The Pilgrim's Journey

2025 International Travel Requirements

Andrea JLast Updated: April 3rd, 2025Camino de Santiago, England, Featured Pilgrimages, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey, Holy Land, Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Poland, Spain, Travel Alerts, Travel Tips, Upcoming Pilgrimages

Recently, several countries have changed their entry requirements for US citizens. Some have not yet taken effect but are in the works. What countries are affected and what do you need to do?  Read on to find out!Some basic information about all the new programs: These are officially not visas. They are travel authorizations. They … Read More

May is for Mary

Andrea JLast Updated: May 12th, 2023Marian Shrines of Europe, Monthly Devotions, Spiritual Reflections

May is the month traditionally devoted to the Blessed Mother.  It is also the last in our series exploring the monthly devotions in the Catholic church. Devotion to the Blessed Mother dates back to the early Church, with Church Fathers such as St. Ignatius, St. Justin, and St. Irenaeus extolling her virtues in their writing.  … Read More

The Best Time for a Pilgrimage

Andrea JLast Updated: April 21st, 2023Featured Pilgrimages, Guadalupe, Holy Land, Ireland, Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe, Upcoming Pilgrimages

This is a question we get a lot from pilgrims who call or email us.  The answer can vary based upon priorities and circumstances, but the simplest answer is: anytime! As there are many pilgrimage locations throughout the world, there is always somewhere to go, no matter the season. Summer Summer provides more opportunities for … Read More

The Messages and Requests of Fatima Revisited

Natalie HoeferLast Updated: October 14th, 2022Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections, World News

I was 9 years old when I checked out a storybook from my Catholic school’s library about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to three shepherd children in Portugal in 1917. The story mesmerized me. I felt a bit of holy jealousy, since Lucia, one of the seers, was my age at the time … Read More

The Holy Rosary: A Beloved October Devotion

Andrea JLast Updated: May 12th, 2023Marian Shrines of Europe, Monthly Devotions, Spiritual Reflections

The traditional Catholic dedication for the month of October is to the Holy Rosary.  This tradition dates back to the late 16th century after the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope Pius V attributed the victory of the Holy League over the invading navy to the power of the Rosary.  He had called … Read More

A Humble, Most-Marian Month

Natalie HoeferLast Updated: September 22nd, 2022Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections

What month has the most Marian feast days? Surely it’s May, the month of Mary. Or perhaps it’s October, the month of the Rosary? Surprisingly, the answer is September. Three Marian feast days were celebrated this month: the Nativity of the Blessed Mother on the 8th, the Most Holy Name of Mary on the 12th … Read More

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Andrea JLast Updated: May 12th, 2023Featured Pilgrimages, Marian Shrines of Europe, Monthly Devotions, Spiritual Reflections

August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart.  This may seem odd nowadays, considering the Feast of the Immaculate Heart is in late spring or early summer. However, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart was once celebrated on August 22nd – the Octave of the Assumption – for a period of about 25 years.  Towards the … Read More

What Happens in Rome, Stays in Fatima

Bri CampbellLast Updated: May 18th, 2022Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe, Saints

It was a warm May afternoon, pleasantly sunny and warm. The 16th century architecture wrapped around the square, slowly swelling as 10,000 people earned their spot in the sprawling courtyard, woven around fountains and structures, corralled in by hardy trail markers. The general attitude of the growing crowd was gentle exciting, growing with each ticking … Read More

Drawing Near to our Mothers

Andrea JLast Updated: May 11th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections

Nine years ago, while I was in the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, our priest shared a story about one of our fellow pilgrims.  At seventeen, she was one of the younger ones in our group and was on this pilgrimage with her older siblings and parents.  We had recently walked five days on … Read More

Holy Name Holy Places

Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 23rd, 2021Featured Pilgrimages, France, Holy Land, Ireland, Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe

This week, we celebrated the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and this Sunday, we look forward to commemorating the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. With only four days separating these two feasts, Our Lady is brought to the forefront of our days during this time. During pilgrimage, our hearts are also drawn … Read More

No Special Reason

Andrea JLast Updated: February 21st, 2025France, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections

In 2013 I was blessed with the opportunity to join a local church group on pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal.  We began by walking the English Route of the Camino de Santiago into Santiago de Compostela, Spain, followed by a visit to the shrine at Fatima, Portugal. Though it was one pilgrimage, I had two … Read More

In the Footsteps of Our Blessed Mother

Bri CampbellLast Updated: December 19th, 2019Holy Land, Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Saints

In the St. Wenceslas tale that is told around this time of year, we see a king’s mercy and compassion. Good King Wenceslas, who has had songs and story books made of his life, set out one winter’s night with his squire to take food and firewood to his poor subjects. The snow was deep, … Read More

When Mary Visits

Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 4th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Spiritual Reflections

The Old Testament shows the prefigurement of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. In 2 Samuel, Uzzah is struck dead for touching the ark of the covenant and David feels unworthy to bring the ark to Jerusalem. So, David takes the ark to the house of Obed-Edom where the ark remained for three months. While … Read More

50 Ways to Call Your Mother

Melvin UllrichLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Marian Shrines of Europe, Saints

The “Litany of Loreto” is a powerful prayer composed in the Middle Ages and embraced by pilgrims at the Marian Shrine in Loreto, Italy, where tradition claims the original house of the Virgin Mary was transported. For centuries, the shrine has attracted pilgrims from all over the world. As a result, many of these pilgrims … Read More

When All the Candles Go Out: Our Family’s Lourdes Lesson

Erin McCole CuppLast Updated: July 13th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories

By Erin McCole Cupp “You’re going to Lourdes? Oh, the Candlelight Rosary Procession—it’s so beautiful! You’ll love it.” I heard this from many corners as we prepared for our family’s pilgrimage. As the summer approached, our family read books about Lourdes, poured over the Lourdes website, and watched videos and documentaries. I remember the five … Read More