0613UA7 - Scotland & England Pilgrimage 12 days from Cedar Rapids

Today, we depart from Cedar Rapids to connect with our overnight flight to Glasgow. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast while aloft.

We meet with our shuttle driver as we transfer north to Dalmally and Craig Lodge, site of the founding of Mary's Meals, for our two-day retreat. Depending on the arrival time, we briefly stop for lunch on our own before arriving at Craig Lodge. Welcome dinner and overnight at Craig Lodge. Mass TBD

We enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner during our retreat days at Craig Lodge. Mass TBD

This morning after breakfast, we leave Dalmally and journey south towards England, stopping en route to visit Carfin Grotto, one of Scotland’s most important Catholic pilgrimage sites. We break along our route for lunch on our own. Founded in 1922 by Canon Thomas Taylor, the Grotto was created as a place of prayer and devotion inspired by the famous shrine at Lourdes. Over the years, it has become a place of deep spiritual significance for Catholics from across Scotland and beyond. The site features beautiful gardens, shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes and many saints, as well as a peaceful atmosphere ideal for reflection and prayer. Pilgrims may also have the opportunity to visit the Reliquary Chapel, which houses one of the largest collections of relics in the United Kingdom. Lunch at leisure. We continue our journey afterwards towards Durham, where we conclude our day with dinner and overnight at our hotel. Mass TBD

Today after breakfast, we see the greatest Norman Cathedral to survive in England. St. Cuthbert is entombed in the Chapel of the Nine Altars, below the Great Window. We drive the short distance south of York to visit Ripon, one of the three original Christian centers of Yorkshire. Here we view the original crypt of St. Wilfrid's Saxon Church, which is enclosed, in Ripon cathedral. St. Wilfrid was most active in missionary work and initiated the great English missions to the Continent, which were to bring the light of Christ to all Northwest Europe. While here we celebrate Mass before we break for lunch on our own. Afterwards, we arrive at the quintessentially beautiful Yorkshire countryside, where we visit the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved monasteries in England, a beautiful and poignant reminder of a rich Christian heritage in England before Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries between 1532-1542. The abbey was founded in 1132AD for the Benedictines and taken over three years later by the Cistercians. We continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight in York.

This morning, we begin our day in York, one of England's finest and most beautifully preserved historic cities. Here St. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire. We enjoy a walking tour of the historic center, taking in the narrow medieval cobbled streets known as the 'shambles'. We will visit the Cathedral of St. Peter, York Minster, estimated to contain more than half of all medieval stained glass in England! We see the beautiful Rose Window and the Great East Window, which depicts the beginning and the end of the world in over a hundred small scenes taken from the Books of Genesis through Revelation. Lunch at leisure. Hidden on a side street in the “Shambles” District of York, is a shrine of a notable saint, St. Margaret Clitherow. Born in 1556 of Catholic parents she was under the eye of anti-Catholic spies and arrested and imprisoned for two years for starting a “Catholic School”. She secretly harbored priests and stored their garments while they were away. Her home was raided, and the secret revealed. She was sentenced to death in1586AD and on March 25 executed by the placement to a heavy door loaded with large stones but before they put that on her, they placed a rock under her spine so that her back would break in the process! She was pregnant at the time of her execution. We conclude our day with a visit to the famous Jorvik Viking Center, where a time-car journey takes us back 1,000 years to an accurate reconstruction of Viking York. We will also see the amazing 20th century excavation, which revealed a whole Viking Street, which has been carefully preserved. We enjoy dinner and overnight at our hotel in York. Mass TBD

Today after breakfast, we depart to York. Lunch at leisure. After we visit the Norfolk area and the town of Walsingham. In 1061AD, Our Lady of Walsingham appeared to a Catholic noblewoman named Richeldis de Faverches and gave her a vision of the “Holy House of Nazareth”. She instructed Richeldis to build a replica of it as a shrine. She did so and her son built an Augustinian Priory a few years later. The anti-Catholic fury of Henry the VIII would see both destroyed but centuries later the “Slipper Chapel” would be rebuilt from those ruins and is regularly visited by thousands of pilgrims each year. Departure to the area of Cambridge for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today after breakfast, we visit the city of Canterbury, one of the most important sites in the spiritual geography of England, with a wealth of historic treasures. In the Middle Ages the road to Canterbury was the most traveled road in England, the pilgrimage route to the Shrine of the martyr, St. Thomas a Becket. Other holy men, such as St. Augustine, St. Dunstan, and St. Alphege, also inspired the dedication of monuments in their honor at Canterbury. Lunch at leisure. We enjoy a guided tour of Canterbury Cathedral where we see St. Becket's Shrine above the High Altar. We also view the ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey, the burial place of St. Augustine, England's first Christian missionary, sent here from Rome in 597AD. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Canterbury.

This morning after breakfast, we travel to the beautiful cathedral town of Winchester, the capital of England during the reign of King Alfred the Great. This beautiful cathedral has the longest nave in Europe and is on the same site as the Saxon cathedral. The relics of St. Hedda, Bishop of Winchester are still in the cathedral, as are the relics of St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, which are buried under the shrine in the cathedral. One of the best-loved of English saints, St. Swithin was famous for his charity and church building. Lunch at leisure. Depart to London. We conclude our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight in London. Mass TBD

Today after breakfast, we travel through London, where we have a panoramic tour of the city highlighting some of the world's most famous landmarks, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's column, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Piccadilly. Our drive includes a guided visit to the beautiful Westminster Abbey, the coronation church and burial place of English monarchs since William the Conqueror was crowned here on Christmas Day 1066AD, by the archbishop of Canterbury. We enjoy lunch on our own by the River Thames. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before dinner and overnight at our hotel in London. Mass TBD

Today after breakfast, we visit Westminster Cathedral, which was finished in 1903 in the Christian Byzantine style. Cardinal Manning chose the site in 1884, which had been in disuse since the Reformation (note that freedom for Catholic worship was not allowed until 1828). We marvel at the vastness and fine proportions of this Catholic cathedral and such interesting items as the 15th century alabaster statue of Virgin and Child. Following a break for lunch on our own, we visit the ancient Tower of London and view the crown jewels. We then visit Sir Christopher Wren's architectural masterpiece St. Paul's Cathedral. At the end of the afternoon, we briefly stop at the newly housed British Library to see the exhibition of ancient manuscripts which includes the beautifully illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels and the Magna Carta. This evening, dinner on our own, as we chose one of London’s popular restaurants. Overnight at our hotel in London

We transfer to the airport for our flight home, filled with the memories of Catholic England, which will stay with us for a lifetime!