Dear Liz,

I thought the 206 Tours pilgrimage was Exceptional! For me, the Trip of a Lifetime!

The detailed arrangements, the guidance, suggestions and aids you provided left no stone unturned. You thought of everything: from the “Magnificat” booklets and hymnal to the excellent brochure outlining our itinerary, tipping guide, what to pack, and so forth. The inclusion of lunch each day to 206 Tour’s offering was a selling point for me. As was 11 days of travel, that is, two more than the norm.

As for the layover in Frankfurt, yes it was not pleasant, but we made the best of it. On the bright side it was an opportunity to get to know our fellow travelers as we wandered the empty corridors looking for a place to sit, a rest room, a cup of coffee. It was an opportunity to “offer it up.” As a St. Agnes Cathedral parishioner, I’ve attended several of the Masses Bishop Murphy has celebrated, addressing the young pilgrims from the diocese going to a World Youth Day. Bishop Murphy always spoke this mantra: We are going on a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is not a vacation. And when you go on a pilgrimage, you don’t complain. Because it is a pilgrimage, and not a vacation.

You asked if there was a person who stood out. That person has to be our guide, Usama. His knowledge of the Holy Land (historical events, current events, Israeli politics and culture), his expertise in guiding us (not only along narrow alleys and busy streets, but also cleverly timing our visits to avoid crushing crowds), as well as his personality and sense of humor was a Big Bonus. There were several occasions when half the group wanted to visit one place and others a different site; Usama managed both groups expertly and caringly (e.g., some wanted to visit Yad Vashem, others to walk the Palm Sunday route again); he was in two places at once.

Our bus driver was so very good. How he was able to maneuver that big vehicle in tight spaces amazed me. I felt very safe.

The sheer number of sites you managed to include is worthy of praise. I also appreciated the opportunity to visit some of Israel’s non-Christian sites: Yad Vashem, Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Caesarea Maritima.

The weather was Perfect! I don’t know if we just lucked out with a spell of good weather or if that is usual for those weeks. Mention was made that the rainy season would begin a couple of weeks after our visit. Further, reading about the wildfires in and around Jerusalem a few weeks ago, combined with the strike against Lufthansa by their pilots, reinforced how fortunate we were with timing.

The selection of churches where Frs. Barr and Hansen celebrated Mass was Impressive. I do not know how 206 Tours was able to arrange the locations for us. And, considering the “politics” around Holy Land sites (which religious group is allotted which time, etc.), you all deserve hearty congratulations for the arrangements. After returning home, I learned that the restoration work in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had uncovered Christ’s tomb only a few days before our visit. That we were able to have Mass in that holy site while it is undergoing repair and archeological scrutiny was, to me, miraculous. A memory well impressed in my mind.

Our visit to Magdala came at the end of a busy day. If I remember correctly, the decision to go/not go was put to a vote. It turned out to be a memorable experience. For this lady, the Women’s Atrium was somewhat emotional, a connection to our Biblical sisters. The Boat Chapel’s design and setting are so very beautiful. Our guide there was an Irish woman named Celine who brought the ancient town to life for us.

Personally speaking, I think the spiritual benefits of this pilgrimage will slowly unfold. I found it difficult to concentrate totally on the holy places and their significance because I was distracted by everything else that was happening around me: the sounds, the architecture, getting a camera shot, and particularly, especially, the CROWDS of tourists. But, having said that, I now appreciate and more fully understand the Gospel readings.

Before travelling, I had purchased the book 206 Tours recommended “Jesus, a Pilgrimage,” by James Martin, S.J. and am now reading – and enjoying – it very much.

I had also purchased “The Holy Land, An Armchair Pilgrimage,” by Mitch Pacwa, S.J. which includes many photos of places we visited. You may want to recommend it to future tour groups. This purchase turned out to be prescient because on Thanksgiving the memory card in my camera was destroyed and I lost all the photos I took in Israel. (Does this mean I must go on another 206 Tour pilgrimage to the Holy Land?)

Regarding the hotels and meals, I don’t know my fellow travellers’ opinions. I was very pleased with both the Ron Beach Hotel and the Olive Tree Hotel. My rooms were clean and comfortable, quiet, and safe. The wake-up calls in both were prompt and helpful. The buffet breakfasts and dinners at both hotels were good: a large display of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as tasty salads and hot main dishes, desserts; wine at each table was delicious, plentiful, and a relaxing, pleasant finish to a busy day. There was something for everyone. The lunches at local restaurants were enjoyable, an opportunity to sample a typical Israeli meal. I know some of my fellow travelers were very happy to have American food for lunch one day. For me, that was not important at all.

Bottom line: I would whole-heartedly, happily, unequivocally recommend a 206 Tour to the Holy Land. If I could repeat this pilgrimage with the same pilgrims…In a heartbeat.

THANK YOU!

May 2017 bring many new joys and blessings to you all.

Doris Spehar

It was great – it surely did enriched US spiritually. Thank you for all the efforts put into it. As you know this is our second 206 pilgrimage tour and we love it and will do it again.
I would like to commend to you most especially our tour guide, Frederica Pontiselli. She is surely the best tour guide we ever have – She is indeed a very valuable asset of your company. She showed dedication, care and love to US all. She addressed our concerns quickly and very resourceful. She showed respect willingness to help and care all the time and was very well liked by everyone. She has a very pleasant personality and gets along with everyone. I was a vegetarian and She made sure that I have the right food every meal. When I left my coat in the hotel in Rome, she made arrangement that it be delivered to our next hotel. She found my lost glove in Pafua. Our driver, Mario and Fr Kenneth and local tour guides also met our expectations and were very good too and happy with their Services. Thank you for the wonderful staff you provided for our pilgrimage. We came home very enriched spiritually.

Anyway, one thing that was not good for US was our flight arrangements. We were either seated on the very back of the plane, not seated next to my husband and the worst was the connecting flight scheduled from Munich to Washington Dulles. The time allotted for the transfer was so super short – it was a chaos- we were the last to board and was so stressed. In fact my husband left his wallet during the security check . Thank God United arranged to retrieve before we flew. It was very stressful and chaotic. You need to look into your process for scheduling passengers with careful consideration and concern that you dont put your clients in a very difficult situation. Therefore I dont think I will book my flight with 206 again.

Thank you and God bless,
Marilou and Efren Mallada

Thank you for following up with us on our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, 20-29 Nov 16 with Father Gripshover. Our trip was most wonderful. My wife and I couldn’t have imagined that the trip would be so moving and yet so relaxing at the same time. Our accommodations were beyond expectations, and we really appreciated the five nights in Jerusalem in the same hotel where the Pope stays, the Notre Dame Hotel. Thanks for that extra treat.

Our trip was great in so many ways. First, our tour guide, Shafiq was incredible. Really, he was much more than a tour guide; he was like a caring family member sharing a place he loves with us. He was so knowledgeable about the history, religious figures, and sites throughout Israel that he left us in awe. All on the tour wondered how he could retain so much information in his head and then pass it along in such a meaningful way. No question went unanswered with Shafiq. So, Shafiq deserves big Kudos for being a world-class tour guide.

Next, the meals and hotels were all fabulous. We felt we definitely received value for our money wherever we ate and wherever we stayed. And it was definitely nice having a large bus for our group of 14. And George, our driver, was excellent. I couldn’t image driving even a small car to some of the places where he had to navigate with the huge bus.

And then there is Father Gripshover. I know it was random change that we went on this tour with him, because we don’t belong to his parish and did not previously know him. He is the one who made the trip so religiously meaningful to all of us. He shepherded us along the way to ensure no one got lost or side tracked. I will always remember him for putting so much energy and effort into making this Pilgrimage special.

I would like to share a photo of us with Father Gripshover onboard the boat “Noah” on the Sea of Galilee.

Based on our very positive experience with 206 Tours, we will definitely consider it as a first choice for our next Pilgrimage. Thank you, 206 Tours.
Charles

The pilgrimage was greater, much greater, than I could have anticipated. I speak for my husband Dennis also. We were so blessed by the spirituality, fellow pilgrims, Father Ron and our guide, Shafik, along with his trusty bus driver, George.

By day two we were relaxing in the company of each other, learning names and looking out for one another along the way. We felt like family and indeed we truly were.

The bus was comfortable and George was an amazing driver. He maneuvered our bus around those narrow streets in breathtaking moves. Shafik made us feel very secure and watched over us like a good shepherd. His knowledge was not only factual but had a spiritual aspect as well and he was transmitting his heartfelt faith to us as we traversed the places our Lord and Mother did. He was absolutely perfect for our tour and answered as many questions as we tossed to him. Also, his patience was admirable!

Also, the Thanksgiving dinner was a wonderful surprise at that great restaurant where we ate twice (once for lunch). It included sweet potatoes which was fun and made it a real Thanksgiving dinner. Fr. Gripshover carved one of 3 turkeys they roasted and it was all delicious.
Thank you for the duffel and tote which were very helpful. We stuffed them full and more and more “stuff” kept going in the duffel. The gifts of 4 pcs of candy with your logo, the hats and other surprises along the way were delightful. The wine and cheese at the Notre Dame hotel was so nice before our going away dinner.

You dotted all the “i’s” and crossed all the “t’s” on our tour and took very good care of us. I would recommend 206 to anyone even thinking of going on a pilgrimage.

Sincerely,

Barb & Dennis

Cc: Margaret McKinney; Irene Brazeal;
Milanka, Liz and Natasha,

God bless you and all those at 206 Tours, for all you do everyday to bring pilgrims to Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother!!
Everything you all did here at home before we went was so outstanding. Everything was so well planned and it was obvious that you wanted to help make this an amazing spiritual journey for all of us. Thank you!!! When we were on pilgrimage, your quick response and solution to questions was so helpful and it was so reassuring to know that you were there for us 24-7 if we needed it. That is an incredible feeling of safety and security that I have always felt from 206 Tours. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

I just love the way Milanka put it.. that we would be unpacking this pilgrimage for the rest of our lives- and that is so true. None of us that went on this blessed pilgrimage came back the same person. What an amazing walk with 44 pilgrims, our precious 206tours Guides/Shepherds and Our Blessed Mother and her Son.

I had been on the first part of this pilgrimage, Fatima, Spain and Lourdes in 2010 and my life was changed forever. I was going back on this same pilgrimage for 2 reasons- to bring others to Mary and her unconditional love and to say thank you to Our Lady for bringing me to her Son and for all of the graces and blessings I have received in the last 6 years. Once again this has been a life changing experience. It was amazing to share this with so many from our parish.

To share some about your inspiring 206 family:
Juan Carlos called us family and under his guidance we became a family. He had everything so well organized behind the scenes so that when he was with us he was truly present and not preoccupied with other details. It was so obvious that he is very experienced leading this particular pilgrimage and also in working with large groups. His knowledge of history, theology, spirituality was so interesting, challenging and incredible in depth. Even though he has led this pilgrimage a million times he made this so special- he gave us his heart and passion and became a shepherd of the family. He has such a gentle personality and worked well with all of us. Most important he shared his faith, prayer, worship and his passion for Our Lady and her Son. He truly was God’s instrument planting many seeds with care, compassion,patience and the passion of Our Blessed Mother.

Slavenka in Medjugorje met us at the airport and immediately melted our hearts. She had so much to share with us and she began on the bus. I had read Mirjana’s book and it all came to life.

Just from her short time with us she shared about Medjugorje and prayer. Our schedule included prayer, masses, etc, and it sounded so beautiful. Amongst the craziness of getting rooms assigned in the rain and luggage to the rooms, I felt this amazing peace and presence of Our Lady. Then we met Marinko, Dragica, Dado and all the workers and had the most amazing family style meal together. So peaceful, friendly and then Marinko told us it was our home for the next several days and it truly was home.

Slava met us after church the next day. She too melted our hearts as she shared her home country, her faith, her passion for Our Blessed Mother and her experiences growing up near Medjugorje during the times of the beginning of the apparitions. Slava touched our hearts deeply in so many ways. She seemed to know this group and what was best for us. We climbed Apparition Hill and she walked up each step with Rod who is legally blind. I know you have seen the pictures but she worked with him with such compassion and gave him ownership of getting to the top. She was definitely God’s instrument and so humble. At the top of Apparition Hill when we were all standing by Mary, She was standing off by herself and I could hear her pray- she was whispering- and even now it brings tears to my eyes feeling she was deeply praying for each one of us. I could feel her prayers.

Slava had to take 2 pilgrims to the doctor and heavy rain was forecasted so we did the stations near St.James which was very touching. We didn’t climb Mt Krizevac – at the time I wasn’t disappointed so I tell myself I can’t be disappointed now. I know I have to go back and climb that mountain.

Marinko and Dragica were tremendous hosts and we became family. I really felt such a special bond of love with them.They shared their testimonies about their involvement from the start of the apparitions on our last evening. What a testimony of faith!! The food was incredible!! I still now say the rosary before breakfast.

What a precious life changing pilgrimage!!! For me my heart is still on pilgrimage- some days I’m in Fatima other days in Lourdes and always in Medjugorje. Precious moments popup throughout the days and it’s so hard to put it into words. I believe Our Lady wanted us to bring the peace and love home to our parish, families, friends and all we meet.

Father Miguel was sharing with us that he has traveled with several tour companies and none have been centered around so much of our Catholic faith and especially worship as much as this 206tours pilgrimage. (I had to smile because that is the reason I insisted with him that we go with 206tours and no one else 2 years ago- I’ll let it be his idea- smile )

I could go on but I’ll stop here for now. There are many more years to unpack this pilgrimage. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and from all of us.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. Psalms 90:14

God Bless you all.
Mary Queen of Peace.. pray for us.
Hugs, Love and Many prayers
Bobbie

See photos here: https://bobbieguerra.smugmug.com/Marian-Pilgrimage-2016

Cc: Chris Wright
Dear Milanka,

Greetings from London. Sorry to miss you on the phone earlier today – I left you a voice message.
It’s been a couple of weeks since our pilgrimage group returned from the Holy Land, and I can say that everything was a major success!
Our tour guide, Shafik Khbeis, was amazing, as well as our driver, Rabbea, who was a safe and conscientious motor coach operator.
I greatly appreciate the accommodations we stayed while in Jerusalem at the Notre Dame Center – top notch for its Catholic focus as well as its prime location.

A special thank you goes out especially to Chris Wright for helping me facilitate all the nuts and bolts of the pilgrimage prior to departure. I’m very appreciative of all his assistance, and I feel confident that we’ll be able to work again soon as we will have additional business coming your way in the near future.

Look forward to reconnecting with you soon, and I wish you a very happy Advent season!

Warmest regards,

Christopher Koch, CTA
Travel Experts, Inc.
Raleigh, NC 27615  

Hello my Dear Friend,

It is great to be back. The Pilgrimage was a TOTAL success, the best one ever!!!! All our Pilgrims were transformed and grew closer to our Lord, it was magnificient to see and unfold. The Leonardo Plaza is a stunning hotel, thank you for arranging it, and of course the Olive Tree was beyond anyone’s expectations The Hotel Staff at the Olive Tree was wonderful and accomodating.

I thank you also for ensuring that my dear friend and mentor, Usama “Sammy” was out guide, I can’t even begin to tell you how much we all learn and grow from him. We even saw Gabriel in Jerusalem on our way to the hotel. I have known Gabriel for over 15 years and I wept with joy to see him and hear his encouragement, he is truly a prophet!!! The Return to the Holy Land schedule/itinerary was full and we opted to visit Ein Karem (Church of the Visitation) instead of Ela Valley, and we never made it to the Monastary because of the tight schedule. Magdala was magnificient, Davidson Center, the Caananite Tunnel Tour, The Nazareth Village Tour, Yad (wish we had more time, we need a minimum of 2 hours to soak it all in) and Masada, all added incredible value to those who were making their first Pilgrimage or Returning to the Holy Land. The Mass schedule was spectacular, we only got bumped 2 times for larger tour groups, The Basilica of the Annunciation and at Capernaum, but both times we had a more intimate setting in a chapel or outside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, so it was truly God who wanted us to be flexible for His reasons. Before we landed in Moline about 8 people were asking about when we would be going back, I told them in 2 years, 2018, and so we will begin planning our next adventure with 206 Tours as soon as you feel comfortable. Give our love to Milanka and please thank everyone on the 206 Team for such a wonderful experience. I look forward to serving Pilgrims again.

Shalom,

Deacon Levy

We were very pleased with how 206 tours handled our Pilgrimage from the time we left New York to the time we came back, it was a scale of 10 in excellence. To start with our Tour Guide, George the best tour guide on scan ever have very knowledgeable plus he has a way of connecting with the pilgrims. Our driver, another George, is so skilled and we feel very safe whenever we have on board. All hotels, meal arrangement are satisfactory. For the entire duration of the trip, it was so efficiently arranged by our tour guide that we did not miss anything as a matter of fact since our schedule was so efficient we even had bonus sites seen not part of itinerary. Hotels and meals are all excellent. I am highly recommending 206 tours to all my friends and families for their future pilgrimage. Thank you for taking care of us really really well.

Adele and Emiliana 

A most memorable trip of a lifetime!

I accepted the Pilgrim’s call and went on the Holy Land Tour 111 on November 6-15, 2016. I thought I was celebrating a milestone birthday, but I ended up celebrating the culmination of the Jubilee Year by entering 3 Doors of Mercy, witnessing the Bible come alive before my eyes and walking the Via Dolorosa with 13 other Pilgrims who started as strangers but ended up as family in 10 days. We laughed, ate, drank, prayed, walked, climbed, rode, floated, heard mass, confessed and even cried together.

Tour 111 stands for three of the best people who made this trip even more memorable:

Faisal, our number 1 ever able and kind-mannered driver, who never lost his temper despite the numerous claims on our 16-wheeler coach, and maneuvered with ease in and out of the narrowest lanes of Jerusalem, and parked in even narrower spaces where I didn’t know how he made the bus fit.

Nadi, our number 1, uber-intelligent, down-to-earth, goodness of a gentleman guide, who seemed to know everyone in high and holy, and some other places. I can listen to him all day and all night and would not get bored. He brought us to an elevated understanding of Christianity, Jesus’ life and death, and things surrounding the culture and answered all our questions patiently and thoroughly. He gave us a lot to eat (figuratively and literally) and time to digest it.

Father Jim Conover, our number 1 Spiritual Director, whose guidance and homilies seemed like they were directly coming from heaven, speaking directly to my heart each time. I especially appreciated the "one by one communal penance." He has only done this tour six times maybe, but he walked the whole way with us, and blissfully for us, invited Fr. Nick Onyach, a fellow pilgrim whose jolly spirit always brought the group to giggles, to co-celebrate mass.

Most birthdays I receive gifts. This time, while I felt like I was giving all the attention, praise and glory to God, I ended up receiving grace, mercy, joy, and a peace that I will cherish every time I reflect on this journey.

Thank you 206 Tours!

Blessings,
Leilani Vinegas Atis

Dear Chris,

Let me add that the hotel in Venice was absolutely the nicest of all the places we stayed. When I can get the pics together, I will send a few. Also, I would go on a pilgrimage with your tour company again in a heartbeat. It was fantastically planned and executed.

Theresa Elaine

My wife and I just returned from our pilgrimage with 206.

Let me begin by stating that just a few weeks prior to departing, I suffered a very serious fall, breaking my left wrist and right foot. I needed two surgeries on my wrist. I am unable to walk even as I write this review. I called and requested a postponement of our trip which was denied by your 206 representative. This was most disappointing. So with much trepidation, I received very cautious approval of my doctors to go on the trip. I was to use a wheelchair and a knee walker scooter for the journey.

From the time we arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv, to the time our tour guide and bus driver dropped us back at the airport for return, we were amazed and grateful for the organization and care we received from our Guide, Bus Driver and our wonderful Catholic Priest.
Our guide, Nadi, could not have been better. He was more amazing each day, with his concern, help and guidance. He and our bus driver, Fizal, were, without a doubt the best team we could ever have hoped for. Fizal became much more than a bus driver, which by the way, he may be the best driver I have ever observed. Taking our bus, safely, throughout all of Israel, Fizal never got flustered. He got that bus through the most difficult situations and narrowest streets I have ever seen. I am sure Fizal could get that bus or a camel through the eye of a needle, if needed. Fizal became an assistant and a friend to me in my non-walking capacity. He made sure I had the conveyance needed at each location. Fizal would make sure he moved the bus to the closest location to help me on my journey.

Nadi was truly a hero to all of us on our tour. He took us on a Historical, Spiritual, and Memorable journey that we would never have imagined with another guide. With his knowledge of history, tradition and the Bible, we transcended the usual tourist sites as he took us back to the time of Jesus. He is incredibly knowledgeable, both with the subject matter and with almost everyone we had contact with. Everyone in Israel knows Nadi, and they all cooperated with his requests, even to help me to visit places that I would never have imagined that I would see in my situation. Nadi very often would push me in the wheelchair, up and down steep and bumpy roads, as he delivered constant information about our locations. We were fortunate to have had our tour guide and our friend Nadi, and 206 is fortunate to have Nadi as a member of your team. I will be ever grateful for all his help and for taking me to places that I otherwise would have missed.

Finally, there was Father Jim Conover. If ever there was divine intervention for our group, it was Fr. Jim. He was, without a doubt a messenger from God to our close knit group. He was extremely knowledgeable in every aspect of our journey, from a personal viewpoint ( as he has been on several Holy Land Pilgrimages) a historical view, and most importantly from a spiritual guide. Fr. Jim brought an insight that I have rarely seen to a tour. He never tired of the endless questions we had. He said the most personal prayers, bringing the Bible to life. We had our daily Mass in the most sacred places with the most poignant homilies that he delivered from his heart to ours.
We were also impressed with the accommodations. The hotels were a real treat at the end of our busy day. The days which were filled with education and learning but never rushed, ended with very nice rooms and meals. The lunches were always at interesting places with helpful staff and very good food. Again, our group was very fortunate to have had Fr. Jim from Freehold NJ as our spiritual guide and 206 is very fortunate to have a Priest like Fr. Jim with his experience and love.

This spiritual journey, which at times, was very challenging for my wife (she was an incredible help in all aspects of my journey) Nadi, Fizal and Fr. Jim, is an experience that I will reflect upon for the rest of my life.
Please send this review to Nadi, Fizal and Father Jim Conover.

Thank You

Michael Brogan 

My wife Linda and I truly had no expectations prior to this journey since it was our first trip to Italy and our first pilgrimage. We had a wonderful trip, a glorious journey to say the least. Every aspect of it was well planned; we quickly realized what a great job Anna had done as our liaison. She was truly the connector of all the dots: to and from the airports and hotels, working with the local authorities, hotel managers, restaurateurs, museum tours, and of course coordinating the privileged opportunities of all the daily Mass worships in the chapels of all the glorious churches. She is a hard and dedicated guide as it truly showed with her professionalism and patience; Roberto did a great job providing safe tour bus travel.

The hotel accommodations were awesome; we will admit we were spoiled beginning in Venice, but Assisi was different, very rustic and beautiful, but we are pilgrims so it was all good. The hotel in Rome was great as well; all of the meals were authentic and delicious; we were blessed with its abundance.

What made this journey very special were the tour guides; they were very educated, informative, while integrating the Catholic faith, culture, and history each day. It was amazing how much we all learned from city to city. What Anna and all of the talented guides provided and shared with us had no monetary value; we quickly realized we would never have this experience touring on our own. Of course, so many thanks to Don & Carol for coordinating this journey which is a wonderful memory for many years to come.

Thanks Chris as 206 Tours will always be highly regarded and recommended!

God Bless,
Tony & Linda Perrone

The trip was wonderful. everything well organized and time. The guides were all excellent t of her way friendly and well educated on everything. Vanessa went out of her way and took wonderful care of us. She was especially kind and helpful to me since I do not walk fast as others and used a cane. She really enjoys her job and also is very well informed on all the areas we visited. The trip was everything and more then expected. I definitely would do another trip with 206 in the future. Also the hotels were clean with great staff and very well located.

Happy Holidays,
Mariann Ferretti

This was our second tour with 206. We had a wonderful experience. Father Nowak spiritual leadership was amazing. Our guide Roberto was very informative and knowledgeable. Raffel our bus driver was remarkable backing down a long hill on one of our adventures, excellent driver. We will be sharing our pilgrimage with others and will definitely recommend 206 Tours. We look forward to another tour in the future. Our thanks to all of you at 206 Tours.

Dear Mrs. Lachman,

I just returned a few hours ago to the USA after an amazing week in the Holy Land serving as a priest chaplain on a 206 Pilgrimage.

This was an incredible week for countless reasons that will have a profound impact on my relationship with our Lord and upon my priesthood. The main reason I wanted to write to you right away, besides saying thank you for the opportunity to serve as a priest chaplain on such a trip, is to make sure I told you what a treasure you have in Shafik. Our group was truly blessed to have such a humble, prayerful, knowledgeable, faithful and warm guide through the land of our Savior’s Birth, Passion, Death and Resurrection. I cannot recommend Shafik enough and I am grateful for the many things he did both behind the scenes and in his presentation to make this such a blessed pilgrimage for our entire group.

Again Mrs. Lachman, I appreciate the service of 206 and am very happy to have gotten to work with you all (your representative Chris also deserves special recognition). May our good Lord continue to bless you as we conclude this Holy Year of Mercy!

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. John Eckert

I would like to take this opportunity to say what a tremendous pilgrimage this was. Everything was so well organized and planned. The hotels were lovely and in great locations, the travel time was never too long, the bus was comfortable and our driver, Pedro, was terrific.

Our group was so blessed to have Javier Gomez as our tour director and Father Charles Coury as our spiritual director. Javier was so knowledgeable and spiritual. His love of what he does and his passion for his faith was infectious. He made everyone feel like family and as though we were invited to be there by our Blessed Mother. Javier’s depth of knowledge that he was able to share with us, made this experience so extraordinary. His sincere, helpful and giving nature was a gift to all of us, but especially to me. I unexpectedly had to travel with a wheelchair and crutches. He made sure I did not miss anything and graciously pushed me up mountains and never complained. He is filled with love, compassion and the Holy Spirit….all that our Blessed Mother asks of us and that we hope to exemplify. I could never begin to thank him enough.

In addition, we were so privileged to have Father Charlie, who is everything a priest should be. His beautiful and faith filled nature made our journey all the more special. Whether leading the rosary or stations, saying mass or hearing confessions, everyone was made to feel special and blessed. The small and intimate masses were especially meaningful. Javier and Father Charlie. Make a great team. All of this being said, I can’t imagine taking another pilgrimage and not going through 206 Tours. Keep up the great work!

Marianne

Greetings from Fr. Dinh,

I would like to express my gratitude to the entire group of organizers of 206 Tours who are very helpful to me during preparation time for the pilgrimage.

I would like to mention Patrick, who picked up the phone after my decisions to call 206 tours. Katherine, who has tried her best and was willing to communicate with me mainly through e-mail. She has tried to respond to my requests due to the nature of the group of pilgrims this time. She also introduced me to other organizers who may have the best answers for my questions or she was unable to talk with me due to other commitments. Javier, who was always available to make my experiences and the experiences of the pilgrims to the max. Toni, who was very flexible to my requests and very helpful to suggest the best way for us when we were on the road. And Massimo, who brought us safe from place to place.

Kudos to you all, 206 tours! May God continue to bless you and your loved ones. Please pray for me and I hope we meet.

Peace and God’s blessing!

Fr. Định G. Votran, A.A. 

We would like you to know that we had a most fabulous and holy trip with Matthew and his sweet daughter Macie. The pilgrimage was very well organized. Every site visited was fascinating and inspiring. The attention to detail by Matthew and Alessandro was amazing. Matthew’s talks were awesome and helped to deepen our faith and love for Our Lady. Patrick also helped to make everything run smoothly.

Everybody was made to feel at home. Fr. Thomas is a fantastic priest with a great sense of humor. He should be on every pilgrimage, so should the lovely singing couple Michael and Charlene Doman. There was never a dull moment during the entire trip. Our spiritual and physical needs were well taken care of.

The hotels were acceptable even though the Abba Forseca Hotel in Salamanca exceeded our expectations. Breakfast buffets and dinners were never disappointing. Everybody in the tour group was very friendly and helpful to each other.

My husband Alan and I would definitely be interested in the Holy Land pilgrimage led by Matthew. Please let us know as soon as plans are confirmed. We look forward to another exhilarating trip with Matthew!

God bless.

May & Alan 

Our pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines of Italy was most rewarding. Although we actually visited many sites we had already visited in the past, we found that we still felt we received many graces revisiting them. It was a very spirit filled pilgrimage. I did find that I would have preferred a bit more transport to some of the sites, as several of us did have difficulty walking and needed help, but in these cases, Federica was most accommodating in getting us a taxi when necessary. Federica could not have been more helpful and delightful as our tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable, kind and attentive to all our needs, and a pleasure to be with. Father Kenneth was a wonderful spiritual leader. His homilies were beautiful and most inspiring. Visiting with him on the bus and at dinner was also very inspiring as well. We very much enjoyed him. We were sorry that father Patrick Henry had fallen ill, but Father Ken was a perfect substitute for us. Mario, our bus driver, was also very professional and great driver. He was also very helpful to all of us. We are still trying the recover from our flight home that took us over 24 hours, so we may try to consider a lay over to break up the trip.

We loved 206 Tours and look forward to our next trip with you!

Thanks,
Dody

Dear Patrick,

Never, in my 71 years, have I ever experienced the level of commitment to customer satisfaction that is one of the hallmarks of 206 Tours. I know of no other company, be it in the travel industry or otherwise, that would spend the time and energy or go to such lengths to right a wrong on behalf of a client. Given the fact that what occurred had nothing to do with 206 Tours, which bore absolutely no responsibility in this incident, what you have accomplished goes far beyond “outstanding” and speaks volumes about you, Milanka and 206 Tours.

Mike and I cannot thank you enough. We join Tom and Flo Foshay in expressing our appreciation for your kindness, dedication and perseverance. We are so proud to be associated with you and the wonderful team at 206 Tours.

God bless you all!

Sandy Tobin
Pilgrimage Tours, Inc.
Crystal River, Florid

The pilgrimage to the Holy Land was a wonderful experience for me. Our guide, Besem Sabat, (Sam) was not only extremely knowledgeable about the various pilgrimage sites, but also knew Scripture so well, that he could connect the Old Testament and the Gospels in ways that deepened my understanding. He also encouraged us to enter into the spirit of pilgrimage, and grow spiritually through the experience. (He can give a homily in my parish anyday!) Just today at my parish Scripture Study Group on the Psalms, I shared what Sam had explained about what a good shepherd does for his sheep, making Psalm 23 and the Gospel stories about the Good Shepherd all the more understandable and meaningful.

I have been singing the praises of 206 Tours, and how every detail was attended to. Sam and Fisal, our driver, made sure that the itinerary was arranged so that we would be at the most important and popular sites early, before the crowds, therefore minimizing wait times. The food was tasty and plentiful, and the accommodations were very comfortable. I appreciated that on our departure day, a driver and guide (also named Sam) took seven of us who were leaving after midnight Tuesday to Jaffa, where we celebrated Mass, and then enjoyed another delicious dinner, before taking us to the airport and explaining exactly what we would have to do regarding security, etc.

It was very meaningful to me that we could celebrate Mass every day at the various Pilgrim sites, with Fr. Anthony presiding. For me, a highlight was doing the readings at the liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, right after having touched the rock of Golgotha.

We had a great group that got along very well and supported each other–especially me, as I sometimes had a hard time keeping up. (I am almost 71 years old, and have heart disease and asthma.) The description of the pilgrimage said to be prepared to walk 2-3 miles a day. It didn’t say mostly vertical – up and down hills and steps. Actually, if I had known this, I probably wouldn’t have booked the trip. But I’m glad I did, and was able to do most of the walks, with the help of my hiking stick and a guide and fellow pilgrims who were willing to slow the pace.

I very much appreciated the 20% religious discount, and the fact that airport transfers were provided even though I booked my flight myself, using frequent flyer miles. I think the cost was extremely reasonable and affordable for a religious sister like me to have this once in a lifetime experience!

Thank you for your efforts in making pilgrimages like this possible.

Sister Grace, SSND

Sammie,

This was our seventh pilgrimage with 206 Tours and as usual, it exceeded our expectations. Ivan was extremely knowledgeable about Medjugorje as well as the history of surrounding countries. He represented 206 Tours well as did Slavenka in our previous two visits. We visited with her briefly when our groups attended Mass together.

We enjoyed our second stay at the Pansion Sulic and again appreciated the warm hospitality of the staff. Our Spiritual Director, Fr. Pat Keane, was exceptional and we look forward to doing another pilgrimage with him in the future.

Thank you for taking care of travel arrangements with such short notice. We always receive many blessings and graces during our pilgrimages.

Carol and I are looking forward to our Mexico City pilgrimage with Fr. Donald Calloway next month.

God Bless,

David

Thank you 206 Tours. Everything went very smoothly. The tour was very rewarding – well organized and with a great priest, guide and driver. We definitely all bonded as a group – going through a very moving pilgrimage that had deep spiritual meaning for me. Great job from 206!!

Michael

Time is needed to fully appreciate the blessings of this pilgrimage. It was my first pilgrimage & it was a wonderful experience. As a seasoned traveler I appreciated the fine hotels, food and transportation. As always, it’s the people who make the difference. Our priest Monsignor Brian, our guide Mathilde & our driver Miguel were our guardian angels– devout, knowledgeable, cheerful & always there when needed. Having Matthew Leonard’s group nearby & hearing him teach was an added benefit.

My purpose was to discern my vocation for the secular Carmelites & the holy Marian shrines with their many Carmelite connections deeply touched my heart. Traveling in the company of kindred Catholic spirits also enriched the experience. Our timing was slightly in the " off season" while our group of 17 became 12 after those from the Holy Land left. Smaller is definitely better for travelers as crowds can complicate things. How moving to get to Confession at Lourdes with just a brief wait!

All in all, my next pilgrimage will likely be with 206 Tours & as I share my experiences with others I will gladly sing your praises. Thank you for your much appreciated efforts toward bringing Catholics closer to their dear Lord & his blessed mother.

God bless you & keep you always,
Susan

We had a great time on our pilgrimage. We like to commend our tour guide Matilde. She made our trip most enjoyable.
Scott & Carol

This was my first ever Pilgrimage, something I’ve thought about for a very long time. By Divine Intersession I found 206 Tours. The experience was exceptional. The staff at 206 were so very informative and helpful preparing all of the details to make this journey the very best experience I have ever had.

I was so very Blessed to have had the honor and pleasure to share this life changing experience with such a great and wonderful group of fellow pilgrims. In prayer together, breaking of bread together, or just laughing together we bonded on a personal and spiritual level of special moments that was an amazing gift from God… I am so grateful that our paths crossed in the Holy Land … God Bless you all as you continue your journey.

Thank you Fr. Allan for sharing with us your spiritual guidance and charming sense of humor. Thank you also for the beautiful Masses that you celebrated for us and your philosophical and insightful homilies.

But hands down the academy award must go to Shafik Khbeis our extraordinary and gifted tour guide. His warm and inviting personality was the keystone of this pilgrimage. Shafik’s impeccable depth of theology and Israel’s astonishing history was the most profound biblical educational experience I have ever had, bar none. He truly brought the Bible and Jesus’ Ministry to exquisite life for me. An excellent teacher, I found myself hanging on every word of his beautiful and detailed stories of the Holy sites that we visited. Thank you my dear friend, I so enjoyed your company. I hope to someday return to the Holy Land to continue my spiritual journey and there’s no one I would rather lead me then my good friend Shafik.

Peace and love ….
Alessandro Stan Ravera

Very impressed! Congratulations to 206 Tours for running a well planned, organized, systematically coordinated and comfortable tour. My goal in visiting and praying in these holy places was realized. Thanks to Matilde, our A+ tour guide. She made it possible for us to know the places we were visiting. She has comprehensive knowledge of the history and geography of the sites, and has a good command of the English language, as well as Spanish and French. It was good to be in the company of a manageable group, our visits were safe and not in haste.

Looking forward to another tour with 206!

Minnie

Just wanted to say that the Shrines of Italy Tour was absolutely Beautiful and such a Blessing!!! Your staff was extraordinary! So welcoming, devoted, faith filled, efficient and fun!!! Alessandro, Fr. Jim and Massimo were each a joy!!! We all truly felt like a family on a wonderful faith journey. It was a trip of a lifetime. Unforgetable!

We highly recommend 206 Tours!!!!!! Can’t imagine it going any smoother! Thank you so much for an incredible journey.

Deb and Tony

This is our first time with 206 Tours. We are impressed the way your staff put everything in order. Great accommodations, meals and best itineraries of holy and sacred sites. It has been a wonderful experience for us from the start to the end of our trip.

We have 28 days of an unforgettable pilgrimage – Jordan, The Holy Land, Fatima, Spain, Lourdes, Paris and Medjugorje. Our amazing tour guides: Omar in Jordan, Rami in Jerusalem, Juan Carlos in Fatima, Spain, Lourdes and Slavenka in Medjugorje . All of them are knowledgeable of scriptures, the places, and they ensure all our needs were met.

The best spiritual leaders: Father Kenneth (Jordan & Holy Land) who always have a wonderful homilies and insights. Father Dominic (Fatima, Spain, Lourdes, & Paris) who always is available for guidance. The daily masses at sacred, historical and beautiful churches were the highlights!!

Meeting fellow pilgrims whose personal, spiritual journey and stories also helped us grow in our faith. Most of them become our friends, and we keeping in touch with one another and it’s too early now, but we are looking forward to our next 206 Tours together.

Thank you so much 206 Tours. This was our first but God willing, it will certainly not be our last with you. My birthday also happened to fall while we were in Lourdes. Thank you for the cake. We all enjoyed it after dinner.

God Bless,
Bex & Rosie

My entire experience exceeded all my expectations. Everything ran like a well-oiled machine. If there were any glitches, I did not see them. Father Allan was an exceptional Spiritual Director who brought a deep sense of spirituality to the tour. People who have been to the Holy Land on other tours were impressed that we had a priest the entire time with our group. To me, the most important component of our tour was our tour guide, Shafiq. He brought the Bible to life with his extensive knowledge. Father Allan even commented to me that Shafiq would put many priests to shame with the amount of Biblical knowledge he possesses. I admired the fact that Shafiq is continuously learning more and more about the Bible, not only for his own information but to enhance what he has to offer the participants on his tours. Reenacting some passages of the Bible in Aramaic in the place where those words were spoken, brought chills down my spine. It made the words of the Bible leap off the page. I also was interested in a first hand account of the present day political, geographical and culture of the area. All of this still has an impact on all the Holy Sights we were visiting. Obviously you can tell I can not say enough good things about Shafiq.

I would wholeheartedly recommend 206 Holy Land Tour especially if they could request Shafiq. But from what I heard from the other bus, their experience was quite similar with their guide and priest.

Thank you for a life-changing tour of all the Holy Places I have read about all these years. It will definitely be a trip I will remember in detail.

Sincerely,
Sheila

Thank You 206tours. Our experience was most wonderful. Our spiritual director Father Walter was an inspirational blessing which made this pilgrimage a Year of Mercy miracle with an opportunity to obtain indulgences and reflect on the true meaning of God’s Mercy. Alessandro was most knowledge both in the history of the Church and the current practices of our faith. His skill of keeping the group focused on the true meaning of a pilgrimage yet allowing us to enjoy the true beauty of Italy is commendable. 206 Tours is an exceptional tour company which I look forward to using again and have already recommended to various individuals. The local tour guides used within Italy were also excellent.

Again, Thank You for your professionalism and the time taken to every detail to ensure your clients have a wonderful, comfortable and spiritual experience that will carry on with us for life.

God Bless You!
Fabie

Walking through the 4 Major Holy Doors of Mercy were the highlights of my pilgrimage. Before walking through the first door of Mercy of St Peter’s Basilica, I totally surrendered and immersed my soul to God placing my absolute trust in Jesus thus allowing myself to ponder to be like an innocent little child completely dependent to his father. My heart was overwhelmed with joy and love.

The second magnificent experience I had was in Lanciano, it was about noon, the church was about to close, and almost everybody was gone except for myself, and 2 other pilgrims. The priest in charge of the church approached and directed us to follow him and lead us to the bleeding host more closely. This intimate encounter with Jesus was the most solemn moment in my life, I felt the presence of Jesus. I burst into tears, telling Him how sorry I was for offending Him repeatedly. That was an amazing grace!!!!

With regards to the pilgrimage per se, there were waves and tribulations encountered during the course of our journey after all we are all imperfect pilgrims trying seek the mercy of God. The fact that 206 Tours equipped our pilgrimage with an awesome tour guide(Alessandro), a knowledgeable and exciting guide, an excellent and well trained driver, good hotel accommodations and most of all, a priest for spiritual guidance and daily masses, these were perfect spices/ ingredients needed for a perfect pilgrimage recipe thus ultimately resulting to a successful, spiritually filled pilgrimage like ours.

I will definitely highly recommend 206 Tours to everyone.

Regards,
Alexis

I am going to be sending a letter out to include all those who are part of 206 Tours in order to let all of you know just how wonderful and memorable my pilgrimage was. I am extremely grateful to 206 for giving me the opportunity to experience the Holy Land as spiritual guide and even more importantly, providing me the opportunity to explore this holy place with our assigned guide George. He is truly magnificent and when you add to that our accommodations and other highlights of the trip, you would be hard pressed to find a more comfortable, enjoyable and educational experience. I can think of nothing but positive remarks and again am grateful that I had this opportunity.

God bless
Fr. Paul

It was indeed a very fulfilling spiritual journey. God Bless 206 Tours, you made my trip very organized, thank you again.

Sonia

I am really pleased with 206 Tours and would not hesitate to use your services again.

In particular, Chris, you were so helpful to me. And always encouraging. Thank you.

In fact, one traveler who with her spouse has done 16 Tauck Tours, told me “206 did as good a job, maybe better, than Tauck.” A fine complement.

Our guide Vanessa was excellent, always helpful, extremely knowledgeable, considerate of individuals and appeared to truly care about the success of the journey. Can you clone her?

Our driver Martino was also very good and handled the vehicle on narrow, curvy roads with aplomb, even turning the coach around in an impossibly tight area.

The hotels were four star. We particularly liked the one in Santa Margherita and, if I could have managed an additional day in the itinerary, would have done so here. My top-floor room with a large terrace overlooking the city and the bay was spectacular; one more night and I would have had a party there!

Assisi hotel was far to permit additional time in the town but as it was raining, a moot point. The Rome hotel was perfect for St. Peter’s, quite far from anything else, including the coach.

The 3-course meals and supply of wine kept everyone very happy. In fact in Orvieto the luncheon offered 4 courses. Again Assisi hotel with its cafeteria service and unappetizing meals was the exception, but we thought of St. Francis and St. Clare and pilgrim-ed on.

The selection of churches and altars for the celebration of Mass added a beautiful dimension to our tour, particularly the Crypt in Milan and the Irish Chapel at St. Peter’s.

Finally you and the staff at 206 will be pleased to know that Fr. Bill spoke extensively about the pilgrimage In his homily at Sunday Mass today, sharing his insights and reflections with the entire parish.

Thank you again,
Susan Powers Kennelly

As a repeat pilgrim with 206 Tours, I sure didn’t expect anything less. Logistics were handled with precision. Masses were held on schedule in every church we’ve been to. This is due to 206 Tours paying attention to details , i.e., reserving in advance and took into consideration our travel time. This too is coupled with our not only experienced tour guide but also as an altar server, Alessandro. The daily masses at those sacred,historical and beautiful churches were the highlights of our daily itinerary. We even had a vigil mass the night before we left Sunday, October 16, 2016 at a church just behind our hotel. What a well- thought schedule was that! 206 Tours wined and dined us with some surprise treats! I could just imagine the hard work 206 Tours does with all the pilgrimages they provide. Keep up the good work!

Our local guides are well chosen. Ticciana, our local guide in Rome, aside from being knowledgeable, made us laugh and made us feel less anxious when the going was tough as in going through congested traffic and the crowds. We inherited her ‘signature’, “Keep On Smiling Dahlings!”. Marichel is also a pro with our tour of St. Francis of Assisi. She’s also very upbeat.

Our “family” was blessed to have two affable priests, Fr. Walter Guzman, our spiritual director and Fr. Nunzie Lagattuta who joined us as a pilgrim. They sure contributed a lot to our spiritual enrichment. I loved the homilies.

Our tour guide Alessandro … what can I say??? I can’t really articulate in so many words why I call him a ” living saint”! He tirelessly, patiently and prayerfully managed our “family” consisting of pilgrims with diverse personalities and needs. Not only he’s a very informative guide sharing with us his knowledge about the holy places we were about to visit, saints affiliated with them and their biographies, and traditions and specialties of different regions we were passing through.I loved the surprises he provided us during our bus rides. He is so committed to his duties and goes an extra mile to help each and every “family” member especially those who need more. His expertise in knowing ways and means to help his “family” alleviate hustles and bustles is greatly appreciated. He directed us to seats where we can see Pope Francis closer during the Papal Audience. I could go on and on how awesome our tour guide was! Although he was about to fly to Rome to meet his new “family”, he saw to it that we were all fine with our flights going home up to the last minute. He really is a gem! Lastly, I’ll be remiss if I don’t mention our ever smiling expert driver, Massimo.

Although I left my footsteps in Italy, I brought home great memories and is spiritually enriched!
Nelly

I had a wonderful experience on this 206 Tour pilgrimage. I am glad I joined. All the places we went, everything was perfectly arranged. The accommodations, restaurants, transportation, our bus driver, tour guides, I was impressed with everything and they more than met my expectations! I will gladly recommend the 206 Tour pilgrimage to all my friends. If I plan to join another tour in the future, I will not hesitate to join 206 Tour again. We were stationed in Italy for 4 years with the military and it was great to be back!

This is the panoramic view of Piazza Michaelangelo in Florence.

Bella

Pilgrimage overall was wonderful as all 206 Tours are. Pablo the tour guide was excellent.

One suggestion and as a priest I hope you all see this as significant. I would keep the tour exactly the same but the last day skip the afternoon trip to the 3 churches and allow people to have the day at the shrine. Guide can do formal tour in morning with Mass, people can then shop, do lunch on their own, and leisurely spend time on Tepeyac Hill, in the 8 churches, praying, confession and just pray. A true day of grace, not a day of rush rush. Sometimes quantity is not quality.

With Love in Christ,
Father Stephen Imbarrato

The logistics were handled impeccably well, the Masses to be held in different places were reserved well in advance. 206 did not skimp on food. We always had good quality food and wine, 3-5 courses during dinners and even little surprise snacks on the bus sometimes provided by Alessandro. Usually these would be the specialties of the region we are visiting. Choice of local guides was great. We were treated to a Ticciana signature experience in Rome leaving us with her signature “keep smiling, dahlings” phrases. In Assisi, I loved Marichel’s earthy laugh and wide knowledge of the Franciscans’ role in the establishment of missions in California, the traditions in different countries associated with the saints, etc. Their local guides were very knowledgeable. Overall, 206 became a Martha so the pilgrims can be Marys, to be able to focus on the reflective, spiritual aspect of the journey

Alessandro:
He’s got the patience of Job, incredibly kind. Went above and beyond the call of duty. With age range of 40-85 in a group of varying mobilities, he was able to find just the right mix of pace and extend help to those who need it more. He’s not just a tour guide. He is a deeply prayerful person and has functioned as the sacristan in all of the masses.Exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge of theology, traditions, saints’ biographies, different charisms of different orders, etc. Was very strategic in getting us positioned at the Vatican so we can get better view of the Pope, which we did and the Pope stopped in our sector for a long time. Though most of the people who go on a pilgrimage are religious, it does not mean they’re stripped of their egos, idiosyncrasies and varying temperaments. He used a range of his skills and emotional intelligence to maintain a good dynamics of the group overall.

Massimo:
Very safe, skillful driver. Never had a problem with his driving. Big bonus for me – he taught me a lot of useful Italian phrases. I came out sounding like I know more Italian than I really do!

Jennifer Basco

Again, 206 Tours did not disappoint us. Juan Carlos, our guide, was excellent in his historical knowledge of the land. Most important, Juan’s people skills excelled. It made the tour fun and interesting. Father Thomas was top notched and made us think about our spiritual relationship to God.

Denny Mickalowski

My experience walking El Camino will forever be with me. I cannot stop talking about the beautiful churches, the friendly local people and of course the food! Never walked or had so much Spanish wine!

Our tour guide Valvanera was the best. She really knew the El Camino, how to prepare for each day’s challenges. Our accommodations were marvelous. Our day of rest, Sunday, in Arzua, was just unbelievable. We had our own little cottages and again delicious food.

Please inform the correct people how much we appreciated Valvanera. She came to the Santiago Airport to see that we all got through customs, the correct flight, etc.. Her flight was later that day.

Miguel, our bus driver, was the BEST. Hats off to him. Very thoughtful and I felt safe having him as our driver! These two made this experience extremely memorable.

Thank you.
Patricia Capewell

Dear Ms. Martins,

My wife Jo and I extend our great appreciation to you for the October 5 – 13, 2016 pilgrimage for our daughters Maria and Sophia. They especially liked the Croatian food and learned about Croatian culture while they were there. They preferred quieter settings. Our special thanks to the tour guide Slavica who took excellent care of Maria who’d been ill and needed to go to a clinic. Slavica showed them around places they would ordinarily not know about. Certainly, our daughters had experiences and saw things my wife and I didn’t when we were in Medjugorje several years ago.

Maria and Sophie want us to especially thank Slavica, their "Croatian mother."

Best wishes,
Adrian and Jo Calderone

Thank goodness for Juan Carlos, with his assistance I was able to participate in the Stations of The Cross at Lourdes. What a heart and such faith he has! And the Driver Miguel, also so nice, such a great driver. We had a great time and are so happy. We had the best meal together in Salamanca! I just wanted to tell you how happy my sister, brother, sister in-law and l are. This was the best tour I’ve ever had, what a great and friendly group. Everything was so organized. We will be looking into Prague for next year!

Zenaida

Thank you so much Amanda. You did a wonderful job and I really enjoy working with you. Everyone had a great time, except as I mentioned, starting the tour right off the plane, visiting Churches and walking, then a late dinner and just four hours sleep before we had to get up to go to Normandy. As I had said to you, I would not have gone to Normandy, except ONE person heard I had cancelled it and made an issue of it. She did apologize to me afterwards as she knew the ramifications of going there. Actually, we had a few people who got colds and I do think it was pure exhaustion.

As you said, in future, we will plan it so that when we arrive, we can get some rest before we start the journey!! We do not mind early mornings, once we get a good nights sleep.

Everything was really great. We all loved the accommodations and the food. We had fun at the hotel in Lourdes. The waiters were great and said we could come back anytime we want!! They were having their pictures taken with the people and of course the cake was a wonderful surprise. Thank you again for that.

Also some friends Father Pat and I have from France who travelled six hours by car to come to see us while we were at La Salettte.

We all love 206 Tours as you make sure we have nice accommodations and food which is something I certainly enjoy, also the group. Javier is always a big hit and the new people all fell in love with him. He is a big asset I must say. He makes sure everyone knows he is there for them. When I had to stay in bed one day in Lourdes, he called my room to make sure I was alright.

Thank you again Amanda. As soon as I get my breath, and get over my next trip to New York in November, we will decide on 2017. You too, are a great asset to 206 Tours, but I am sure Milanka knows that very well.

Much Blessings!
Fran

The pilgrimage was awesome! We really enjoyed our time visiting the holy sites and spending time in prayer on the bus and in the shrines during Mass. Our guide, George, was great and so was our driver! With regard to George, it was so good to have a man of Faith assist us on our journey. He truly made this a pilgrimage and not a tour! Thank you so much 206 Tours for offering us this wonderful opportunity!

Fr. Greb

Hi Alexis,

My wife and I were on the pilgrimage with St. David the King to Santiago de Compostela and it was fabulous. It was amazing how much we saw in the ten days we were in Spain. Our guides in Madrid and Santiago were excellent and greatly enriched our experiences in those cities. Our guide Valvanera was so very good, not only informative but always ready to help. Valvanera made sure that we knew exactly where we were going : what the terrain would be like, reviewed the maps with us, and made sure we knew where the check points were. Valvanera shared stories with us in a wonderful way because these were her people and this her home. She was tireless ,always making sure we were all taken care of. She spent time with each of us, encouraged us and welcomed us at the end of the day’s trail. Miguel our driver was ever so much more than a driver, always with a smile and encouragement but also helpful in any way he could be. He was always looking to make sure everyone was accounted for welcoming us for our ride to the hotel. Both were both physically and spiritually integral parts of our group during the pilgrimage both will be remembered fondly. We both feel we could not have had two better people to share and enhance our great pilgrimage experience.

Rigoberto Garcia

Hi Alexis,

It was a great pilgrimage and I was spiritually enriched. Could you possibly send me the catalog for the 2017 pilgrimages I would appreciate it. I’m looking forward to doing another one.

Thanks,
Emily Brasher

Alexis,

Working with 206 Tours was a pleasure. I personally spoke with Katherine and Elise – both very professional, courteous, kind, and helpful. I don’t think we could have packed in another moment of adventure, spiritual or otherwise into our tour of Italy. Entering Basilicas through Holy Doors, and participating in Mass each day with Fr. Daigle in beautiful chapels, surrounded by centuries-old mosaics, frescoes, and knowledge that saints, angels, apostles, and many pilgrims had been there, was food for the soul, and life-changing. Our daily guide, Toni, and our driver, Giovanni, could not have been more accommodating, professional, or pleasant. Giovanni’s smile was contagious, as he safely transferred us from Point A to Point B in his clean and comfortable coach. Toni, as well as each of the local guides (Ulysses, Mirabel, Elana), were SOOOOO well educated and well-spoken on topics of history, religion, geography, civics, folklore, and rich cultural lifestyle. Each tour/talk was ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING, infused with thought-provoking facts, as well as comic relief. Toni’s impeccable time management, attention to detail, and ability to negotiate us all efficiently together through the huge crowds is a testament to his 27+ years of experience – he is certainly an asset to your company. At the end of our journey, our group was discussing a pilgrimage for next year – best recommendation ever!

Happy to share my comments.
Elisabeth ("Lisa") Murrell

You have asked us to comment and make suggestions for improvements, following our trip to Poland and The Czech Republic with Father Ligenza. First let us tell you that overall we were extremely pleased that we went on the pilgrimage. 206 Tours certainly gave us our money’s worth. Every day was jam packed with things to see and do. The highlight of the trip had to be the visit to Kurzelow, Father’s home town. The women of the parish and Father’s family put on a wonderful home cooked meal for us in the town hall complete with a band and all the trimmings. We had a wonderful time. It was like being invited to a family wedding. It was warm and friendly, and full of fun. The food and the drinks were wonderful. This evening was certainly not what one would ever expect on a tour like this.

The visits to Niepokalanov, Czestochowa and Zakapone were not to be missed. We will always remember them. We will never forget Warsaw Krakow and Prague. They are world class cities that far exceeded our expectations. Wadowice was very special because it is the home of Saint John Paul 11. To see his home and the church with the relic of his blood was something we will never forget. Another pleasant surprise was the trip to the salt mine in Wielczka. One cannot imagine that there is a church that seats 400 people and where there is Mass said every Sunday 200 meters below the ground.

In the Czech Republic we enjoyed Brno and Kutna Hora on the way to Prague. Prague is a special city. No wonder Hitler liked it so much that he decided to spare its destruction during the war. The tour of the Castle area and the tour of The Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.was excellent. Our English speaking tour guide was very well informed and the whole morning was a learning experience. The area is so full of wonderful,historical ,churches and pilgrimage sites that it must be difficult to know which ones to include in the schedule, but it is impossible to do them all and do them justice with such a tight schedule. You might be well advised to high grade the selection to a fewer number and spend more time on those you choose rather than trying to get them all in at any cost. In sum we had a great tour and learned a lot. The fact that the weather was perfect for 2 weeks, I am sure, helped this to be a huge success.

We hope you will find our comments useful and constructive. They are given in a thankful, constructive and uncritical manner. We had a wonderful time and we are glad we did it. We look forward to doing similar trips with you in the future. We are still sorting out our photos. When we are finished and satisfied we will send you some for your records.

Marg Ivanisko and Terry Moynihan

Donna,

I was very happy with this, my first, 206 Tour. I feel spiritually enriched after taking this tour. We saw a lot in just 10 days. Special thanks to our leaders. Matilda was an outstanding tour leader. She spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable about the regions, languages, and history of wherever we were. Father "Bogie" was a very good spiritual leader.

 Karl Peters

What a trip we had!I can’t think of anything we could have done to make it better. So many wonderful experiences packed into our time there.I can’texpress how great it was to have everything arranged for us to maximize our experience. Alessandro was great.He not only did a fantastic job but he did it in a way that we felt like he was a friend we had known for a long time. I hope all of our group will have the opportunity to provide evaluations so you can see how pleased we are with 206 Tours. We certainly will recommend your company to anyoneconsidering aPilgrimage. The celebration meal on Thursday night was very nice.My son Drew had arranged everything, our Bishop, vocations Director, and other guest attended.Thanks for the way it was handled. I could go on & on – but just wanted you to know how well it went & how much I appreciate the work you did to make it so.

thanks,
Mike Larkin

Dear 206,

Thank you for our wonderful pilgrimage thru Poland! Enjoyed it very much. Our tour guide was excellent. He was so knowledgeable and he totally set the tone. Our priest was great too. Hold on to that tour guide! Well done all around!

Melissa Beard

My husband and I were SO impressed with 206 Tours. Everything was just great and the service and attention to detail was extraordinary. We were on Tour 70 – Camino de Santiago. We booked a few extra days at the beginning of the trip in Madrid. We were met at the Madrid Airport by a charming young man who was professionally dressed in a suit and tie. I was impressed right away. Our tour guide, Quico, and driver, Raul, were a great team. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to be around. Our tour was small, but that made it even more intimate and we all enjoyed each other’s company so much. The places we ate, the hotels we stayed — all top notch! Since our return, I’ve told everyone about 206 Tours – I have you get some referral business, because you deserve it.

Ellen Celaya

May we start by thanking the staff of 206 Tours who helped to make our lifelong dream of Holy Land Pilgrimage come True. Indeed our special thanks go to Ms Bika Stevic whose admirable patience and understanding helped us to get over most the hurdles on our questions to live our dreams not forgetting Piernha Marc who ably replicated Ms. Stevic whenever she off duty. Although we, unfortunately, cannot put faces to the names we can only pray that The Good Lord Will Continue To Bless Them Abundantly till they are of service to us again God Willing! As for the tour proper we cannot put into words our satisfaction at the impeccable arrangements, programme, itinerary and the disciplined and efficient clock work execution thereof. Time management was faultless which enabled us to cover and see so much in just a few days. Fr. Gordon was not only a fatherly spiritual figure but a caring Shepherd who tolerated our weaknesses with rare love which helped to weave the Group of 29 into a family unit in a short time. As the only couple from Africa we felt very much at home with everyone in a short time. Yes we became a Christian Family with all the interdependence and love expected of us. Shafiq, the Tour Guide can only be described as excellent. His knowledge and ability to explain things spiritually ably complimented Fr John. The Tour was not only spirituality enriching for us but so memorable that we will always recommend 206 Tours to anyone a spiritually enriching and satisfying Pilgrimage To The Holy Land.

Mr. & Mrs. Phiri

I just returned from my pilgrimage to Paris, Rome, and Medjugorje. I just wanted to thank you all at 206 for such a well coordinated and spiritually rewarding experience I received on this (my first) pilgrimage. I think it is amazing how you coordinate all the merging and diverging tour groups into a seamless experience. I also wanted to send a thank you to our guides – Juan Carlos, Federica , Daniella, Slavenka, and Dragan. I especially enjoyed my time in Medjugorje and was delighted to be allowed unexpectedly to join Ivan’s group for the apparition of our Blessed Mother on my first day there. Thank you Slavenka for arranging that. I also wanted to thank the staff at the Hotel Grace for a wonderful stay and all of their attention and kindness, especially Ivan and Dragana. I truly hope to return to Medjugorje on another 206 tour and stay at Hotel Grace again.

Thank you and God bless you,
Francis

We had an amazing time. We were blessed to have Father John accompany us. Shafiq was the best tour guide for such a pilgrimage: he was really knowledgeable about the Bible and local history. He took really good care of us. Also, our fellow pilgrims were really special people. We are so happy we decided to go with 206 for our first time in the Holy Land.

Thank you,
Michelle & Ivan

Just a note of thanks for again putting together a most proficient pilgrimage. Everything went well; the shrine was tremendous; the hotel and food were great; Roberto is a very nice and patient guide. Excellent trip. I think everyone got much from it.

God bless,
Michael Brown

My wife Andrea and I had a wonderful time in Poland! The highlight of the trip was the spiritual leadership of Fr. Nowak. He had an amazing positive spiritual energy, and kept us focused on the real goal of the trip – bringing us closer to our Lord. He is an amazing priest – I would highly recommend his involvement in future pilgrimages! The tour guide Chris was also excellent – very knowledgeable regarding the sites on the trip. We learned so much, and gained such an appreciation of Poland and its people! I know that we will go on more 206 trips in the future, especially the Holy Land!

Brian and Andrea Beyerl

This trip was everything I imagined and more! Thank you!

Alicia

My prayer for our Discovery Ministries pilgrimage to Rome for Mother Teresa’s Canonization was that it would be a safe and smooth trip with lots of blessings. It was all that and more. Thanks to God, incredible tour guides and 206 Tours.

We had 25 in our group and once we got to Rome, I did not have to worry because Ana was beyond capable and patient with every curve ball we threw at her. She even got up at 5:30 am to make sure a handful of us found taxis.

Ulysses was so knowledgeable and passionate about his job! We never had to wait for anything. All our dinners were delicious with plenty of food and wine. Plus, we loved the variety of restaurants we went to. The cold foam towel from 206 Tours for the canonization was a lifesaver on a very hot 90 degree day.

Residenza Madre Pie’s location was ideal for our group, with less than a 5 minute walk to St. Peter’s Square. Though the rooms were a bit plain, the location, peacefulness, and lovely chapel more than made up for the lack of luxury.

Katherine, it was an absolute pleasure to deal with you. I thank you for all your patience and professionalism with all my phone calls and emails. The fact that our trip was beyond my expectations speaks to you and all those at 206 Tours that made our trip possible.

Thank you again and we would definitely recommend 206 Tours to anyone.
Barb O’Brien

The pilgrimage to Poland was excellent in large part to our spiritual leader, Father Nowak, but also our local tour guide was excellent – he was informative, funny, friendly and just as importantly, patient with the 38 of us! Overall, I felt that the itinerary was very well laid out with the exception that the last day was too rushed at Saint Faustina’s convent and Auschwitz. These two visits should have been put on different days so that we could spend more time at each location. But otherwise, it was an excellent pilgrimage.

Thanks,
Eric

It was a truly amazing experience. There was not one thing I would change. I hope to travel again one day to Medjugorje. I would pray to have Franjo as a guide again, as he is a very faithful servant bringing our Ladies message of peace with such love

God Bless,
Kelly Martin

Katherine – Our tour guide, Ana Naya, was extraordinary. She always went “the extra mile” to be with and support the group from 6 AM to midnite. Flexible, pleasant, positive, engaging, she was much appreciated by everyone. The Residenza Madri Pie was also perfect for us: in environment, location, and atmosphere. The sisters and staff were very accommodating and pleasant. For our group this experience was much more a pilgrimage than a trip. Thank you for facilitating that special dimension of our experience.

God bless
Msgr. Mannion

I just want to thank you for your assistance and let you know that we had an amazing time. Ana was a gracious host and we enjoyed having her part of our group.

Thanks,
Barbara

I would like to thank our own tour guide Ana who worked tirelessly to work with changes our Priest Msgr. Mannion made continuously. She was very concerned that everyone would have the most wonderful experience. The residence was clean, accommodating, so close to everything, we were able to walk in our own when we started to get familiar with the area. Our tour guide Ullysis was so knowledgable about every thing. He shared it in a fun way, keeping everything interesting, didn’t want to miss a word. The early box lunches, the caring and our towels to cool us were a very welcome experience we weren’t expecting. Thank you, so much for the experience of a lifetime. I will use your group again & encourage others as well. Wonderful does not really express what we all were feeling, I don’t think there are words.

God bless you

Ruth Hayes

The trip was phenomenal; beautiful places, the food was very good, the hotels and all the accommodations were just lovely. The group was just perfect, Grace, the priest, the guide and driver were just beautiful. Thank you for organizing the best and I am planning to go to Holy land next May and I am very happy to see new places. Adios and blessings to all of you!
With love,

Elodia

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you pleased we were with our recent 206 tour. Everything was absolutely fantastic! The accommodations, the food, the travel bus and particularly our tour guide Shafik! He is so full of knowledge about his country, the history, the religion, etc, etc.! The way the trip was planned out was also perfect! Hopefully we will have the good fortune of traveling with 206 again in the future!

Sincerely,
Tracey Gillett

My background was working in the travel industry for 35 years. I have been on many tours and want to say this trip was the best experience I have ever had. I know how hard you worked to make this happen. It was very evident that you paid great attention to the details that make a life time experience for many people come true. Father Brilhante was always available to everyone in the group. He even helped pushing the wheel chairs for the guests that could not walk on the tours. Never anything but a big smile and very welcoming attitude. He is a valuable asset to your company. I know many of the tour members still keep in touch with him via email. When I travel again I hope it is with Father Brilhante. Maria our tour guide was fantastic. Very pleasant and always there to help resolve any issues that might arise. Some of the issues were unusual, but she always handled them with a smile and positive attitude. Great job, well done. Thank you again for a fantastic trip. John and I both had a deep spiritual experience and will be traveling with you again.

Bill & Yvonne

Thank you, Grace, for inviting me to go on pilgrimage, and all you did to keep our group organized and running smoothly. It was my first 206 Tour, and such a spiritually enriching experience! Visiting the beautiful shrines of Canada left me feeling so close to and blessed by God. In addition, the warmth of our fellow pilgrims, the devotion and consideration of our spiritual director, and our trustworthy/intrepid tour guide and driver altogether made this pilgrimage exceptional. The journey to Canada’s shrines continues to motivate me to become the very best Christian I can be!

With love and gratitude,
Debbie Slack

Thank you Natasha and Yaritza. It was a memorable pilgrimage. The itinerary was excellent, all of us in the group enjoyed the extra day of prayer and pilgrimage at the Ermitage. All the shrines, churches we visited were impressive, more than what I expected. The scenery on the drive from one sacred site to the other was peaceful and calming. Our tour guide, Marcel and driver, Sylvi were the best. They took good care of us. I’d request for them again if the Lord wills for me to go back. There was bonding, friendship, love and caring for each other even just a few days into the trip. The listening and sharing of experiences of pilgrims, tour guide, and driver as well on how great God’s mercy and forgiving love touched our hearts. Fr. Paul, our spiritual director, almost included in his daily homilies, a reminder that all of us were there maybe with hurts or wounds in different degrees, big and small and that we had to surrender and bring them to the Lord to be set free. Someone did the Sacrament of Reconciliation, something the person hasn’t done in 30 years. She felt freedom after that. She felt loved. She was transformed. She experienced God’s mercy. She promised to see her pastor the following Monday after we went our separate ways and be active in church again. She kept saying the group changed her, but we insisted our awesome, unchanging God is the changer of hearts. I’d say then, the highlight of our trip is that the group left a mark in someone’s life. Thank you, Jesus! Lastly, I suggest that in future Canada pilgrimages, you revise the booklet. US -Canada flights are not considered international, it’s within North America. We had to pay for a check in luggage.

God bless you all my 206 Tours family. Let’s all continue to be servants of the King of Kings,
Grace Magbaleta
Renton, WA

Dear Alexis,

What can I say that hasn’t been already said about the two wonderful faith-filled, “on-fire”- “stinking like the sheep” shepherds that are Fr. Mangano and Fr. Stanganelli? This was my first ever Pilgrimage and my first ever trip outside of the United States! How blessed to have been “called by our Lady” to Medjugorje, and especially to be able to stay at Ivan’s home and be privileged to be witness to 6 apparitions in his family chapel! Ivan was the most humble of hosts, and it is quite evident that he is living his life as a true witness to Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Every minute detail was thought of in advance so that there was absolutely nothing lacking!! I know that Mary touched my heart in a very incredible way. Ivanka was the ultimate tour guide! Loved her genuine love for our Lord and Lady, her pride in her heritage was evident in all she did for our group. Our days were spent worshiping together as a community; learning about the history of Medjugorje, and visiting Wounded Family Orphanage and Cenacolo. Having known Fr. Mangano since college, it was truly a blessing to be with him as he celebrated his 32nd anniversary of answering Our Lady’s call to the Priesthood. Fr. Stanganelli love for Our Lord and Lady was evident from our meeting with him at JFK, as he “shepherded” us like the lost sheep through customs, on a full 24hr journey through 2 airports, and a 2 and 1/2 hr bus ride from Dubrovnik to Medjugorje! These two priests are just in love with our Lord and Lady and made me feel respected and loved as a Princess of God! So much peace and love was felt by me on this first ever pilgrimage that I know it will not be my last! The group was out of the world just as God would want us to be– truly loving and caring for each other- We really became a family! I’m including a picture of myself with Our Lady that was taken at the Orphanage, and also one of my photos from in front of St James Church. Again, Thank you 206 Tours and all your staff for just fulfilling Our Lady’s call to bring believers to her Son!

Sincerely,
Mary-Ellen Fosso

Dear Milanka,

I am simply writing to thank you, and your most competent staff and associates, for a very fine pilgrimage from July 18 to 27, 2016. The pilgrimage began in Prague, and continued through Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest. Every part of the trip was a success and pleasure. I commend to you the professionalism of our guide Christoph, who was most knowledgeable and agreeable. He helped in every way he could.
The pilgrims all enjoyed their experience, and I wish to convey to you the good words often spoken about their past – and present – experiences with 206 Tours. Throughout meals and conversations, there were only positive words praising 206 Tours. Not one negative word from a pilgrimage group that spanned many ages, from early 20s to 70s. It has been my consistent experience with your company that things were always well planned, accommodating, and generous. So, a simple “thank you” to you, and Piernha who was always available to assist in every way possible. I am honored to have been associated with 206 Tours for this pilgrimage.

Sincerely yours,

Fr. Gerard

Thank you for a wonderful pilgrimage. We loved every minute of it.

Audia Otto

I want to say how wonderful my tour was. I came home a changed person. The Masses at all the different churches were truly remarkable. Quico was amazing and such a joy to be around. He deserves a huge raise. 🙂 Raoul was also such a blessing. He always had a smile on his face and was ready to help with anything at any time. We had a small intimate group and we all got along so well and I think will remain friends for a long time. Father Rob is an incredible person and a great spiritual leader. Thank you for such a great journey.

Sincerely,
Caroline

I just came back from the Holy Land Tour in Israel. I didn’t know what to expect when I headed out on my journey but what I got was a lot more than I could have ever imagined. Shafiq was our tour guide and you have a gem on your hands. His knowledge / passion came across more than any of us expected on this tour – I learned more than I thought was possible. A wonderful trip!

Kim Castelli

Shafiq is so knowledgeable and so inspired. I know the Holy Spirit guides him and I am blessed to have been able to have him as my tour guide. His knowledge of scripture, history, geography, and artifacts is amazing. I am so impressed by him. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would learn so much. Shafiq has inspired me to learn even more about our beautiful faith. Shafiq is also very caring and also took great effort to ensure our safety, pointing out every stair we approached and watching out for us as we travelled thorough crowded streets. Shafiq is a man that does God’s work. The tour was amazing. I am so inspired and feel I know Jesus so closely now. Today’s Gospel was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. As Pastor was reading I thought to myself "I have seen his tomb" ! How amazing. I am so blessed by God to have been called to take this pilgrimage. Please be sure that Shafiq’s supervisors – all the way up to the company owner, see this email.

Thank you,
JoAnn

I was very pleased as a return client with 206 Tours with Tour 40 (July 10-23). My greatest compliment and satisfaction was for our Juan Carlos, our tour director. Juan Carlos did an excellent job blending his historical knowledge, Catholic spirituality and practical management skills to keep our group in a positive frame of mind during the pilgrimage. He’s a tour director you really want to keep! I would also recommend Fr. Bakey and Fr. Nienhaus as chaplains for the tours. They both related very well to all participants on the pilgrimage and were personal and did a fine job in preparing homilies for our daily masses. It is very easy for me to recommend 206Tours to others!

Best regards,
Brother Montgomery, FSC

I had found 206 Tours via an internet search. I was very impressed with the responsiveness and the thoroughness of the staffs’ response to my questions and later phone calls. We received a very thorough briefing pack prior to taking off. I appreciated your offices willingness and ability to accommodate pour particular situation (as we were flying in from Asia). The meticulous attention to detail was also evident in the arrival meeting and subsequent organization of the tour. When we needed to alter the tour itinerary (e.g., to accommodate a holiday in Jerusalem) the re-organizing was efficient and seamless. We visited all the sites promised and more. I also felt taken care of and cared for. If anything, there was too much food on the tour! I have to say a word about the tour guide, Shafik, is EXCEPTIONAL! His knowledge of salvation history and the Old & New Testaments equaled anything I’ve seen with theologians. He brought the Gospels to life. I can’t say enough good things about him. He made this a truly holy pilgrimage. He was also very gentle in style and informative to all. My wife is not a Christian and Shafik laid out salvation history and the Gospels in a way that really resonated with my wife – and indeed with the entire group. He is so rooted in the Christian history and community of the Holy land. I have a strong sense that his connections there helped greatly in facilitating our group’s having mass in the Holy Sepulchre itself- one of the highlights which I will long remember! In summary, I felt extraordinarily blessed at the end of our pilgrimage – a great guide, a kind & caring priest and a wonderful group of pilgrims. I will definitely consider another 206 Tour pilgrimage for myself and will certainly recommend you to my friends. Again, thank you and your team so much for a truly wonderful pilgrimage in the Holy Land. It really was the Fifth Gospel. Please let me know about your ability to do a dedicated Holy land pilgrimage. And please do continue to use Shafiq as a guide – he made this an exceptionally deep and spiritual pilgrimage.

God bless,
Mark Hansen and Seow Yan Ong

Good Morning!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 206 Tours Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe! This was our 5th 206 Tour and we wouldn’t use any other tour group! The guides are outstanding, the service and hotels and meals are first class, and of course, having a priest with us is the best part!
I’ve attached a photo of my husband at the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico….he has an incurable bone marrow cancer and he climbed to the top! More importantly, we felt so blessed and strengthened on our journey with cancer through the many wonderful visits to churches and shrines! There is another photo of our “group 3”….we had buddy groups to be sure we were all accounted for! Thank you for all you do! We’re already planning another pilgrimage for next year!

In the Trinity,
Nancy

To all the staff from 206 Tours,

I thank you for the excellent service. My trip to Our Lady of Guadalupe was perfect. Our tour guide Roberto was very nice. Msgr. John our spiritual director was very nice. The people in our group are all nice. This is my first trip with 206 tour. I have been in pilgrimage to Europe, Holy land and more from other tour company. I would recommend 206 Tours! In Mexico 5 star hotel, restaurants we dined in great. I give the 206 tour 9.5 out of 10 score. Continue the good service.

God Bless you all.
Marina

Hi Bika,

My husband and I had a fantastic time, this is my 2nd tour with 206 tours and so far I have been extremely satisfied coming back excited to share with the family, friends and colleagues knowledge learned, people I met, the sites visited and experiences felt during the trip and the desire to do it again. For my husband this is his first tour a skeptic and now is a converted supporter of 206 Tours and is already talking about which tour to book for next year. Monsignor Sabia such a pleasant and delightful person full of knowledge, approachable and so easy to talk to, Roberto our Tour Guide no words can describe the pleasure and the great job he did in taking care of the whole group, he is so hard working and committed that at 3:30am on our departure day he was at the hotel to ensure we got to the airport, to 206 Tours; Roberto deserves a nice bonus for his commitment to his duties, the people on the tour and the company that he represented so proudly. Until next year 206 Tours, you will definitely be hearing from us we look forward to booking with you again.

Warm Regards,
Deolinda and Gary Ramirez

Hello Bika & Melissa,

Sorry, it took me awhile before I reply to your email. Overall, the trip went well and my fellow pilgrims really enriched themselves with culture, history, and spiritually renewed. I am so happy with my group. They were all very cooperative and well behave. Yes, not always so perfect but the beautiful experience covers those minor imperfections. 206Tours never disappoint my expectations and I am willing to serve as your company spiritual director/chaplain if you need one. Again, thank you so much.

God bless,
Fr. Carlos

Yaritza,

The pilgrimage went very well. We all especially enjoyed George, our guide in the Holy Land. I was impressed by how Catholic the Pilgrimage was with the availability of Mass each day, the times for prayer and the faith-filled explanation provided by the guides. Thanks to you and the staff at 206.

In Christ,
Msgr. Baker

Dear 206 Tours,

I have been on several pilgrimages with other companies. I love 206 tours! I thought the hotels and food was above what I expected
Our tour guide, Chris was exceptional. I will definately call your company when I plan on another pilgrimage. Thank you for everything!

Darla Koch

Dear 206 Tours,

The pilgrimage to the shrines of Italy on June 6 – 19 during the Jubilee Year of Mercy 2016
was a powerful spiritual event for everyone who participated.

According to my calculation our group crossed 24 Doors of Forgiveness:
June 7 – Basilica Sacre Cuore,
June 8 – St. Mary Major, Basilica of St John the Lateran, Holy Cross,
June 9 – St Peter’s Basilica, Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, in Rome 6;
June 10 – Montecassino 1;
June 11 – Santa Maria Delle Grazie, The Sanctuary of St. Pio (The Shrine of St. Pio) San Giovanni Rotondo 2;
June 11 – Santuario S. Michele Arcangelo (the Grotto of Michael the Archangel) in Monte Sant’Angelo 1;
June 12 – the Church of St. Longinus (the Eucharistic Miracle) in Lanciano 1;
June 13 – Basilica Papale di San Francesco (St Francis), the Porziuncola, St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, Cattedrale Di San Rufino in Assisi 4;
June 14 – the Basilica of St Dominic, Basilica of St Francis in Siena (the Eucharistic Miracle) 2;
June 15 – the Baptistery and the Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta (Chiesa Primaziale Di Pisa) in Pisa 2;
June 16 – Holy Cross Basilica, Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence 2;
June 17 – Basilica di S. Giustina, Basilica Del Santo (St. Anthony) in Padua 2;
June 18 – Cathedral Basilica San Marco in Venice 1;

The organization of the tour was outstanding, and the participants composed one lovely family. We had the common prayer using the Magnificat, daily Rosary, and Eucharist at the altars in the Holy Places, which marked our incredible spiritual journey. In Italy we met during the pilgrimage the American Groups without priest, they asked me for confession. I recommended them for the future to take 206 Tours. Many times in the hotel we have the prayer before meal together with others groups.

Thank you for trusting me to be a spiritual leader for this pilgrimage
Fr. Paciorek

Hello,

I want to thank all of you at 206 Tours for your efforts and prayers to get us to Jordan and Israel when it looked impossible to accomplish that. Our pilgrimage was a blessed and spiritually invigorating, although very demanding, experience. Petra was the marvel I hoped it would be, and I am thankful that you were able to think outside the box and rearrange things to make our time in Petra possible. It was an exhausting and in some ways hair-raising rush to get to this and that airport as weather and strikes seemed to conspire against our going, but so worthwhile in the end. The private car arrangements to get us from Amman to Petra worked like clockwork, as did the arrangements you made for our additional days in Jerusalem and transfer to the airport for our flight home. Your staff in Jordan and Israel knew how to anticipate and reassure in a way that was very encouraging to us. Thank you for your efforts and prayers. All of you at 206 exhibit a prayerful commitment that is obviously not merely business.

Brian R. Seeber

You guys rock! I loved the trip to Italy. Tt was beautiful on so many levels. God Bless the work you do!

Robert deCiutiis

Milanka & Chris, Our family trip was a once in a lifetime journey together which could not have been more joyful or rewarding, perhaps because we started with mass and ended with mass. We all came away with precious memories and a more meaningful understanding of our faith. While it’s hard to top the papal audience with His Holiness, ancient and christian Rome, Florence, and the Amalfi coast, a number of us were completely taken by the treasured but peaceful majesty of Assisi and the courage and marked faith of St. Francis. Thanks for all your planning, guidance and personal suggestions in making our trip a glorious success, and for our hotel accommodations. We all loved Vanessa who is not only a skilled, outstanding guide but delivered pointed, inspiring religious messages to our family on several key occasions. In parting, she also highlighted to our grandchildren how blessed they were to be part of our family, and urged them to take advantage especially in today’s world of example and advice from older family members who have their best interests at heart. We cannot think of a greater way to have celebrated my birthday than this moving, truly unforgettable tour in Italy with all our family.

God Bless!
Gene and Mary

Our pilgrimage to Rome & Southern Italy was truly magnificent! As each new day dawned we were ready to seize the day. Beautiful vistas around every turn! Javi, our tour director, & Fr. Calloway M.I.C., our spiritual director, were the best, as were our informative guides & great drivers! I met so many wonderful pilgrims & shared lots of laughs, & memorable moments on our journey together! Thank You 206 Tours & staff for putting this tour package together! Shared pics on Facebook

LaChita (Fr. Calloways Mom)

This trip was spectacular! Thank you for asking. I have zero complaints. Javier was great and Fr. Calloway was awesome to all of us. The cathedrals and tour sites were easy to get into, food was great and we were so close to Pope Francesco. I don’t know how a trip this full of events could go so very well, but it exceeded my expectations!

God Bless,
Carolyn Johnson

Hi Amanda! Thank you for helping us plan the most amazing vacation! All of your planning and booking was perfect! The tour guides and drivers we had were simply awesome! We were able to see such beautiful sights, especially Cathedrals, churches, Montserrat, and we added more Holy Doors to our collection! It is so good to be back, with lots of great memories to hold for a lifetime! We are extremely grateful to you, Milanka and 206 Tours for helping make it all happen! Enjoy your summer and we will b thinking about attending one of 206’s Pilgrimages to Fatima in 2017!

May God Bless you,
Josie

Thank you 206 Tours for providing a beautiful pilgrimage. Participating on a pilgrimage during the Year of Mercy brought extra blessings to us. Passing through Holy Doors and ending with the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica was transforming. I have to say that the pilgrimage stretched me physically, mentally and most importantly spiritually. Having daily Mass in such historical sites brought me into a closer presence with Jesus. The tour guides were all wonderful. Our guide, Matilda, who traveled with us from the beginning to the end, was so knowledgeable and her gentle spirit and compassion always came through. One instance that stands out especially was when one day we had an exceptionally long day and she turned around and smiled at my friend and I and started the first few words of “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” That stuck with me! I now have gotten in the habit of singing it when situations are trying. I would recommend 206 Tours to anyone who is seeking to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and be transformed by His love. I would stress to anyone thinking of a pilgrimage to remember that it is not a vacation. In a pilgrimage, there is work involved in allowing God to cause a transformation within you… you are traveling down road to get closer to God. I am already saving up for my next pilgrimage! God bless all that are involved with 206 Tours!

Sincerely,
Kathi Carey

My pilgrimage to the Holy Land was even better than expected. I am grateful to 206 Tours, for all that they did, from beginning to end, to make all the many details go so smoothly. Before the pilgrimage, the staff at 206 were all very helpful and gracious to all of my questions. The material that was sent ahead of time, and its timing gave me the appropriate information to prepare for the journey.The duration of the tour, and the sites visited, met my needs and I was grateful that there were no night activities. The hotel accommodations were excellent. The meals were more than enough for me, with some of the lunches leaving me feel bad that I could not finish them. I appreciated the food that had been prepared, and did not want to waste it. I understand, though, that was a sign of the hospitality of those who prepared the food. Our Tour Guide, Shafik, was excellent and I would strongly recommend him for future tours. He had much to share, and was very clear in his explanations, and was very familiar with the Scripture. Shafik was sensitive to our needs, and very gracious in taking care of all of us. Having a small group of companions on the pilgrimage was certainly an asset. The pilgrimage was spiritually enriching to me, and I have been able to take time on my return to reflect and pray on this journey. Thank You – to everyone at 206 Tours for all that they did to make this pilgrimage a journey of a lifetime.

Gratefully,
Sr. Mary

Hi Donna, Sorry this is so late, but it is difficult getting back into the swing of things. Our trip with Javier and Fr. Bob was wonderful! Way beyond our expectations. We can’t say enough about Javier, other than we would love to sign up for another trip with him. His knowledge of history is amazing. Javier and my husband Bob really got to understanding each other by the end of our journey. "Two people cut from the same cloth" Fr. Bob was also so knowledgeable about the church and really helped us make this journey a true pilgrimage. Because of his background and the fact that he was married with seven children made it feel like he was one of us. Not a priest that lives a different life. We enjoyed the pace that was set for everyday. The hotels along the way were a welcome place to rest our feet. The San Francisco in Santiago was excellent! The food everywhere was excellent. This was the best trip we had ever taken. The only suggestion we might have is about the mass at the cathedral. It was so overcrowded. But not much you can do about that. We felt the mass before we entered the city and walking together was a perfect end to our journey. Thank you so much for such a wonderful trip! We look forward to taking another trip with 206 tours. Well done!

Maria and Bob

Our 206 Pilgrimage tour to Rome and Medjugorje exceeded our expectations! We sincerely appreciated the attention to detail and the quality of the guides and accommodations. In Rome, Alessandro (Alex) was knowledgeable, organized, helpful, and amiable. We were especially impressed with his ability to manage our group and adapt to needs that arose. He modeled respect and love for all of us every day. We were sincerely blessed to have Fr. Piotr as our Spiritual Director. The General Audience with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, daily Mass with Fr. Piotr, the Sistine Chapel, and the meals together each evening were highlights in Rome. Medjugorje is a very special, spiritual place. Our guide, Slavenka, climbed Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain with us, prayed with us, and shared information about the people and events in Medjugorje. We visited people who have been changed forever by the messages of Our Lady. Medjugorje is a spiritual journey of prayer and adoration. We have returned home with a renewed Spirit! Another highlight of this 206 Tour was sharing this journey with other Catholics. We met so many spirit-filled, inspiring people! Some were one their 2nd or 3rd trip with 206 Tours. Thank you for organizing tours that enrich our faith journey. We are looking forward to our next tour with 206!

Sincerely,
S&B G

Hi Amanda;

Our guide, Ivan, was exceptional. I have always had great guides in Medjugorje but his expertise and love of history was a great addition to the usual information given. Jelka’s pansion is the best! She and her husband, Drazon, treated us like Kings and Queens. Please push their pansion if you can as attendance has been low this year for them. The pansion is so clean, warm and welcoming. The food was fabulous. The cleaned our rooms twice while we were there even though we said it was not necessary. Everyone liked the 206 bags and they were very sturdy. One lady brought back a bunch of rocks from Apparition Hill with no problems. Sarajevo airport was VERY strict about luggage weight, including carry-ons. My big bag was 2 kilos over and they made me take items out of the bag and put it in a friends suitcase. It was a little tight on the way to Medjugorje between Munich and Sarajevo. Our flight was late and we only had about an hour to change terminals. Thankfully an attendant was waiting for our group and 2 other passengers and helped us get there. We had an awesome spiritual vacation as Fr. Peter would say. I really appreciate all your help and coordination for our pilgrimage, it was a dream come true!

God bless you,
Allison

Dear 206 Tours,

Thank you for the opportunity to share about my experience on the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land May 28 – June 7, 2016. I do not think there are enough positive adjectives to describe how wonderful the pilgrimage experience was for me. Everything was perfect down to the smallest detail.

Travel Arrangements: The flight schedules were excellent and so was Delta Airlines. I appreciated so much having the TSA – Pre-Check status for our boarding passes. Grateful too for the one piece of checked luggage allowance. Since I am not an international traveler that experience was quite interesting. Both in Tel Aviv and at JFK there were "angels" that offered assistance when Sr. Mary and myself were not sure where to go or what to do. The 206 Tour Bus was a wonderful vehicle that transported us throughout the pilgrimage. We were always happy to board it after much walking about!!!

Food and Accommodations: Everything was just wonderful in every way. The hotels were all very accommodating and comfortable. It was a real treat in Tel Aviv and in Tiberias to have a balcony to view the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The buffets at the hotels were delicious and healthy with a great variety of foods. It was a treat to be able to have a glass of wine at each evening meal. The lunches that we were served in the various area restaurants as we journeyed through the Holy Land were outstanding. Each restaurant provided so many tasty local treats/foods. Absolutely marvelous. I really enjoyed eating St. Peter’s Fish head and all!!!

Pilgrims on the Journey: Our group of 15 were just a wonderful group of people that seemed to bond very easily and quickly as we looked out for each other and enjoyed each others company. Each person was a person of faith who brought much to this journey.

Spiritual Director: Fr. Juan was a very affable person. We were all grateful to be able to celebrate the Eucharist in so many sacred spots on this journey. Each day Father would share some spiritual insights in his homily.

206 Personnel: The 206 Personnel in every way were outstanding in their knowledge and care for us.

Airport -When we arrived at the airport on Sunday (Sr. Mary and I came a day early) Anna and Joseph(?) met us at the arrival hall with the 206 sign. We were very happy to see them. We had a pleasant ride to the hotel. In checking in there seemed to have been some mix up on the hotels part regarding Sr. Mary and I arriving a day early. Anna was terrific. She was determined in her very nice and professional way that we would have the right room that evening and we did get it!

Driver – George who was our driver for the bus is an outstanding driver. He is very safe, calm, and considerate of others on the road. I was just amazed how he handled all the curves of the land and the traffic of the cities. He was just excellent.

Tour Escort – Shafik was our tour escort. As I reflect back on those wonderful days Shafik stands out. He is an outstanding escort in every way. He has a very pleasant personality, good sense of humor, and very considerate of the needs of those who are part of his group. Through his knowledge and sharing he made this pilgrimage a truly enriching spiritual experience. It is obvious that Shafik is very very well versed in the history of the Holy Land back to the very ancient of times. However for me what made it so enriching was not just the head knowledge he shared but it was obvious that he has a deep faith life, he is a man of prayer. His love of God, of Jesus, of his Catholic Faith was a true inspiration for me and I believe for all who were part of the group. It was a privilege to be in his presence as we journeyed together the steps of Jesus. He told us at the beginning that we would encounter the Fifth Gospel as we journeyed those days. As I reflect now at home, I am beginning to understand the wisdom of those words. He did all he could to make sure all was going well on our trip to the very last moment when we took us as far as security would allow him into the airport at Tel Aviv. We were truly blessed to have him as our escort on this pilgrimage.

Over all Experience – This was a life changing experience for me. I do not think I can really articulate sufficiently what these days have meant. It will take a life time of slowly unfolding all that I experienced. To walk where Jesus walked, to see what Jesus saw, to hear what Jesus heard is to receive a very intimate gift from Him that invites me to witness ever more fully to His love and mercy for us all. Thank you 206 Tour Company for doing everything possible to make this journey so gracefilled. May God bless each of you and the work you do in sharing God’s message of love with others.

Gratefully,
Sr. Patricia SBS

Katherine, I think we both felt it was the trip of a lifetime for us as husband and wife. We were truly blessed beyond our greatest expectations. The food, the accommodations, the transportation, the sites chosen, and the guides – especially the guides (including our Spiritual Guide, Fr. Calloway) were fantastic. Olga and Thomash in Poland, and Sylvia and Max in Rome were blessings for us. It wasn’t just their ability to speak English (although they did very well). It was their knowledge and friendliness that were so great. They felt more like friends to us than guides. And how could I ever forget Arthur and Massimo, our bus drivers in Poland and Rome, respectively. They handled their respective buses with such care while navigating the crowded and narrow streets – like as if they were compact cars. Incredible! Our fellow pilgrims, too, were amazingly warm and friendly. Within minutes we felt like we had been friends for some time. Your agency truly has managed to master the ability to rise above simply providing sightseeing events and turning them into spiritually blessed events. I was overwhelmed with joy at so many of the sites (including seeing our Holy Father, Pope Francis), and wept in solidarity with those who were killed at the Concentration Camp, Auschwitz.

Lastly, as I said, Fr. Calloway was a joy to be with. He was patient with all the pilgrims and never made my wife or I feel like we weren’t as much a blessing to him as he was to us. So if I had to rate the pilgrimage on a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being the highest, I would have no choice but to say that it was a 10+++! In baseball terms, it was a grand slam!

God Bless,
Kevin and Lois Dark

We have just completed our 21-day pilgrimage to All Shrines of Spain, Fatima, Lourdes, and Paris. Undoubtedly, from the moment we arrived in Barcelona and celebrating our first Mass with Fr. Eugene, we got the feeling that an experience that would be immensely enriching, both spiritually and personally, is ahead of us.

As we recall the day-to-day activities included in the itinerary, everything happened almost flawlessly. We had several memorable moments, and we are highlighting some of them. The “abbreviated” El Camino walk to Santiago de Compostela and greeting fellow pilgrims with the familiar and friendly “buen camino” was simply great! We could have walked more. Nonetheless, witnessing the Botafumeiro swung reverently inside the Cathedral of St. James, at the end of the International Pilgrims’ Mass, was a mesmerizing sight to behold! At Fatima, an experience of a lifetime was being able to lead a decade of the Rosary in English at the Apparition Chapel before the Candlelight Procession. On May 13, 2016, we witnessed the most solemn and prayerful celebration at Fatima: the 99th anniversary of the first apparition on May 13, 1917. The rain did not deter approximately 250,000 pilgrims (including locals) from attending this big event. At Lourdes, our spiritual experience was tremendously enriching: attending Mass at the Grotto with Father Eugene concelebrating; participating in the Rosary/Candlelight Processions twice; receiving the Sacrament of Penance; submerging in the healing Bath; praying the “life size” Stations of the Cross; participating in the Eucharistic Procession/Blessing of the Sick; and other activities that time allowed. Spending some time for Eucharistic Adoration at the Basilica de Sacre-Coeur in Paris was spiritually gratifying as well. And Le Mont Saint-Michel was just an awesome sight! Attending Mass with the monks/nuns at the Monastery, was a special blessing. Last but not least, “entering” about 15 Holy Doors during this Jubilee Year of Mercy was only made possible through this spiritual journey. Of course, we cannot get over some of the gastronomic indulgencies, such as partaking in the delicious pulpo dish at a Tapas place in Santiago de Compostela. And who can forget the authentic La Mere Poulard’s mouth-melting omelette at the Le Mont Saint-Michel village? La Mere Poulard is considered a high-end restaurant, but it was definitely well worth it. Unfortunately, we cannot get a “wind” of the omelette’s “secret recipe”!

This is our 5th pilgrimage with 206 Tours; so far, the best! Thank you 206 Tours staff for meticulously arranging the logistics of the pilgrimage: from the round trip flight arrangements to the choice of hotels/meals during the entire 21 days. The complimentary lunches were a most welcomed surprise. We convey our appreciation to Father Eugene Grytner, our Spiritual Director, who had kept us focused spiritually and had made us laugh constantly with his one-liners. We are most grateful to Juan Carlos, our Tour Escort…for the guidance, caring, and personal attention given to every pilgrim. His ever-accommodating ways are very much appreciated. A big “thank you” to Pedro and Nelson, our motor coach operators, for their professional demeanor and for keeping us safe and comfortable at all times. Our hats off, also, to the local guides who demonstrated extraordinary expertise in their areas of responsibilities. Well done, 206 Tours!!!

We are looking forward to another 206 Tours pilgrimage in the near future!
Ammie and Jerome Laguilles

Compliments to 206 Tours!

We wanted to say thank you for providing our group such an excellent and knowledgeable tour escort as Javier. His familiarity with the Camino shows that he is a seasoned tour guide which made everyone feel comfortable like we were one large family. His outgoing personality proved to be an added bonus. We also wanted to say Francisco, the tour escort trainee was wonderful. He was always there to offer assistance whenever needed. We know he will make an outstanding tour escort. David our driver was always prompt and cheered us on at each check point. Last but not least we were truly blessed with Fr. McElwee as our Spiritual Director. He encouraged each of us with his homilies and conversations throughout the day.Again thank you for putting together such a dynamic team. It was greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Robert and Guadalupe Rita Petrey

Hi Sammie,

I just wanted to compliment 206 Tours for the wonderful presentation of documents. I must say it is the best presentation I have seen so far in the 18+ years I have been in the travel industry! I was greatly impressed!

Have a wonderful blessed day!
Yesenia

My wife and I wanted you to know about the beautiful tour we experienced through your company. Modes of travel and accommodations and meals could not have been better.The holy sites were beautiful and spiritually uplifting. We would like to personally acknowledge our tour guide Juan Carlos. He was full of facts about the many locations and made sure that everyone was comfortable and was able to see everything.We were struck by his genuine holiness concerning the saints while still being able to make us smile. After a few days he had us all feeling like a big family. When we got to Paris it was our 44th wedding anniversary and Juan Carlos and the group toasted us with champagne at dinner. You are blessed to have him as a member of your family,

Sincerely,
Jim & Eileen

Thanks Amanda! We had an amazing pilgrimage. I can’t say enough good things about our guide Vanessa and our driver Joao. Vanessa was the best guide that Fr. Ray and I have encountered, and not by a little, by a lot. Same with Joao. He left dinner midway in Nevers to offer to drive two of us to the train station to pick up Sarah Schachterle when we couldn’t get a cab. They both went well beyond what was expected and became like family for all of us. We will definitely work with you again in the future. God bless!

Sincerely in Christ,
Rich Olon

Elise,

Wonderful experience – well managed and professional. Accommodations were first-class. Our guide and driver took excellent care of us!

Regards,
Jeanne Holderman

The whole concept of how 206 Tours can manage the intricacies and complexities of promoting and arranging a pilgrimage tour came into being and has been an enigma to us after our exhilarating and unforgettable 14 days experience, spiritually and emotionally, in our Classic Italian Catholic Pilgrimage tour. Hotel accommodations are superb. Bus tour driver is respectful, amiable, and above all very cautious. Local tour guides are well-informed, conversant, very familiar with the place and could answer any question anyone of us has. Our official tour guide, Matilde is fabulous, terrific, wonderful, well-rounded, lovable and had shown at all times that she is taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of all the members of the tour. You couldn’t ask for more. Our Spiritual Leader, Fr. Francis is a pious, accommodating, and a lovable priest whose company anybody would feel comfortable with. We have a quality time bonding with each other and doesn’t stop after the tour. We are still in touch with each other up to this point in time. Most impressive as well, is the precise, synchronized timing of the details in the itinerary. Bus pick-up, breakfast and dinner, meeting with local tour guides, masses at the churches, cathedrals and basilicas are well-coordinated, with Matilde of course on the helm.

Thank you 206 Tours.
Fernando & Zenaida Pascual

Hi Katherine,

It was a very, very memorable pilgrimage. Ana and Miguel were wonderful.

Blessings,
Pam Heid

It was a wonderful experience. Our tour guide Anna was terrific. We would certainly recommend 206 tours.

Joan Sutton

Hello Katherine,

The tour was superb – 4 stars! The accommodations were first class and the guides were both knowledgeable and friendly. Ana, in particular was a most caring and flexible person.

My recommendation would be to move back the flight time for the departure. It was no fun to rise at 2:30 am on the last day. Attached is a favorite photo from Montserrat that you may use.

Blessings,
Kelly Bransome

Hi Katherine,

My pilgrimage was fantastic with Fr. Calloway’s group to Krakow and to Rome! Fr. Calloway’s Masses are very spiritual and heart-felt with a real world message that is applicable to all of us that attend. Olga, in Krakow, worked like a tank insuring we were on track for every event. Of course, being so close to Pope Francis was spectacular! My hotel rooms in both Krakow and Rome were spotless with excellent service. The food was great in each country. Transportation was very efficient. Every tour we took was well planned with no waiting – even to the Vatican to see the Pope! We breezed through every single site. The tour guide, Sylvia, in Rome went out of her way to accommodate many of us with loaning her personal Euro’s and information until I was able to get back into my room-safe. I appreciated both tour guides personal assistance during my stay. Thank you for such in-depth spiritual pilgrimages with great service, hotel rooms and excellent food. I felt safe and in good hands the entire tour.

Regards,
Carolyn Johnson

Hi Elise,

I thoroughly enjoyed the pilgrimage! Such a memorable and spiritual experience. Roberto, our tour guide was great as was Nika, our driver. For the most part everything went very smoothly. The only glitch was lunch the day we toured the City Center. The restaurant was not prepared for us and we ended up waiting and then had to break up into smaller groups and were seated as tables became available. That was the only hiccup I recall. This is my second pilgrimage with 206 Tours (last June my wife Michele and I went to Lourdes and Medjugorje with Carmine and Lucy). I always enthusiastically recommend 206 Tours. I was talking with some of the other pilgrims on our trip and we were remarking was a great value our pilgrimage package was.

Thank you so much for making these Catholic Pilgrimages available. We plan on making future pilgrimages and using 206 Tours.

Best regards,
Rick Thomsen

Hi Linda, Sandra, & Yaritza,

Sorry I haven’t emailed before now. I think I am still processing all that we saw and experienced. It was truly a blessed pilgrimage. 22 people

who came together and blended well. Some were first timers, some who were hurting physically, some spiritually, and most in total awe! The

hotels were wonderful—great locations, top notch rooms, very friendly staff and wonderful food! Thank you for arranging all the special places where we had Mass. John & I led a decade of the international rosary in Fatima with our son, Fr. Brian beginning it with the Our Father. We also had 4 men from our group carry Our Lady’s statue. What an honor! And what a nice surprise in Montserrat. Juan Carlos was able to get us right up front. Santiago de Compostela really got our adrenaline going. Juan Carlos had us walk through the “forest” to get a real feel of The Way. We are already talking about a Fall 2017 pilgrimage there. When we entered the Cathedral of St James, I was like a little kid with my mouth open. And then the procession for Holy Mass began and out walked my son and Fr. Ray with the Archbishop from Czestochowa. Fr. Brian pronounced the Gospel in Spanish! The thurible left us speechless in the end. The farewell dinner was unbelievable!! You thought of everything. We would have been satisfied with just the appetizers, but then more food kept coming—beautiful presentations and so delicious! Juan Carlos was wonderful. Informative, fun, spiritual, and a true professional. He was compassionate and caring. When someone was struggling he was right there to help out. It seemed like we had known him for years. He definitely went out of his way to make us have a blessed pilgrimage. He paid attention to every detail making sure no one had any food that they were allergic to. The tour guides were very informative and interesting. Everyone enjoyed them—no complaints! There seems like I should say so much more, but I can’t put it into words. Thank you for all you did to make this happen. We were truly blessed by all of you @ 206 tours.

May God continue to bless your ministry—because that is what it is—a ministry!
Valerie

Our trip was absolutely wonderful and as always Slavenka was awesome. We stayed at Grace Hotel which was top notch and the staff, especially Ivan our waiter, were all wonderful. I know all of the people in our group were well pleased.

Peace be wit you,
Fr. Patrick

Dear Milanka,

Once again, thank you for your responsiveness to our concerns and for inviting Fr. Sullivan, OSA to be our spiritual director. He is a truly pastoral priest who connected and related easily with all of us and whose Masses and homilies were moving and brought us into the spirit of the Pilgrimage, i.e., a deeper knowing and loving of Jesus so as to follow him in the course of our daily lives. He has many years experience as a giver of parish retreats and missions along with his experience of being a pastor at a large urban church for many years. He relates easily, is genuine, sincere, at ease, with a good sense of humor; a mature priest who loves his ministry. Everyone in our group enjoyed his company and pastoral presence and he made himself available for private consultations. He is a real spiritual asset for any pilgrimage you may want to invite him on.

I cannot say enough about our tour guide, George! Among his many remarkable gifts is his spiritual enthusiasm and his sense of being a tour guide in the Holy Land as a ministry. His faith is very much a part of his identity as he was taught by the Christian Brothers. His love for the faith was evident in how he discussed the sacred sites and his wonderful blend of quotes from the Old and New Testaments. He is a true leader who got us to where we needed to go with humor and ease, on time and usually ahead of the crowds. He related well and easily with everyone; he was patient and kind and answered everyone’s questions. He lives in the the Old City where he an his wife are raising two daughters in the faith. Again, he is a real asset for any pilgrimage you may want to invite him to guide.

George, our bus driver, was excellent!!! He got us safely to and from all the sights. The meals, including the lunches on the road at local restaurants, and accommodations, most especially the Notre Dame, were excellent. Thanks for your hospitality on our last day by giving us some extra time in Jerusalem, the drive with George to Jaffa for dinner and then to Tel Aviv for our flight home. We have been singing the virtues of 206 Tours to all we’ve told about our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Thanks again and Christ’s Peace to you and all at 206,
Bob

I recently returned from the El Camino and must tell you that it was the best trip of my life. It started with our sweet, fun loving, intelligent guide “Val” and continued with our helpful, kind driver “Dave”. Our small group was truly diverse and we all came together to form a small loving family. The trip was super organized and Val reached out to every person insuring we were so well cared for each day. The pilgrimage was so wonderful that I truly will say it was difficult to say Goodbye. This was our second pilgrimage with 206 and I would highly recommend everyone travel with 206. The food, the arrangements, the people and places we got to see and enjoy was just over the top. I hope this email gets to Val and Dave’s supervisor to insure they realize the fantastic employees they having working and representing 206. They truly were a gift. Thank you… cannot wait for our next experience with 206… Buen Camino

Sheila Mullin

The Shrines of Italy was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. It was so well planned and thought out. Our tour guide, Matilde, was amazing. She was knowledgeable, kind, helpful, good sense of humor, and could not have been better. The bus driver, Mario, was where he was needed to be and navigated the narrow streets like the veteran he obviously was. Fr. Francis was wonderful. Such a sweet and holy man. We had wonderful Masses and he was just a joy to be around. The hotels were great and we saw places and things that I would have never have been able to see otherwise. Thank you!!

Janice Rutten

It was a very very good spiritual experience to me and to the rest of the group. It was for me part of my annual priesthood retreat and I am very grateful to have chosen El Camino. I had very deep spiritual moments thru out the walks, and when I was celebrating masses in those ancients churches and holy shrines and thru out the encounters with others walkers and conversations with the people of the group. I would like to say that our guide Balvanera, was a very dedicated lady doing an excellent job, taking care of all our needs like masses, food etc. and always present thru out the walks. Thank you very much and May God bless all of you.

Fr. Diego

I thoroughly enjoyed this pilgrimage. It was a wonderful experience. The many sites we went to were very interesting. The ruins were just unbelievable. I would have liked to see more of the modern monasteries, however. John, our tour guide was so great. He gave us so much local and Irish information. His stories were fun to hear and his singing was awesome. Father Daemon was a great spiritual father. It was wonderful to have morning prayer, the rosary in the afternoon, and mass everyday. Father would give us a “lesson” each day in our Catholic faith or interesting stories about saints and such. Morris, our coach driver, was excellent. He was a very good driver and really looked out for us. I always felt safe with him. I could say many more things about this trip of a life time, but I don’t want to bore anyone.

Peace and love.

Rosalie Webster

Dear Donna,

Concerning our Holy Land Pilgrimage, I just want to say that we were very pleased and enlightened by the experience. We were delighted and felt blessed to have George Stephan and Father Sullivan as our tour guide and spiritual director. George was outstanding in his knowledge of the tour sites. We couldn’t have been more satisfied with a tour guide. Father’s homilies were very inspirational and it was wonderful to have him with us. I was impressed with the overall tour and wouldn’t hesitate to use 206 again.

Sincerely,

Joseph C. Nistler

Dear Donna,

My friend Carol and I had an amazing Pilgrimage to Jordan and the Holy Land. Our tour guide, Sam and Talal, the driver in Jordan were great. Sam was very knowledgeable about Jordan and all the sites in Petra and was a very hospital host. He was very good about helping us with any sales we wanted to make and was always in a good mood. Talal was a great driver and we were very comfortable and safe with him during our entire visit. The accommodations and food at all the hotels were very good and the personnel were nice and accommodating. In Israel, everything worked out, the Harod’s hotel was magnificent and the Leonardo’s in Tiberias was great. Our hotel accommodations in Jerusalem at Notre Dame was fine, clean and accommodating. The tour guide, George was excellent. He was very very knowledgeable about the bible and all the sites were visited. He was humorous and made sure the group was safe and had a good time as well. We got to see a lot of important icons in a short period of time. Our driver, George, was a very good driver and kept us all safe in our travels. All in all it was an exciting and very inspiring and rewarding trip. Our spiritual director, Fr. Sullivan, was not only inspirational in all his masses, but had a wonderful sense of humor which made the trip even more pleasant. I would highly recommend 206 tours to my family and friends.

Janet K. Kralovec

I can say that “206” runs the best pilgrimages by keeping extra close to needs of the pilgrims and in getting to the homespun informational fabric of the whole experience – and I have witnessed that on the three pilgrimages I have had the privilege to lead – Italy, Israel, and now Poland.

Fr. Wilde

I loved the tour. It far exceeded my expectation. Our group was small (15) which allowed us to get to know one another so well that at the

end of the tour it felt like we had a family reunion. It was a fun group and I especially liked the spiritual guidance of Fr. Wilde, who not only led us in prayers and mass everyday but also entertained us with his great piano playing, singing and jokes. What a wonderful person! I also liked our tour guide Jan who was very well versed in all things Polish, from history to folklore to customs and culture of Poland. He was also very responsible and got us to all the places that were in the agenda despite having to juggle National holidays and pilgrims being stuck in the USA because of weather issues and flight delays. Our driver, even though he did not speak much English, always greeted us with a bright smile and was such a gentleman. I loved everything about this trip.

Maria J. Chiu

Dear Donna,

Our 206 tour to Israel (May 1-10) was outstanding in every way. The accommodations, the food, the driver, the tour guide, the spiritual advisor, and, of course, the sites. Many thanks to 206 for arranging such a complete and fulfilling journey. We are especially indebted to our guide, George, who is a true Biblical expert, and Fr. Sullivan, whose homilies were especially poignant and enjoyable. It was a wonderful way of getting to know Christ and his story more intimately. It was more than a tour; it was the journey of a lifetime.

Regards,

Larry and Carolyn Keith

God certainly called us to this tour of Jordan & Israel. It has renewed our desire to learn more about our Catholic faith, read more of the Bible, & attend more daily Masses. Ed was our wonderful guide & Bible Historian in Jordan for the 4 of us, which included Fr. Murphy. Our driver was very good, & safe in transporting us. Our April tour had perfect weather for riding camels in Petra, climbing ancient Roman ruins & a Crusader castle. It was an adventure crossing the border into Israel, and Ed was extremely helpful in the process. It was thrilling to be in Nazareth, to renew our marriage vows at Cana, & overlook the Sea of Galilee & ruins from our Hotel room. Everywhere we went was jaw dropping–"We’re really here?" Masses were celebrated at most of the Holy Shrines, including near the Grotto of the Nativity, aside the Rock of Agony, outside of the Church of the Beatitudes, & inside the Holy Sepulchre, a very special honor. We walked so many sites where Jesus had taught & lived, put our hands over the place where Jesus was born, & where His cross had stood on Golgotha. We said our Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa at 5am, dark & peaceful. It was a lot to process, but the highlight was receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist at these Holy Sites. Thank you to Fr. Murphy, George S. our Israeli tour guide, & George our experienced driver. Never once did we feel unsafe, even when walking in Jerusalem on our own. There were no extra fees, no unpleasant surprises on these tours, & great Hotels, the jewel being Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, directly across the street from the Old City’s New Gate, which we were able to take advantage of 3 different times. 206 Tours had great organization, with a terrific itinerary, and presented us with so many outstanding experiences, a lifetime of Blessings! Thank you!! We have pictures to send at a later date.

Ed & Susie Arthur

Our pilgrimage with 206tours was excellent!

We had the blessing of having 2 priests or spiritual leaders in our trip. Fr. Jason and Fr. JohnBosco have such big hearts! They were very kind and helpful. They even volunteered to push my mom’s wheelchair a few times! They didn’t have to, but they insisted. Our tour guide, Valvanera, was excellent! She has such a kind heart, always in a happy mood, ready to help and made sure everybody’s needs were taken care of. She is one of the sweetest and most humble person I have ever met, one with a golden heart. She went above and beyond her duty to help not only my mom, but also my dad in obtaining a wheelchair and assisted him during our tours. Our driver, Miguel, was the best driver ever! Everybody was impressed on how he was able to maneuver such a big tour bus in some of the narrowest roads and streets you can ever imagine. He was also very sweet, nice and helpful. The hotels, food, local tour guides, places we went to were also all excellent! Everybody in our group, both pilgrims and 206tours staff, were all very kind. Truly, truly good people. My parents enjoyed this whole pilgrimage tremendously, which was what I was hoping for. This tour was something all of us will cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank you 206tours for being part of this wonderful memory! May our Lord Jesus Christ and our Mother Mary continue to bless you!

Charissa

Dear Sammie,

We thank you for all of your help with planning our pilgrimage. Steve, Mary and I have arrived home. Mark is in Prague. His checked baggage did not arrive. I am working with the insurance company about the continued delay. I told him to go shopping and purchase clothing and whatever he needs for his stay in Prague. Our tour guide, Valvanera was fabulous. She paid attention to every detail and was smiling and kind through any challenges. The minor challenges were not the fault of the tour, but outside events. We had a very friendly and congenial group of people. I enjoyed every single person. Father Jason was great! I hope you invite him to lead other groups. I will definitely recommend 206 Tours to my friends and others who are considering a pilgrimage.

Sincerely,
Carol

Stefanie,

Wow, what a trip! This tour exceeded all our expectations, it was really hard to come home. Ann and I grew in our faith throughout the pilgrimage and were so blessed with our priests and tour guides. Father James was great and it was hard not having him at mass with us back home. So many outstanding examples of Saints who demonstrated what can be accomplished through faith and humility. Tony was AMAZING in all respects. He did everything you could ever ask for as a tour guide and he felt like family by the end of our trip. Lourdes was such an overwhelming experience, lots of tears and hard to put into words. I can’t wait for our next 206 tour and would highly recommend your service to anyone who asks.

Mark and Ann Chisam

Dear Amanda,

Our trip to Italy was wonderful. We arrived home Sunday afternoon. The flights to and from Italy were smooth as silk. The drivers in Rome and Assisi were excellent and made us feel so comfortable and welcome. They were Maximilio and Silvio. We loved the Hotel Della Conciliazione. It’s location so close to the Vatican is excellent and the staff were always friendly and helpful. Thank you for all of the preparation that you did to make our trip flow so easily. I appreciate all of your help.

Mary Inghilterra

On behalf of the St. Michael Staff, I wish to express our gratitude for such a marvelous experience in the Holy Land. Several of the pilgrims have already considered a second visit to Israel with 206. A sincere thanks to the 206 tour staff for all their efforts in arranging our Pilgrimage, always so enthusiastic and most helpful. Our Pastor, and Spiritual Director Fr. Fabio enriched our spiritual journey throughout the pilgrimage and is grateful for celebrating masses in the most treasured places. Furthermore, a big thanks to our tour guide Nadi who made us all feel like family. He was always very attentive to our group. Traveling to the Holy Land is a life changing experience! Having good staff and good companions is an extra blessing. We strive to promote 206 tours, and are currently doing so for another parish’s pilgrimage.

Araceli

Amanda,

So here it goes, our trip was very nice, Father Carroll being our Spiritual Leader , we could not ask for more. However, our guide Alessandro, was one of a kind. From the moment we met to the last at the airport was an incredible experience. Truly involved in the well being of all the pilgrims, anything anyone needed (if any at all) was taken care of from him. Did we come back spiritually fulfilled? We did. If there was any thing that could be better in the future would be to NOT to have only one night at the Hotels, is very tiring to fix suitcase every night to be put outside to be picked up. However. the suitcases were in our rooms as promised.

Would I recommend 206 to others

Ciao,
Rita Faudale

Hi Bika,

Thank you and everyone at 206 Tours for arranging my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was a wonderful spiritual journey that I will always treasure. Everything was perfect, from the holy places we visited to the excellent accommodations, meals and transportation. I would especially like to thank Father Connolly, our spiritual director. His devotion to Christ, his enthusiasm and his knowledge of the Holy Land made the pilgrimage even more special. I will send some photos soon.

God bless you,
Terry

Amanda,

The pilgrimage was exceptional. We visited a lot of interesting places that were spiritually uplifting. We had Alessandro for our guide and I can’t imagine anyone that could have been better. He was always very patient and attentive and answered our questions as best he could. He was very involved and even served as an altar boy for Father Carroll at daily mass. It was a very busy 10 days but well worth it. I can’t think of anything that could have been done better. Thank you for all you did to make our tour successful.

Best regards,
Maurice & Lillian Oubre

Thank you for your email, we simply was overwhelmed with the experience you provided to us. Father Murphy, George the tour guide and George our driver, well you hit a home run, grand slam home run. I can not imagine having a better team to introduce us to the Holy Land. Our fellow pilgrims were a delight to be with. We will recommend 206 Tours to our friends, no doubt! We give you 4 1/2 stars, not 5 stars because the hotel in Tel Aviv needed some upgrading. Other than that 5 stars!

Thank you so much for exceeding our expectations!
Tom Montalbano & Mila Sumabat

Good Day Ladies,

I had a wonderful time on the pilgrimage to Poland. I thought the trip was well planned out. Everything was up to my expectations. It was very organized and action packed. The meals were good. Hotels were extremely nice. I wouldn’t change a thing. And yes I would definitely go on another pilgrimage with 206 tours. I will be looking out for the holy land tour! Thanks for a great experience. I thought the trip was well worth the money!

God Bless,
Marie Lewandowski

Just a quick note to tell you how much we enjoyed the tour. It was not only a wonderful time to learn and explore, but an even more important time to grow spiritually. We look forward to joining tours in the future. Of course, our wonderful Fr. McDaniel and Deacon John made the tour very special. Plus all the wonderful shrines we visited, were so impactive. But we couldn’t let this experience go by without a word of thanks and gratitude to our guide Inez, who went far above what duty commands to make this tour so wonderful for our whole part. she is an exceptional and loving person, who showed her love and concern for each of us. She set such a positive environment, that none of our party became upset with the little things that go wrong in such a trip as she took care of all of these promptly and efficiently, so that we were able to concentrate on the pilgrimage and what it meant to all of us and as individuals. She was so living that many of us wanted to adopt her and take her back to the USA with us. We also thought all of our bus drivers were superb. We couldn’t believe how they could maneuver in such tight spots throughout the trip. We couldn’t let such a wonderful job go by without a word of thanks.

Chuck

Hi Amanda,

Thank you for allowing me to be a late entrant into this tour. I had a wonderful time. I especially enjoyed all of the beautiful locations that Father McDaniel was granted permission to say daily mass. Being able to go to mass in the Grotto at Lourdes was especially nice. Some of the other old churches were also amazing. I also loved the scenery especially at Rocamadour and Conques. The Alps at La Salette was also nice but since it was snowing we could not see very much of the Alps. That was a little disappointing but definitely not 206 Tours fault. We were able to have a snowball battle there though and that was fun. Our guide, Ines, was outstanding. We all enjoyed her very much and she is very knowledgeable. I would love to tour with her again

Thanks
Marilyn McGuire

This entire tip was awesome! Vanessa was the perfect tour guide.She was so knowledgeable and caring.She made sure everyone was comfortable and safe.Mario the bus driver was her perfect assistant.Father Vetrano was very best spiritual leader.I looked forward to his daily masses.cant wait to go on another pilgrimage

Mary

Hi Elise,

Yuki and I had a fantastic time and appreciate the excellent service at the hotel. Our tour guide Roberto was very good, patient and helpful. He did a great job. We appreciate everything also to Fr. McShane, Jennifer and Dolores from Ely, Nevada. Thank you so much. We will recommend 206 Tours to our friends.

Grace Torres

Dear Amanda,

As a part of Fr. Vetrano’s pilgrimage to Italy I would like to express my thanks for a wonderful experience. We were so fortunate to have a wonderful Tour Guide. Vanessa was so knowledgeable, so caring and more than any of us could have hoped for. We had a great group which made the whole experience unforgetable. Thank you for your part in making it great!

Bonnie (Margaret ) Medler

Amanda,

I have been looking forward to speaking with you and telling you what a wonderful pilgrimage we had. Everyone was so pleased all you did to make our time in Italy perfect. I can’t say enough about our guide Vanessa. She was thoroughly professional and guided our group with a cheerful attitude, unceasing kindness, and a great sense of flexibility and practicality. Her knowledge of history, religion, and culture was first rate. The accommodations were super. All the restaurants selected were good quality and each had a very authentic and local flavor.
Having wine included was appreciated by all! Very happy with all you have done to make this trip special!

Fr. Vetrano

Hi Elise,

Thank you so much for everything! It was "the journey" of my life! Spiritually and in every other aspect, everything was perfect! The hotel, the food, our tour guide Slavenka who was funny and full of great stories to tell, and even Ivan the waiter at the hotel who took the time for giving me recipes of the best Croatian soups I’ve ever tried. I enjoyed every minute at Medjugorje. And Wayne, the best! He was such a blessing! Many many thanks to 206 Tours. Hopefully this is the first of many Pilgrimages I will go on with your group. Thanks a lot!

Malena

Katherine,

Our pilgrimage was fantastic. What a memorable experience to spend Divine Mercy Sunday at the Shrine of Divine Mercy with Father Calloway! All the places we visited are so important to my wife, Peggy, and I’s spiritual lives in relation to Saint John Paul II, Sister Faustina, Maximilian Kolbe, and Divine Mercy. This pilgrimage made maximum use of time in order to visit the most sites possible. Our guide, Bart, was very knowledgeable and very proud of his country. He was always looking after our best interests and was always available to answer any questions we may have had. Our driver was very professional and helpful. He was very good at maneuvering in and out of tight spots and getting around traffic. The places we visited on this pilgrimage have such significance in the life of the Catholic church and Divine Mercy! In other words, this pilgrimage is well-organized in order to visit them all!

Thanks again to you, Katherine, and the staff at 206 tours for all your efforts.
Greg Terrebonne

Dear Natasha, I can’t tell you how much I love you folks at 206 Tours! Your organization is different from any other I have dealt with over the years.

God bless,

Tom
Seven Seas Voyages

This trip was by far the best experience of my life. Having done this just before Easter has had such an enormous impact on Holy Week so far. I also want to comment on the staff we encountered. Our guide Hasam was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and caring for our needs. I can not overstate the praise I have for him, he is exceptional. In addition our driver Raid was fantastic. I drive a large school activity bus here in Colorado and understand the pressure and stress he is in. I would never even attempt to drive in the situations he calmly negotiated us through. He was friendly, professional, and very helpful. It was a wonderful trip.

Tim

Amanda,

Thank you! I’ve not yet had time to go through my photos, but would love to share 1 or 2 of the more memorable. The trip was AWESOME and the whole pilgrimage was spiritually enriching, it would be too difficult to single out any one thing. I would like to thank you & of course Fr. Grady & Marcie for all of your hard work. I would like to say a special thank you to our guide Javier who made our experience even more special through his knowledge & expertise. I brag about him every time I come home from one of these pilgrimages (it is our 3rd time with him as or guide) and to our driver for getting us to our destinations safely & in a timely fashion. I would be remiss if I didn’t also say a thank you to all of our daily guides. Thank you again, GOD Bless

Richard White

Milanka,

We returned this week from our pilgrimage to Rome and, as expected, the trip was magnificent! (If you could do something about managing the weather, it would be perfect!) Everyone had a great time and the entire pilgrimage was enjoyable. We had a few elderly women from Msgr. Avila’s parish who thought they could walk more than they actually could! However, with a little help from everyone, they completed the pilgrimage. (The elderly enjoy complaining, but they all had a good trip!) I can’t say enough about Alessandro, our guide. He was so attentive to the group, including the elderly. He was always with a smile and ready to help in any way. He anticipated our needs and reached out to those who needed help. Of all the guides I’ve had on 206 tours, he’s by far, the best! (I hope his tips from the group reflected it!) We talked about a trip to St. James then Fatima for my next pilgrimage. I hope he can be the guide! Thanks for putting together a memorable trip for us, again!

Peace & blessings,
Fr. Craig

Cc: Nora Werra

Donna,

We find, that since we returned home, that we are constantly impressing our experiences upon people…we simply can’t stop talking and showing photos…and we have only been home but a couple of days…just consider how much more we will share in the months to come!
Our priest/host, our local guide and our driver…and all of our on-site guides…the hotel and dining staff…the LOT and airport staff…staff in shops and restaurants…and in the churches and the several settings we visited…truly, everyone we had encountered, both en route and while in Poland, made us SO comfortable, informed, supported and welcome, everywhere we went. All aspects of the program and its execution came off without reason for complaint, which is something easy to say if one is only around a place for a day, but we visited many venues in our trip…and our journey was never tainted with complaints from our end…and we have been traveling widely for decades. We intend to share our experiences with all who need to hear our tales and will encourage others to visit Poland and our itineraries, with a positive endorsement of your organization’s team and their skills. We need to look into other itineraries you offer to see whether they can manage to trump this Polish pilgrimage. We were so pleased to be on a Pilgrimage to Rome years ago with our Milwaukee diocese’s leader, now Cardinal Dolan in NYC, while JPII was still in the Chair of St. Peter, literally with my bride at his elbow one day, in a group photo op..perhaps that is why she leads such a blessed life? So, our "following in JPII’s footsteps" on this trip was a great spur to our making this trip. Perhaps another of your future itineraries will try to match up to this excellent experience?

Thank you for the experience!
Jude Werra

It was a pleasure dealing with 206 again. All travel arrangements went well, going and returning home. Our itinerary was excellent and we were exposed to a lot and learned a lot. Lodging accommodations were very good and staffing was efficient. The sites we visited were interesting and informative. I have a new appreciation for the Polish folks and all that they have endured over the years. I now have the three Saints that were highlighted on this Pilgrimage on my mind. Our main tour guide, Kris, did a super job and I liked his low-keyed, soft-spoken mannerism. He kept us together and kept us informed. We were busy, busy, busy and I liked that; we made the most of our time in Poland. I knew Fr. David and have traveled with him before and it was a pleasure to travel with him again. I attend daily Mass and appreciated having Mass daily at the various churches we visited. I can tell you that the other folks on the Pilgrimage loved Fr. David, especially his easy laugh and easy interaction ability. Looking forward to another 206 Pilgrimage.

Bobbie

Donna,

Cecile and I throughly enjoyed the 206 Tour pilgrimage Guadalupe and Mexico City 3-8 March, 2016. Roberto was fantastic, always organized, and very helpful. When a purse was stolen from one of the fellow pilgrims, Roberto handled the situation with quiet confidence, resolving the many issues involved in reporting the incident and restoring essential documentation so she could return home on time at the end of the trip. He also went out of his way to help us recover a camera we accidently left on the bus the last evening of the pilgrimage. He should be commended on a job well done. Father Peter did a great job as the Spiritual Director. Father Peter took his role very seriously but his approachable and outgoing manner made the trip a very pleasant and relaxing pilgrimage. We are looking forward to our next trip with 206 Tours and would love to go on another trip with Father Peter.

Gene and Cecile Pfeiffer

Hello Amanda,

We had a very blessed pilgrimage for which we are so grateful. We had a most wonderful tour guide, Alessandro. He could not have been better! And, of course, Fr. Steve and Fr. Pregana were excellent spiritual guides. My favorite part of the pilgrimage was having Mass every day in all those beautiful, historically rich, sacred spaces in Italy! Hopefully we can join another 206 tour some day!

Sue & John Caughey

We had a wonderful time on our pilgrimage and we found 206 tours to be a superb company.Your company is excellent and goes above and beyond from the first communication to find out information about the pilgrimage, all the way to making sure that we were all set for our trip.Melissa and Donna provided excellent service. Juan Carlos was exceptional as our guide and provided so much great information.
Monsignor Brian was wonderful as the spiritual director and as a priest.Everything was amazing and 206 provided everything they said and with great integrity.

Thank you very much,
Claudia

Hi Yaritza,

The pilgrimage was excellent. Our local guides, Roberto and Pablo, took really good care of us. I have attached a photo below of our farewell dinner at Mexsi Bocu. Thanks again for an excellent, spiritual experience.

Blessings,
Susie

Hi Yaritza, May I say thankyou to all of you at 206 tours for a very enjoyable pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Dr Scott Hahn in January 2016. There were many highlights but the unexpected blessing was the tour of Magdala site and mass at the stunning church on this site. Given that there were many more women than men on this tour this diversion was most welcome for many of them and in many respects healing. It would be nice if somehow it could be incorporated in the tour. Jesus’ relationship with women is a welcome discovery on this pilgrimage.

Blessings,
John D O’Malley

Dear Elise,

I am back for two days now but still floating from my 206 Tour to Mexico City with Dr. Marshall and 40 happy pilgrims. The pilgrimage was magnificent for the following reasons: #1 It was highly spiritual– daily Masses and prayer opportunities in some of the most beautiful sacred spaces of Mexico. #2 It was educational–I learned so much about the history of Mexico, especially as to how it relates to Catholicism. #3 It was fun–the camaraderie between the pilgrims at mealtimes etc. was something to celebrate. Thank you for this amazing opportunity with the expertise of Dr. Taylor Marshall, our knowledgable, courteous guides Roberto and Pablo, the jovial Padre Diego and Fr. Mangum.
P.S.–Great hotel choice and last night celebration dinner at Mexsi Bocu was terrific!

Sherry Eastwood-Falls
"un monde fou entre nous"

We did this pilgrimage with Scott Hahn and cannot tell you how wonderful it was. We were on the Blue bus with Usama and Father Holland. We are doing our very best to promote your tour company. We can truly say this was the best trip we have ever had. Now the bible comes alive for us.

Ann Whitman

My husband and I have just returned from the Feb. 4-9 pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe with Dr. Marshall. We could not be happier with our experience. The trip was full of interesting and exciting experiences. The hotel was excellent. I especially want to say that Pablo and Roberto, our guides, were the best. They were very knowledgable and ready to help us in any way they could.

Sincerely,
Mary Ellen Curry

Usually, expectations for an experience foil to live up. However, the 206 Tour to the Holy Land exceeded our lofty hopes. Fr. Kampschneider led us with knowledge and spiritual insights that came from his experience of God and profound preparation. Our tour guide, George, was personable and joyful and so well prepared with his wonderful educational background. Adel was the best driver we have ever seen. The cohesiveness and care and concern for each member of the group was amazing. This was a mountain-top experience and superb every way. Hats off to you for all the planning!

Sincerely,

Ralph and Carol Kramper

Dear Yaritza,

Our feedback is that the pilgrimage was absolutely wonderful and we are highly recommending 206 Tours and visiting the Holy Land to all of our friends and family members. We are very impressed with the high level of service and quality of the experience that you provided. Just one very minor point would be that it would have been helpful to be reminded in advance to be prepared to donate through the daily collections at Mass. Even now, it would be nice to know how to support the Holy Land shrines through financial donation. God bless all of you for the work that you are doing.

Brad and Janet Morris

Melissa,

The Holy Land Tour was awesome! We have decided that nothing could ever be any better! We loved George, our guide and our bus driver Adal. George has so much knowledge to share, I couldn’t write fast enough. We felt so fortunate to see all the places they took us. Of course Fr. Kampschneider is a wonderful shepherd. We learned so much and truly felt as if we were walking the way of the Lord. We have yet to go through all our pictures but will certainly share if anyone stands out above the other. They are all precious to us. Thank you! It couldn’t have been any better!

Tom and Margo Meehan

Melissa,

We were pleased with our trip to the Holy Land. 206 Tours went beyond our expectations as far as the planning and preparation. The accommodations at both Tiberius and Jerusalem were great choices and both comfortable rooms and excellent food. Father Kampschneider was an excellent spiritual leader and we appreciated the locations where we celebrated masses. George, our guide was outstanding. His knowledge of the Bible, archeology and the land allowed him to share so much with us! I felt totally safe touring the Holy Land under his care. The places he picked for lunches were excellent choices. Our bus driver, Adel, was the best. He maneuvered the bus with ease through many a narrow and winding road. I would certainly choose 206 Tours again when we plan our next adventure! Thank you for making this pilgrimage an experience of a lifetime.

Denise McCoy

Yaritza:There are no words to adequately describe our Holy Land pilgrimage. This was a spiritual journey and the Holy Land has come home with us.
Here is a photo of two of the great blessings on our journey, Scott Hahn and Sister Magdalit walking down the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane. Scott is reading the Gospel and Sister is leading us in song. This is the pilgrimage in microcosm. Scott blessed us with wisdom and insight into what we saw. Sister and our spiritual directors helped us focus our hearts in prayer and praise and, thus prepared, we walked where our Lord walked, knelt at the foot of the cross and wept on our knees as Fr. Luke walked out of the Holy Specular, elevated the host and proclaimed “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. We marveled, we prayed, we sang, we danced, we shared our hearts over meals with brothers and sisters in Christ. We will always have this with us. Two comments to make. First, Sister Magdalit was absolutely fantastic. The yellow bus was in love with her after one day and she became our guide, our mentor and our friend. She is the best. Second, we have never experienced the level of professionalism and competency displayed by 206 Tours. Every aspect of the trip was well planned and executed and when circumstances demanded flexibility, things happened and were expertly done. Bravo and thank you. This outstanding service allowed us to focus on our pilgrimage experience and not on the logistics of travel. It was noticed and deeply appreciated and is just as much a blessing to the pilgrims as every other aspect of the trip. Toda.
We will be traveling with you again.

Shalom,
Dean and Linda Waldt

Many blessings to you, This Pilgrimage was unbelievable I’m still waking up at 3 or 4 am wanting to to start the day. I go to sleep and dream of every place we went where Jesus walked, preached, suffered, died, rose and walked on water. I loved every day. I enjoyed our meals very much and our rooms.And our green Bus well, He had the best patient, Our tour guide "Jiovanni "I have ever seen and the smartest. God put me in the right tour bus the right pilgrimage and in the right place. May God continue to bless 206 TOURS! I pray that in the future I’m able to do it again. Love,

The Godino’s

Dear 206 Tours,I’m sure my group leaders have thanked your team formally on our behalf but I wanted to express thanks at least one more time.
In particular, I wanted to thank again our tour guide Shafik, whose charism seems impossible to separate from the amazing experience of the sights and sounds of the Holy Land. I am happy to recommend him and 206 Tours with their package of excellent organisation and handy resources to future pilgrims.

Peace,

Seminarian Tyron

Hello,

We had a wonderful time! 206 Tours organized this trip perfectly. The Franciscan priest was wonderful, the driver was excellent and the tour guide was very funny and well informed about the history. The people were very nice everywhere we went. Thank You again!

Sincerely
John & Elizabeth Gonczol

Hi Yaritza, I love the idea of keeping in touch! Yes! this trip has always been a lifelong dream of mine and I finally realized it! There were so many great places and memories that touched me, it would take a whole book to list them. Our tour director, George, was the best!! I made many friends along the way and shared so much. I will definitely recommend 206 to anyone interested in a Pilgrimage! Again, everything was so organized and went so smoothly, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Jesus Himself was definitely in this all the way!

Thanks again,
Jere Allen

The trip was incredible. Words cannot easily convey how it touched our hearts and souls. Masses were meaningful thanks to our wonderful priests. Thanks for all the hard work and a pilgrimage of a lifetime.

Thanks again,

Kerry and Laura

Hi Yaritza, What an incredible pilgrimage Debbie and I had! I tell everyone that on a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10. The 206 team could not have served us better. The travel arrangements, the hotels, and the food were flawless. The ability to have Mass said at all the important sites without having to compete with other tours was totally unexpected. All the priests were inspirational. Scott Hahn never stopped amazing us with his wisdom and insight. And last but not least, the "Red Bus" led by George was beyond expectation. He took care of each of us like a shepherd–it was obvious that he treats his job as a ministry, and loved doing it. We could not ask for more. Yaritza, I have one request. Although we were able to get a number of emails from fellow travelers, we did not get all we wanted. Would it be possible to send out an email asking everyone if they were willing to share their email addresses, and then send out a list to all those who said "yes"? I think that would really be appreciated by most of the attendees. Thanks so much for all you did to make this trip of a lifetime happen. We look forward to participating on another206 pilgrimage in the future.

In Christ,

John

Yaritza,

Just wanted you to know we really enjoyed our trip with Fr Calloway 12/26/15 through 1/4/16. The weather could have been a little better (cold, windy, and rainy in Jerusalem) but it did not keep us from seeing everything on the plan. The accommodations were excellent. Food was also very good. I am going to attach a couple of pictures. The files are large, so you might need to be patient. Thanks for working so well with Sandy to get everything just right.

Dan and Sandy McKenzie

No time now to elaborate. But in short it exceeded all my expectations. I will highly recommend 206 Tours to all my friends and family. You all took such good care of all of us, including my roommate and me when I had to go to the emergency room the first night due to a cat scratch. Can’t thank you enough.

Sheila

Cc: Sandra Lippold

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for the wonderful pilgrimage! It was awesome! The whole thing was planned with graces and blessings. I really appreciate all the behind the scenes work that you did. The flow of the entire pilgrimage was flawless. I am so happy with all that happened!

With the love I received at the Holy Land,
Dr. Knight

Our trip to the Holy Land with Fr. Calloway was absolutely wonderful. Fr. Calloway is a very gifted priest and spiritual leader. Our guide, Jack was amazing. His knowledge and resourcefulness was beyond any expectation. Daily, with our agreement, he adjusted our schedule to secure last minute opportunities for the Holiest places to offer our daily Mass. I never heard him say no to a request. He always found a way to offer us the best. He worked around the stormy weather until we had a calm day for the Sea of Gallilee. I just can not say enough about how he enhanced our journey. Our driver, Nazee, was also superb. As someone who gets easily motion sick, I greatly appreciated his smooth driving and skill at maneuvering to bus. Staying at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem was a real blessing too.

Arleen Funk

Dear Rinda,

I am writing you to let you know of how overjoyed my family and I are about the tour. The experience was amazing and the effects of it undoubtedly indelible. What greatly contributed to such a wonderful experience was the tour guide. Mr. Shafik was very professional and knowledgeable. To refer to him as a tour guide would not do justice to the service he provided. He has a wealth of information about history, archeology, culture and geography. This is not uncommon for a tour guide. However, it is rare to find someone who is able to tie it all in with the Holy Scripture and the Catholic religion. During the tour, I have had the chance to listen in to the other pilgrims’ various tour guides in more than a few occasions. I must say that they paled in comparison to Mr. Shafiks’ ability to share a trove of information while delivering these facts in perfect English. Lastly but most importantly, he was inspirational. I speak for the group in saying that he left all of us in awe of God and his works. We were left with seeds of wonder of the Old and New Testaments which touched our souls like it never did before. I would hope that Mr. Shafik continues to touch more souls through your tours. Thank you again for a such an amazing and life changing experience.

Sincerely,

Dr. Verzosa

206 Tours,

Thank you Thank you Thank you !!!! for a most awesome Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and more. Your pre-planning details, the individual organized travel packets,the token crosses, the tour itself (which exceeded our expectations), Naddie, our tour guide, your post emails follow ups and the various certificates we received make 206 a one of kind unique agency that is above all others.

The staff at 206 needs to be commended. Your no question too small to ask policy- was evident when it came to sending a photo of the proper adapter to use while in Israel.The use of individual headsets was a perfect tool. Thou we were a group 12 + Fr Tah. Our group became known as the 12 disciples + 1. We came as far away from Australia, Washington, California, Colorado & New York. Strangers who bonded instantly as family. Even outsiders thought we were from the same parish. Naddie,our tour guide is a great person and a new found friend. He truly loves what he does. His is an encyclopedia of knowledge, well respected by ALL sects of people, full of humor and spontaneity, (he stopped by road side to pick a branch from a thorn bush) his words of caution, his attentiveness to each one in our group was always a priority from arranging special dietary meals, a lunch when Sr. Mary as he would call her had to remain behind on one of the tours, to switching out a room, or being that extra arm of walking support for Sr makes Naddie is a keeper an asset to 206. What could one say about our Spiritual Guide- Fr. Tah – nickname aka- Fr. Murphy you selected for us. What a blessing. This man truly was sent by God. It was his 1st pilgrimage on this tour as like the rest of us. Who can ever forget his humor, his sermons ,his singing voice, look of awe, his prayer fullness and of course his daily quote: “God is Good – God Loves You” He touched not just us, but others who came in contact with him. To see joy radiating from him in spite of the hardships and learning on a news channel of the devastation & massacre of his home village in Africa. We forever remember him in our prayers as he begins to serve in a few weeks as a US Army Chaplain. We ask anyone who reviews this letter to go to his website he founded Fountains of Compassion: Fountainsofcompassion.org to consider financial support for his mission.

So, if you are like me I went through various tour sites listed in my local diocesan & parish bulletin it was pure luck I found 206.
I knew this was the one for us and you too. Go for it You will be truly amazed by what 206 has to offer and so glad you chose them over all others. They are my #1 tour group.

God Bless,
John & Danette Vanover, California
Sister Mary Angelee Kowalik, Texas

Hello Yaritza,

First of all, we would like to thank you all in 206 Tours for the wonderful service from booking the trip to the end of the trip. My husband John and I were very lucky to have joined Fr. Calloway in this unforgettable journey that took us through the footsteps where Jesus walked along with our Blessed Mother Mary. We enjoyed every minute of the tour, the sites, the food ( excellent), and the inspiring and powerful homilies by Father Calloway. We were very blessed to have had Fr. Calloway as our spiritual guide, Jack our knowledgeable tour guide, a walking encyclopedia,( Jack you are the best!!!), and Nazeed, a great bus driver and his great smile. We really enjoyed the fabulous dinner/party on New Year’s Eve , a nice surprise, thank you 206 Tours…. We have received so many blessings and graces throughout our pilgrimage. With God’s guidance we will radiate and share these blessings to those we love and those who we encounter in our path. What a wonderful way to start The Jubilee Year of Mercy. We will definitely book our future Pilgrimage tours with 206 Tours. We would like to see a pilgrimage tour that will include San Giovanni Rotondo, St. Padre Pio’s town with Fr. Calloway 🙂

Abundant Blessings,
John and Jocelyn Ybarra

I want to thank you for a wonderful tour experience. My husband and I were on the Dec 27 Holy Lands tour. It was really great – from start to finish. We especially want to tell you how great our tour guide was – Shafiq. He was extremely knowledgeable in Scripture, archaeology, culture, politics, and language. He really brought the whole experience to life for us. And George was a really great bus driver! We will definitely recommend 206 Tours to others. And if the opportunity arises, we will use 206 Tours again. Thank you!

Anita Florence

Hi! This is Mr & Mrs Lagunzad’s daughter. My mom and my dad really loved it. They were so happy about their tour. My mom and my dad said that you all are so helpful, so nice and the tour guide is very knowledgeable. You really took good care of them. If ever they will have a pilgrimage again, they will choose 206 tours again.

Sincerely,
Fe Pamintuan

We had a fantastic time and would definitely use 206 Tours again. Our guide, Jack, was so knowledgeable and was able to arrange things that I don’t think we would gotten to do without his hard work. Father Calloway was a true blessing and gives the best homilies. Our driver, Nazeeh, was always able to get in and pick us up or drop us off right in front of most places. We saw other people walking long ways to and from their bus. I don’t think this trip could have gone any better. And I loved the upgrade to the Notre Dame hotel – right across from the gate into the old city, it was fantastic. I’m not able to attach many pics, but here are a few.

God bless,
Pattie

Hello Yaritza,

It was a fabulous trip! Full of the spirit and the graces kept coming…. a pilgrimage with Fr. Don is out of this world. He is spoiled by Jesus and Mary, therefore we ALL get spoiled! This is my second pilgrimage with him and each time spiritually growth for sure. The New Year celebration was a very nice surprise…thank you 206 Tours!

Thank you,
Sandra Koceja