Oct 18, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 18, 2017 We ended today where, in some ways, this journey of faith began many years ago. Our first stop this morning was the Rock of Cashel. The Rock was the seat of Munster Kings before it was gifted to the Church and it is said to be the site where St....
Oct 17, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 17, 2017 Hurricane Ophelia and her aftermath — downed trees, cleanup efforts — meant a little swapping around of our planned schedule today, but perhaps it was meant to be — it was an absolutely gorgeous day and we got to spend part of it...
Oct 16, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 16, 2017 Let’s just start by saying that our driver guide, Pierce, is amazing on an average day. Logistics wizard Caoimhe (also Pierce’s wife) has ensured our pilgrimage has been nothing but smooth sailing. But today — today they took it to another level all...
Oct 16, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 15, 2017 There’s nothing like a spot of tea and a biscuit to make you feel right at home. We got such a nice treat from our hosts at the Church of the Holy Family in Ardara after we celebrated Mass in their beautiful church: Father Dean Laverty and parishioner...
Oct 16, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 14, 2017 I don’t have a bucket list as such, but today I got to see a corner of the world I’ve been longing to visit since my first trip to Ireland in 2004: the Giant’s Causeway. Beside the churning ocean, thousands of six-sided basalt pillars jut out of the...
Oct 13, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter, Uncategorized
October 13, 2017 Today we experienced past and future, pain and possibility, dreams and darkness. We began the day at the Mount Stewart House and Gardens, home to the Londonderry family since the mid-18th century. The public portion of the house is full...
Oct 12, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 12, 2017 Greetings from Northern Ireland! We headed north this morning to visit two cathedrals with special connections to St. Patrick. Our first stop was the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick in Armagh, where we celebrated Mass. The church is...
Oct 12, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 11, 2017 Our day got off to a blustery, rainy start as we set out for the Hill of Tara. The site of ancient ceremony, burial, and ritual, the Hill of Tara was once the seat of Ireland’s high king. Just a handful of us braved the elements to climb the hill, but...
Oct 10, 2017 | 2017 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
October 10, 2017 Greetings from Ireland! Bishop Cunningham, Father Joe O’Connor, 24 pilgrims, and yours truly landed in Dublin, Ireland, today, beginning the Catholic Sun’s second pilgrimage across the Emerald Isle. (You can read about our 2015 pilgrimage here.)...
Mar 25, 2016 | 2016 Archives, Latest news, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Visitation, or “church hopping” in modern parlance, is a long-standing Holy Thursday tradition. There are a few explanations of the tradition’s origins, but the devotion remains the same: the faithful visit seven different Altars of Repose to venerate the Blessed...
Oct 9, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Today was our last full day on pilgrimage in Ireland. In just a few hours, we’ll be heading to Shannon and boarding our plane home. But we made the most of our last day, celebrating Mass at a local church, then taking a walking tour of Galway, followed by a visit to...
Oct 8, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Just a quick post tonight — photos only — while I have a bit of wifi. Today we visited Knock Shrine and Kylemore Abbey in beautiful Connacht. More soon! A cross commemorating St. John Paul II’s visit to Knock in 1979. (Sun photo | Katherine...
Sep 26, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter, WMF
Hello from Philadelphia, and from these Solar Popes! Great pope swag to be found here in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection these days. The World Meeting of Families closed today, ending the first leg of this pilgrimage for us here from the Sun, the...
Oct 4, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Just a wee post today. (Do I sound Irish yet? No, didn’t think so.) We spent the morning at Blarney Castle, where many of us kissed the Blarney Stone, said to bestow the gift of gab, the gift of eloquence or the ability to lie convincingly for seven long years. (Will...
Oct 5, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Day four in Ireland was jam-packed. We started bright at early at Glendalough, exploring the remains of a monastic city. St. Kevin lived there as a hermit in the sixth century; eventually followers joined him, and a community grew up around them. The site holds...
Oct 3, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
After a morning of a little fun on the Ring of Kerry (a photo op with a local donkey and an introduction to King Puck), our group of pilgrims motored to Bonane for a special Mass. In “penal times,” a litany of repressive laws kept Catholics from full...
Oct 2, 2015 | 2015 Archives, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
We made it! Forty-seven pilgrims, including Bishop Robert J. Cunningham and yours truly, landed in Shannon, Ireland, very early this morning, Oct. 2, officially beginning our 10-day pilgrimage to the Emerald Isle. Shepherded by our incredible guide and driver, Pierce,...
Sep 27, 2015 | 2015 Archives, Papal visit, The Catholic GlobeTrotter, WMF
Pope Francis is now in the air, flying home to Italy after a stunning, sweeping tour of Cuba and America. He’s leaving behind a place and a people changed by his visit. In my casual conversations and scrolls through Facebook, everyone — everyone — is talking...
Sep 24, 2015 | 2015 Archives, Papal visit, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Congressman John Katko (R-NY 24) was among those Pope Francis addressed in the House chamber this morning in a powerful, wide-ranging and history-making speech to a joint meeting of Congress. The Holy Father urged the body toward working for the common good, drawing...
Sep 27, 2015 | 2015 Archives, Latest news, Papal visit, The Catholic GlobeTrotter, WMF
Today was magical. There’s really no other word for it. Thanks to the generosity of Chris Mominey — former superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Syracuse and currently the secretary of Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia — I was...
Sep 23, 2015 | 2015 Archives, Latest news, Papal visit, The Catholic GlobeTrotter
Father Christopher Seibt, parochial vicar of St. Rose of Lima Church in North Syracuse, sent dispatches from Washington, DC, Sept. 21 to 24 as he he helped to MC the papal Mass there Sept. 23. Father Seibt gave us an inside look at the preparations and what it’s like...
