Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
June 20, 2001
Fall pilgrimages visit New Mexico, Poland
Participants visit sacred sites, deepen faith
By Alwen Bledsoe
Catholics interested in pilgrimages and trips to holy sites this summer and fall can choose trips from New Mexico to Poland. Organizers said they have seen and heard of commonplace and extraordinary miracles during their many years of leading trips. For most, the greatest miracle of all is the deepening of faith and prayer that occur for many pilgrims.
Dennis Malcomb, organizer of one of this summer's many trips to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has visited the site 21 times and led at least 13 pilgrimages to the site.
"With Medjugorje, people learn to pray deeper with the heart," he said.
Medjugorje is as well known for its alleged miracles as for controversy about its authenticity. More than 15 million people, both Catholic and non-Catholic, have visited the site since 1981 when six children said they witnessed daily apparitions of Mary. Despite opposition from the then local bishop, Bishop Pavao Zanic, pilgrims' devotion never flagged, and in 1990, the bishops of Yugoslavia, as the country was then known, said that it could not be confirmed that supernatural apparitions and revelations were occurring. The bishops, however, also urged more attention to the pastoral care of the pilgrims. The Vatican still has not taken an official stance on the Medjugorje Marian apparitions, except to tell bishops that their parishes and dioceses may not organize official pilgrimages to the site as the authenticity of the visions has not been confirmed. It has, however, not forbidden visits to the site and does allow priests to accompany lay groups in order to provide pastoral care.
Despite the site's stormy history, many still find spiritual solace and believe they have experienced miracles as a result of visiting the site.
For Malcomb, visiting the site is not so much about the apparitions as it is about gaining a greater love for God.
"I've found that people have a deeper heart for God," he said of pilgrims visiting Medjugorje. "Our Lady leads us to our Lord and our Father."
His first trip to Medjugorje runs from Sept. 6-15, during the Feast of the Holy Cross, and his second, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10, during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The greatest highlights of the trips, he said, are the daily Masses, praying with villagers during the feast days, as well as praying in St. James Catholic Church, on Apparition Hill, and on Cross Mountain.
Total cost for the September trip is $1,489, which includes airfare from Denver and two meals a day. Malcomb recommends early registration as prices can change as airline fares climb. He can be reached at 303-422-8621.
Another Medjugorje trip, led by Dave Lemieux, will be departing Denver Sept. 30 and returning Oct. 11 and includes a trip to Rome. The trip to Medjugorje includes visits to Apparition Hill and to Cross Mountain where, said Lemieux, villagers put up a cross in 1933 to commemorate the 1,900th anniversary of Christ's death. Pilgrims will visit Father Jozo Zovko, O.F.M., who was priest of St. James when the six children first spoke of the visions, and will have an opportunity to hear from at least one of them.
An Oct. 7 flight will take travelers to Rome to tour the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and religious sites like St. Mary Major Basilica and other smaller churches that house relics.
Cost for the trip is $2,219. Call Dave Lemieux at 303-798-4402.
Along with a visit to Medjugorje, a trip led by Tom and Marge Doyle from Aug. 27-Sept. 8, will frequent sites in Prague and Poland. First stop will be Warsaw where pilgrims will visit the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, more commonly known as the Black Madonna, frequented numerous times by Pope John Paul II, whose birthplace, Wadowice, is also on the itinerary. Visitors will also visit the concentration camp at Auschwitz, and, in Krakow, the shrine of recently canonized St. Faustina. The trip to Prague includes the Church of Our Lady of Victory, sight-seeing, and, possibly, concert-going.
"Their whole heart is opened to the universal Church," said Marge Doyle of pilgrims. "It's just wonderful the things that happen because you just become such a little family."
Cost is $2,875 as well as optional donations for tour guides. Call Tom or Marge Doyle at 303-693-1824.
For those preferring a slightly more relaxed and luxurious vacation, there is the 12-day Mediterranean Cruise, beginning Oct. 22, hosted by Father Bob Kinkel and Deacon Mike and Barb Howard. Visitors will be able to visit religious and historical sites in Sicily, Spain, France, Italy, and Croatia. Daily Mass as well as encouragement to share each other's faith, create a spiritual environment for the trip, said Barb Howard. Costs for the cruise begins at $1,344/person plus port charges. Air add-on is available. Call Joyce or Cheryl for pricing at the Cruise Director, Group Department 303-424-7245.
Other pilgrimages include:
* Pilgrimage to Santuario de Chimayó, New Mexico, Sept. 7-9. Call the Hispanic Office of the Archdiocese of Denver at 303-433-9013.
* Northern Spain, Fatima, Lourdes, Paris, Lisieux and Normandy area, Oct. 9-23. Call Tom and Marge Doyle at 303-693-1824.
* European Shrine Pilgrimage, Oct. 10-25. Call John Gravina at 303-795-7709
* Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, Dec. 10-15. Call the Hispanic Office at 303-433-9013.
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