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August 25, 2012Information meetings to learn more about this trip will take place on Sunday, September 9 at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the Day Chapel. You may also contact Fr. Roberts at frroberts@zionsvillecatholic.com or call 873.2885 with any questions. A deposit of $250 is needed by September 20.
Father Roberts will be leading a very unique pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2013. Parishioners are welcome to take part in this remarkable experience. The group will depart for the ten day trip on June 23, 2013 and return on July 3, 2013.
The pilgrimage will begin with the group arriving at the Atlantic port city of La Coruna, Spain. From there, pilgrims will travel by bus to Ferrol, where they will begin the Camino Ingles (English path) to Santiago de Compostela, the ancient shrine of the relics of the Apostle James.
Santiago de Compostela has been a pilgrimage destination since the 8th century. This leg of the pilgrimage will involve walking a little under 70 miles over the course of five days. Lodging will be in local hotels along the way. On June 30, when the path is complete, the pilgrims will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Saint James along with hundreds of other pilgrims from across the globe. In interesting fact about the church, which dates from the 12th century, is that it has the world's largest thurible (the censer suspended on chains that is used with incense during Mass and other occasions).
From Santiago, the pilgrimage will continue to Fatima, Portugal, to the site of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the three shepherd children in 1917. The content of these apparitions shaped the course of world history throughout the 20th century.
The next stop will be in Santarem, the location of the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle. In 1247 a woman of the town who had become involved in the occult desecrated the Body of Christ by taking a consecrated Host out of the church to a local soothsayer. While she was carrying the Host, blood began to issue from the Body of Christ. This Host has been miraculously preserved and can still be seen today in the Church of the Most Holy Miracle in Santarem.
After the pilgrimage is complete, the group will leave from Lisbon for their return flight on July 3.