Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
A new feast was inserted into the Universal Calendar for the Latin Church last year by Pope Francis, in a decree dated February 11, 2018 – the 160th anniversary of the apparition of Mary at Lourdes. Previously, permission to celebrate a feast of Mary had been extended to Poland and Argentina, as well as St Peter’s […]
Catholic England…..
There is a very old tradition in England of referring to the country as “Our Lady’s Dowry.” (The above featured photo is of the Wilton Dyptych famously depicting England as the Dowry of the Blessed Virgin Mary.) We think of England today as solidly Protestant — which it, of course, has been since the days […]
June 22 the Feast Day of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher
Two more English martyrs who died at Tyburn in 1535 for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and for upholding the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of papal supremacy. They died within two weeks of each other. St. John Fisher studied at the University of Cambridge (photo, […]
A Roman Pilgrimage to the Mother of Divine Love
Outside of the old city walls of Rome, traveling along the Via Ardeatina, one comes upon the ruins of a thirteenth century castle known as the Castel di Leva. It is here that the image of the Mother of Divine Love has been venerated since the middle of the sixteenth century. Many attribute the preservation […]
Encountering the Monks of Silverstream Priory
A unique and important aspect of an Inside the Vatican pilgrimage are encounters with “living stones” of faith. Our pilgrimages have purposefully and intentionally scheduled visits with individuals of faith associated with a site or topic of historical and spiritual importance for that pilgrimage. Many times, our group will meet someone along the way and […]
A Book Review.. “Hiking the Camino, 500 Miles With Jesus” by Fr. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R.
One activity that we encourage you to do is to read accounts of pilgrimages for insight and inspiration. One of the books on our list of recommended reads is by Fr. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., entitled, Hiking the Camino, 500 Miles With Jesus. In this book, he details the physical reality of walking every day for […]
The Patron Saint of Pilgrims
Catching up on reading the Morning Offering daily emails from the Catholic Company with my coffee this morning, I found this wonderful reminder — May 29th was the feast day of a special patron saint — St. Bona of Pisa — patron saint of pilgrims! Her name is an adjective; it means good. Adjectives are […]
Solemnity of Pentecost, Come Holy Spirit!
During his Easter vigil homily, Pope Francis encouraged us all to roll away the tombstones from our hearts, to stop looking for the living among the dead, to encounter the “living stone” — Jesus. We are in the final days of the Easter season and while we still celebrate the risen Christ, it is also […]
A Time to Celebrate
A little about our story and why we are celebrating! Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages began in 2008 with our first pilgrimage to Rome because we realized there was a real need for people to experience a true pilgrimage — a journey of the mind, heart and spirit — not just a tourist trip to interesting […]
“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”
The quote is by Blessed John Henry Newman, the 19th-century’s most important English-speaking theologian, a man who spent half his life as an Anglican and the second half as a Roman Catholic. He was a priest, popular preacher, writer and eminent theologian in both Churches. On February 19, 2019, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for […]