which we will share stories and experiences that our Pilgrims have shared with us. In this week’s Pilgrim Spotlight, John Smith recalls his Pilgrimage to Rome. Read all about his experience below.
My wife and I have prayed for the opportunity to travel to Rome to visit Vatican City for decades. When it came time for us to retire, we knew it was finally our time to experience Pilgrimage.
Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Jones, has been a longtime support and friend of our family.
With his guide along our tour, we had the most spiritual experience of our lives. Vatican City was incredible. It was even more outstanding than what the countless photos I had seen and books I had read prepared me for.
What stuck out most to me was how so many people, all speaking different languages from all different corners of the world could be in St. Peter’s Square in a community of excitement and prayer – though we couldn’t communicate with each other, we were all there for the same reasons, and we were connected by the language of our faith.
A Pilgrimage to Rome would not be complete without a Papal Audience. It was here that I felt the most connected to God that I have ever felt. My wife and I listened to His Holiness with tears in our eyes and were again overwhelmed by the vast community of devout Catholics surrounding us.
I pray that all Catholics take any opportunity to make a pilgrimage as it is an experience that will surely change their lives and deepen their faith.
To learn more about our pilgrimages go to www.206tours.com. If you wish to submit your Pilgrimage stories for a chance to be featured as a Pilgrim Spotlight, simply submit your story (300 words or less) to media@206tours.com.
View the Full 206 Tours Pilgrimage Directory: www.206tours.com/pilgrimages
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Shrine of Our Lady of Rocamadour
Chapel of the Visitation
Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartes
Mont St. Michel
Basilica of St. Therese
Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
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The upcoming month of May is dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary. All but the last 4 days of the month fall within the liturgical season of Easter, represented by the color white to symbolize light, joy, purity, and innocence. The last four days of the month (beginning the Monday after Pentecost) are in Ordinary Time which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and provides hope to the faithful of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven. The Holy Father’s intentions for the Month of May are that initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society. The world is resplendent with spring’s increased light and new growth. It is Mary’s month and, during the remainder of Easter time, let us endeavor through the prayers of the Holy Liturgy and Holy Rosary to deepen our gratitude for the mystery of our Baptismal rebirth in Christ.
If you are interested in spectacular pilgrimages which feature Marian Shrines, please click on the following links:
Pilgrimage to Fatima, Lisbon, Spain & Lourdes
Pilgrimage to Poland: In the Footsteps of Blessed Pope John Paul II & St. Faustina
Pilgrimage to Guadalupe & Mexico City
you may also contact us at:
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| Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC |
206 Tours is proud to present an amazing Marian Pilgrimage with our special Spiritual Leader:
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC!
Celebrating 10 Years of Priesthood!
June 19 – 28, 2013
click here for more details
If you want to witness steadfast faith and zeal for Jesus through Mary then join Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC on this Once in a Lifetime Marian Pilgrimage. Fr. Calloway will celebrate Mass each day, hear confessions, Pray the Rosary as well as give talks about his miraculous conversion.
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, a convert to Catholicism, is a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Before his conversion to Catholicism, he was a high school dropout who had been kicked out of a foreign country, institutionalized twice and thrown in jail multiple times. After his radical conversion he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH, M.Div. and S.T.B. degrees from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, and an S.T.L. in Mariology from the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. He has written many academic articles and is the editor of two books: The Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church (Marian Press, 2004) and The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body (Marian Press, 2005). He also is the author of the book Purest of All Lilies: The Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina (Marian Press, 2008). His radical conversion story is now shared in his latest book, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy.
Fr. Donald Calloway’s first prayer to Mary: “Mary, I love you so much and I am so in love with Jesus. I am so grateful for what you have given me. You are the Mother of God. You know Jesus. He is God, and you are His mother. And I believe that of all people you know Him best. Please cover me with your maternal mantle, for I am not the most brilliant man and could be easily deceived into believing or even making up my own Jesus. I want to know the real Jesus, the one whom so many people have turned away from.”
If you are interested in joining this amazing pilgrimage, please visit:
www.pilgrimages.com/frcalloway
you may also contact us at:
Pope Benedict XVI declared a Year of Faith beginning on October 11, 2012, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican II Council, and conclude on November 24, 2013.
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At the end of the day, after all the letters we receive from those returning, they often cite “meeting different people” is one of the reasons they love travelling. When you leave your home and travel to different countries, it’s what you come back with that is the most important. And that’s being able to tell stories that most can hardly dream, and friends for life that were apart of those stories.
Hauppauge, NY 11788
1.800.206.TOUR (8687)
sales@206tours.com
It is important to share these moments in your life, with the people who have been there with you your entire life, your family. Values and traditions run from generation to generation, and they all hold an importance for a reason. It’s on vacations where the most popular conversation starter is, “I remember when…”. It’s never the place that you visit, but the stories told that make it important. This coming April will be the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. If you were to take a boat out to the site, you would look around and just see water. But under you? The lives and stories of thousands remain. Most people can trace back someone from their family to that boat, the boats before it, or the Carpathia which came back for those who survived. A family, are the only ones that can take a moment in history, and connect it to you personally.
Like I said, it is important to go on vacations, but it is more important to spend those vacations with the people closest to you. The values of honesty, trust, and integrity cannot be learned from a book. The old saying of, “your word is your bond”, is still one of the most important values to this day. And learning sympathy and compassion for others can only be taught by example.
So lead by example, and experience a vacation with your family that will hopefully inspire a new value in them.
For a list of Pilgrimages suitable for your family, contact us: tel: 1.800.206.TOUR (8687), email: sales@206tours.com or visit www.206tours.com
[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Long known as the “Isle of Saints and Scholars”, Ireland was the epicenter of Christian learning while the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages. As the home of Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columba, and many more, Ireland also provides many faith-based attractions- from the Book of Kells, an elaborately scripted 9th-century version of the Four Gospels, to the Knock Shrine, a leading Marian pilgrimage site, to historic abbeys, cathedrals, churches, and high crosses.
Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Dublin in June 2012. This will mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council. The Council marks an important moment of renewal and deepening of the Church’s teaching and of her understanding as the Body of Christ and the People of God.
♣ help improve understanding and celebration of the Liturgy
The hope is that the theme will contribute to an enriched understanding of the Eucharist as true personal Communion with Jesus Christ and to a renewed understanding of the Church. In the Eucharist we are invited to a personal act of encounter with the Lord who gives himself for us, in Word and Sacrament. That encounter opens the path for new relationships in which we, as Church and as individual Christians are invited to engage in a social mission, in which we in turn are given for others.
The Eucharist is bread for the life of the world (Jn 6:51)
If you would like to go on this amazing pilgrimage, simply click here for more details!
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You’ve probably heard on the news – lost luggage is the newest hurdle in travel. More luggage is being lost than ever before partially due to understaffed airlines, airports, and transfer organizations.
We don’t wish lost luggage on anyone – it’s an unfortunate inconvenience that is sometimes part of travel. Tour Operators & Agencies, like 206 Tours, do not have special tracking tools, capabilities, or access to airline tracking programs. 206 Tours will of course do everything in our power to assist (make calls, send representatives to airports, file claims, etc.) In other words, the best we can do is call/email/file claims, just like you can. So if your luggage is lost, it is best that you work directly with the airlines in person, on the phone, or online.
206 Tours highly recommends that all pilgrims mentally and physically prepare for this situation. If your luggage is lost, the bottom line is:
- be patient and courteous to airline staff
- pack at least 2 days worth of clothes and all essentials in carry-on luggage.
To elaborate, find the recommended steps you should take to recover your luggage and what to do in the meantime.
Pray to St. Anthony
Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of lost things, so lost luggage would be a perfect time to ask him to intercede for you! Pray to Saint Anthony for the situation to be rectified as quickly as possible.
Prayer to Saint Anthony for Lost Items
St. Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find what has been lost.[Mention your Luggage/Personal Items]
At least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss. To this favor, I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God. Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen. St. Anthony, helper in all necessities, pray for us.
Speak with a Representative in Person
First try to speak with a representative of the airline at baggage claim, the airline’s check-in desk, or at the airports Baggage Office. If you cannot find a representative, call the airline. *Please try to remain patient, calm, and courteous – this will should help expedite the process for you. Remember that the airlines, and airports are understaffed with shortened hours.
Complete a Missing Luggage Form
Complete any applicate forms to submit a claim before you leave the airport.
File a Complaint
File a complaint with the airline that lost your luggage as this may assist begin the process of locating your items and providing reimbursement or compensation.
Save all Paper Work, Phone Numbers, Tracking Information, etc.
Please make sure to save all paperwork and tracking information given to you by the Airlines.
Provide Proper Delivery Address
Upon locating your baggage, the airlines will bring your luggage to your Hotel (or home if returning). It is important that you provide them with the correct address and dates that you will be at your hotels (noted in your Digital Confirmation.)
Provide Contact Details
Make sure to provide your phone number for updates. You may also provide the phone number of your Guide, also noted in the Digital Confirmation.
Save Receipts
You may need to purchase necessities. If your baggage is delayed for over 24 hours, and you purchased insurance, you may submit a claim upon your return to the US (only applicable to passengers that purchased Travel insurance through 206 Tours). Be sure to keep all receipts as the Insurance should reimburse your necessary purchases.
Check Returned Luggage
When your baggage is returning, check to make sure all belongings are included. If there is any damage to your luggage or goods, take pictures of the damage to submit within your claim.
SPECIAL NOTE! Travelers Insurance Allows You to Buy New Clothes & Essentials
Travel Insurance can be extremely helpful to pilgrims with missing luggage. Pilgrims can be protected to spend up to $100 per day, per person to purchase new clothing and essentials. You may have travel protections included through your credit card benefits, or, if you’re a 206 Tours pilgrim, you can purchase it through Travel Insured International any time up until 72 business hours prior to departure.
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