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Avila, Spain

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Come on a journey to the medieval city of Avila! The entire Old Town of Avila was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

For pilgrims, the city of Avila is important because of its association with the great mystic and reformer St. Teresa de Jesus, better known as St. Teresa of Avila. Teresa was a 16th century Carmelite nun who is the female patron saint of Spain and was the first woman to be honored as a Doctor of the Church.

  • Explore the Convento de Santa Teresa (Convent of St. Teresa), containing her relics, and the Monasterio de la Encarnacion (Monastery of the Incarnation) where St. Teresa lived.
  • Learn about this fascinating person; St. Teresa, who reformed the Carmelites alongside St. John of the Cross
  • Receive precious spiritual insights you can learn for your daily life from St. Teresa’s practical wisdom.

PRAYER of ST. TERESA:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Amen.

Basilica of St. Therese – Lisieux, France

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Come on a journey with Mary Jane Fox to the Basilica of St. Therese of Lisieux, the young Carmelite saint who is also known as the “Little Flower”.

Join us as we explore her home where she lived from the age of four to 15, the Carmelite Convent where she lived as a cloistered nun, and we will spiritually visit the Basilica built in her honor and where her parents are entombed.

Jewel for the Journey:
One word or a pleasing smile is often enough to raise up a saddened and wounded soul. I understood that all we accomplish, however brilliant, is worth nothing without love. – St. Therese of Lisieux

Magdala – Ancient Palestine

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Join Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox for a virtual journey to the ancient city of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tradition tells us that Jesus and the Apostles visited this fishing port and that Christ preached at the 1st century synagogue, the ruins of which were discovered in 2009.

Our journey to this crossroads of Jewish & Christian history will include:

  • a visit to the ancient ruins of the synagogue, town market, and Duc in Altum church
  • descriptions of the Sacred Art located in the chapels of the church
  • a reflection on the stone pavement where Jesus walked and encountered the Hemorrhaging Woman
  • a look at St. Mary Magdalene and what we can learn from her example

Jewel for the Journey:
The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.         — St. Gianna Molla

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Shrine Our Lady of Torreciudad – Aragon, Spain

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Travel with Robert Rodriguez and Angela Sealana to a mountain top in the Pyrenees for a visit to the modern-day Shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad. This expansive Marian Shrine has been described as both a “work of art,” and “heaven on earth.”

Each year, thousands travel to Torreciudad to venerate an 11th century black Madonna icon which was originally enshrined in a nearby hermitage. The newer massive shrine completed in 1975 was the brainchild of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.

During this program you will:

  • Experience a virtual tour of this spectacular shrine
  • Discover why this place was so important to St. Josemaria
  • Learn how this shrine spotlights the Family and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • Gain spiritual insights for your daily life

Jewel for the Journey:
When you have God close to you everything is carried differently.  — St. Josemaria Escriva

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Shrine of Blessed Francis X. Seelos – New Orleans

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Join Deacon Tom & Mary Jane Fox for a virtual journey to to the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, located in New Orleans. The shrine is housed at the St. Mary of Assumption Church, which is also where the remains of this Bavarian priest are buried in a sanctuary crypt. During this program you will also learn about:

  • Why St. Pope John Paul II beatified Fr. Seelos in April of 2000
  • The ministry of this German Redemptorist missionary throughout the Midwest, Pittsburg, Maryland and in New Orleans during the 1900s
  • The latest on his cause for canonization
  • Blessed Francis Xavier’s connection to those seeking a miracle of healing

Jewel for the Journey:

No one was ever lost because his sin was too great, but because his trust was too small!— Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

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… Listen to the archived audio recording on our website, ASAP!

Official Site - National Shrine of Bl Francis X Seelos

Prayer  – Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R.

Divine Physician, you infused Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos with the gift of your healing.  By the help of his prayers, sustain in me the grace to know your will and the strength to overcome my afflictions.  For love of you, make me whole.  May I learn from the example of Father Seelos and gain comfort from his patient endurance.  Amen.    (Here mention your special intention).

Cascia, Italy

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Join Mary Jane Fox for a spiritual journey to the town of Cascia in the Umbrian region of Italy. Discover why so many of the faithful are drawn here as they make their pilgrimages from Rome to Assisi. During this program you will learn about the:

  • Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia, the minor basilica where the incorrupt body of St. Rita is preserved
  • Eucharistic miracle from Siena that is preserved here
  • Life of St. Rita, a widow who became a nun
  • Lessons to be learned from St. Rita’s difficult life

Jewel for the Journey:

When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ who gives you the meaning of life.  — St. Pope John Paul II

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Prayer to St. Rita of Cascia

Dear Rita, model wife and widow, you yourself suffered in a long illness showing patience out of love for God. Teach us to pray as you did. Many invoke you for help, full of confidence in your intercession. Deign to come now to our aid for the relief and cure of (name). To God all things are possible; may this healing give glory to the Lord. Amen. Holy Patroness of those in need, Saint Rita, you were humble, pure and patient. Your pleadings with your divine Spouse are irresistible, so please obtain for me from our risen Jesus the request I make of you: (mention your petition).  Saint Rita, you miraculously participated in the sorrowful passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for me now the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen

www.stritashrine.org

Visit PilgrimCenterofHope.org for more information.

St. Catherine of Siena – Italy

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During today’s pilgrimage, we are going to spiritually travel alongside one of the most influential women in history – a Doctor of the Church, St. Catherine of Siena! We will:

  • Meet St. Catherine, a young & gifted mystic
  • Discover why the Church has upheld her as one of our greatest teachers & role models even today
  • Take a spiritual pilgrimage through the church where she often prayed, and the chapels that are built over the site of her family home

Jewel for the Journey:
Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.  – St. Catherine of Siena

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… Listen to the archived audio recording on our website, ASAP!

Photo by Debra Garza – Statue of St. Catherine mentioned during our program

Basilica of St. John Lateran – Rome

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Join Deacon Tom & Mary Jane Fox as they journey to the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Find out why this basilica is known as the seat of the bishop of Rome – the Pope. Learn about the magnificent sacred art and relics contained within this holy place. And discover several ways to be like the apostles and the saints in your everyday lives.

Jewel for the Journey:
No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it.  — St. Maximillian Kolbe

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Sacred Art – Inspiration of Daily Pilgrimage

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Join Mary Jane Fox to look at how Sacred Art gives expression to the beauty of the Catholic Church and also inspires us to proclaim the Gospel message.

Travel to Scrovegni Chapel and discover the works of art that proclaim and display the grandeur of God’s creation, the dignity of human beings made in his image and likeness, and the love and mercy poured forth through the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jewel for the Journey:
There is a connection between beauty and the Christian vocation to manifest the presence of the living God in this world which He still loves. To be fully Christian is to be fully human.  — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Visit PilgrimCenterofHope.org for more information.

MENTIONED

View the Scrovegni Chapel Frescoes.

Symbols found in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Rome, Italy:

 

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Basilica of St. Paul Outside of the Walls – Rome, Italy

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Take a virtual trip to the Eternal City of Rome with Mary Jane Fox & Robert Rodriguez, as they explore the second largest basilica outside of St. Peter’s – the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.  It is one of the five major basilicas in Rome and houses the Tomb of St. Paul!

During this pilgrimage journey, you will discover more about:

  • the Basilica’s architecture & Sacred Art
  • What is to be found at the Tomb of St. Paul
  • The Life of St. Paul, the greatest of the early Christian missionaries
  • The ancient wooden crucifix that spoke to St. Bridget of Sweden
  • The famous “15 Prayers of St. Bridget”

Jewel for the Journey:
You cannot be a conscious Christian without St. Paul. He translated the teachings of Christ into a doctrinal structure that, even with the additions of a vast number of thinkers, theologians and pastors, has resisted and still exists after two thousand years.  – Pope Francis

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