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A 9-Day Pilgrimage to
England
Including Stonehenge, Bath,
Tewksbury, Tintern, Stratford upon Avon, Lincoln, Peterborough,
Walsingham, Norwich, London &
more.
Day 1 -
Monday
USA /
LONDON
This
afternoon we depart from St. James by bus to New York City for
our transatlantic flight to Great Britain. Meals served
on board.
Day 2 -
Tuesday
LONDON / STONEHENGE /
BATH
 This morning we arrive at
London’s Heathrow Airport and meet our Pilgrimage Tours
tour director who will remain with us until to conclusion
of our tour. First we head west for a visit to
Stonehenge to visit the ancient monoliths placed in
position nearly 2,000 years before the birth of Christ and
which were once used to calculate the eclipses and
equinoxes. We then cross Salisbury Plain on our way to the
Bath area. Dinner and overnight in the Bristol/Bath
area.
Day 3 -
Wednesday
BATH / TEWKSBURY /
TINTERN
This
morning we visit Bath, one of the most beautiful Georgian
cities in England. It is named after the hot springs first used
by the Romans and in the 18th century was a fashionable spa
where almost everyone who enjoyed prominence visited “to take
the waters”. We visit the Roman Baths, view the Abbey and see
the charming squares and crescents as well as the River Avon
and delightful Pulteney Bridge. Finally, we view the
magnificent cathedral in Wells. Next we depart for the
town of Tewksbury and visit
the Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one of
the finest Norman buildings in the country and the second
largest parish in all of England. After lunch time,
we proceed to Tintern Abbey, which was founded in the 12th
century. This ruined Abbey is still complete with
the exception of it no longer having its roof. We
return to our hotel by crossing the River Severn
estuary. Dinner and overnight in Bristol/Bath
area.
Day 4 -
Thursday
GREAT MALVERN / STRATFORD UPON
AVON / LINCOLN /
PETERBOROUGH
This
morning we drive north into Worcestershire to visit the
Priory at Great Malvern which now serves as the people of
Malvern’s church. Next, we drive to Stratford upon
Avon, home of the great playwright, William
Shakespeare. Here we visit the 16th century home
where Shakespeare was born and died. After lunch,
we depart for the town of Lincoln, home to England’s
third largest cathedral. Next we depart for
Peterborough. During the Middle Ages, Peterborough
served as a stopping place for pilgrims on foot en route
to Walsingham. Like those pilgrims who came before
us, we enjoy our dinner and overnight in
Peterborough.
Day 5 -
Friday
PETERBOROUGH / WALSINGHAM /
NORWICH
The
morning we depart for and arrive in Walsingham to visit the
Marian  Shrine of Our
Lady of Walsingham. In 1061 Mary appeared to a noble
widow named Lady Richeldis who received instructions from
the Virgin Mother of a house to be built on this site
identical to her house in Nazareth. Walsingham
became known as the “Little Nazareth”. Though the
house was destroyed during the Reformation, archaeologists
have unearthed its remains located near the Priory.
We visit the Slipper Chapel, so named because pilgrims
would leave their shoes there and walk the final mile to
the shrine. We also see the Statue of Our Lady of
Walsingham and participate in the Noon Pilgrims
Mass. Next we depart for the town of Norwich, home
of the mystic, St. Julian of
Norwich.
Day 6 -
Saturday
LONDON
This morning we arrive in London and begin
with an orientation tour of London. We will see London’s
historic landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly
Circus, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. We will
then participate in a guided walking tour of Westminster Abbey,
originally built by Edward the Confessor in 1050 and where
rulers of England have been coranated since 1066. Next we
will visit the Catholic Cathedral with its wonderful mosaics
and celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in
London.
Day 7 -
Sunday
LONDON
Following breakfast we will
embark on a walking tour of London in the same neighborhood
that St. Thomas More attended school. We will see the
Lincoln Inn where Thomas More studied upon his return from
Oxford in order to earn his law degree. It is in this
area that you will also observe the London Stock Exchange as
well as the Bank of England. Our morning ends with a
visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. This cathedral dates to
1666 and was built after the Great Fire of London. This
is where Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married. We
then go to Westminster Cathedral near the Abbey to celebrate
Mass. In the afternoon we visit the Tower of London where
the Royal Family’s Crown Jewels are kept and where Thomas More,
and many others such as Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were
imprisoned before their executions. We will see Tower
Hill where Thomas More was beheaded for refusing King Henry
VIII’s demand that he take the oath of the Act of Succession
and the Oath of Supremacy. Dinner and overnight in
London.
Day 8 -
Monday
LONDON / MOUNT CARMEL / ROCHESTER
/ CANTERBURY
This morning we will depart for Alyesford,
passing through the Kent countryside, and visit the chapel of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This is where the Blessed Mary
presented the Brown Scapular to St. Simon Stock. Here we
will celebrate Mass and join the Friars in the Liturgy of the
Hours. After visiting Mount Carmel, we go to Rochester,
home of St. John Fisher. Along with Thomas More, Bishop
Fisher was the only Bishop in England to oppose King Henry
VIII. We visit the chapel built to honor St. John
Fisher. In the afternoon we will head for Canterbury to
see the place where St. Thomas Beckett was martyred at the
hands of King Henry II in 1170. The history of Canterbury
dates to the time of St. Augustine who brought Christianity to
England in 597. We visit the Cathedral that is the Mother
Church to the Anglican faith. Finally we visit the
Heritage Museum that offers an audio-visual presentation about
Canterbury. Dinner and overnight in London.
Day 9 -
Tuesday
LONDON /
USA
This
morning we depart for our return flight home. Though our
pilgrimage has come to an end, its blessings will last a
lifetime and its graces are certain to draw us closer each day
to the Lord.
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