Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
September 12, 2001
Popular priests to lead pilgrimage to RomeMsgr. Tom Fryar and Father Phil Meredith to head 9-day trip
By Alwen Bledsoe
Father Philip Meredith and Msgr. Thomas Fryar have led pilgrimages together for years and are about to embark on another journey, this time to Italy, said Msgr. Fryar.
Beginning Nov. 23, pilgrims will spend nine days traveling through Milan, Padua, Ravenna, Loreto, Assisi, and Rome visiting churches, homes of saints, and other holy sites. The trip will travel "through times and places that have helped us as a Church reach the point where we are today," said Msgr. Fryar.
Along with the Italian ice cream stands, one of Father Meredith's favorite parts of the trip, highlights also include a papal audience with Pope John Paul II, unless the pope is traveling, Loreto, which is the traditional home of Mary, and Assisi, the home of Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, he said. Msgr. Fryar also mentioned Padua, the final resting site of St. Anthony, Ravenna and its many Byzantine-influenced churches, a visit to the four major basilicas of Rome, and the Vatican Museum as highlights.
As pilgrims visit sites central to the Catholic faith, said Msgr. Fryar, they discover a rich spiritual heritage and "strengthen and deepen their spiritual life."
Personally he has gleaned a greater sense of the universal Church through his pilgrimages, continued Msgr. Fryar.
"Sometimes we lose sight of that when we are only exposed to our local parish," he said. But, he added, through pilgrimages, "We experience the fact that people and cultures from around the world are a part of the Church and all carry a richness of what they have to contribute to the building up of the kingdom.
"It is also a very tangible experience of the fact that our faith is rooted in the center of Christianity and not something that is a new fad or movement that we are just responding to," he said. "The churches and homes of men and women, saints throughout time, visibly remind us of the writings, the experiences, and the prayers that have helped make the Church what it is today."
Mass is generally celebrated daily in churches throughout the pilgrimage, said Msgr. Fryar.
Though Father Meredith has traveled to Italy before, "it's great seeing it again," he said, later adding, "When one can actually be in sacred places ... in shrines or in homes of the great saints of history, I think we appreciate our faith in a little more alive way."
These pilgrimages are not just tours through important religious sites, said Father Meredith.
"A pilgrimage is really a journey," he said. "I think it's a journey with Christ. ... Seeing how some of the great saints have lived and where they lived puts us a little more in touch with our faith and the faith the saints treasured and suffered for oftentimes."
According to Father Meredith, the effect the pilgrimages have on those who attend is marked but intangible.
"You just see that they are still excited about it afterwards," he said.
Fran Black, a parishioner at St. Joseph in Fort Collins, is one such pilgrim. She has been on three pilgrimages with the two priests and will be joining them in Italy for her fourth, she said. Black took her first pilgrimage, a tour of the Holy Lands, when Father Meredith was at St. Joseph and has attended every trip the two priests have sponsored since.
"Anytime they take a tour, I am going," she said.
Black described Father Meredith as a "a jovial Irish man and very caring," and Msgr. Fryar as "a very good, very caring man," and "quite spiritual."
Though she has visited Rome and Assisi with the two priests before, she said, she's looking forward to seeing more of Italy, touring the Sistine Chapel again and especially to the audience with the pope.
"It's a wonderful feeling to see a man as holy as the pope and to hear his words," Black said.
And Assisi, she added, "was a place where I could go back to and live. It was a very spiritual place."
The pilgrimage, Black said, gives Catholics a chance to see "where our religion really took hold," as well as to see the treasures of Italy, including the Vatican.
One of the greatest perks of her pilgrimages, she said, is making new friends.
Obviously enjoying her memories, Black said, "You could write a book about the experiences we've had and all the trips we've taken - all good."
The pilgrimage costs $1,799 from Denver and lasts from Nov. 23-Dec. 1. Cost includes airfare, accommodations and breakfasts and dinners. Single rooms cost extra. For more information, call Father Philip Meredith at 303-789-0007 or Msgr. Thomas Fryar at 303-715-3197.
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