Catholic Travel Blog

Since most visitors to our site come from outside the Euro currency zone, the subject of currency conversion is important.  Although the recent turmoil in Greece and elsewhere may not be good news for some, it is welcome news for those coming from the U.S., Canada and Australia in particular.  The Euro is around $1.28 per US dollar right now, and we expect it to continue to be a bargain throughout the year.  Of course we are in no way to be considered financial experts, just trying to anticipate what the future might bring. 

Personally we think the Euro is not a sound concept to begin with, but what the heck, smarter people than us think it will work out.  But back to the subject, when planning your travels this year we feel that you can comfortably budget around $1.30 per Euro which is certainly better than it was a year ago.

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Here is a question for someone out there:  We have a page devoted to Blessed Miguel Pro, who was martyred by the Mexican government in the 1920's.  Since he is a martyr, doesn't that automatically make him saint?  So why is he a Blessed?  Help us out with an answer.

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While most of us think of Hawaii as an exotic vacation destination, but for those with leprosy it was also a place of exile.  The leper colony was walled off on one side and had a sheer cliff dropping in to the ocean on the other side.  Little compassion was given to the victims of this disease.  Fr. Damien helped to change that with his caring and love of Jesus.  He almost did not become a priest since he had so much trouble learning Latin, and the path to his eventual sainthood is something that can only be explained by divine intervention.  We celebrate this wonderful saint today.  To learn more about him click here.  

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We sometimes wonder if they are more trouble than they are worth.  It is often difficult to redeem them and despite the promises of free flights it seems the airlines are doing everything they can to tack on extra costs---often without you knowing about it in advance.  One of these surprises is when someone has purchased an economy-class ticket and used their miles to upgrade to business class.  What is not easily found on the airline website is the fact that they are now charging a surcharge for such upgrades.  So even if you miles have purchased the upgrade, the airlines are not through with you yet.  In fact you might even be hit with this when you check in at the gate, when it is too late to do anything but pay up (or maybe give up the upgrade).  And these are not minor charges, they can be several hundred dollars at least.  So be sure that you do your "due diligence" research if you plan to upgrade using frequent flier miles.

We are not sure that all airlines are doing this, but have confirmed that American, Continental and United do charge these.  As of now, Delta does not.

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We took a look at the visitors to our site over the last 30 days.  As you might suspect, the majority of them come from the U.S., followed by Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.  However we had an additional 71 countries with visitors to this site during that period, spanning all 6 continents (none from Antartica--yet).  We keep adding new information each week so please help out by suggesting places of interest or submitting an article.

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With the increasing popularity of cruising, and considering the fact that some 40 million people live within a day's drive of the port of Galveston, it is quickly becoming one of the most popular ports for ocean cruises.  For more information about sailing from Galveston check out the latest addition to our site.

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Reputed to be the Robe of Jesus, over which the Romans cast lots, this object is usually kept securely locked away.  However, from April 13-May 13, 2012 it will be on public display at the Cathedral in Trier, Germany.

For more about this click here.  And for more about Trier and the Holy Robe click here.

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The Franciscans, who have custody over the Holy Land churches, have just announced a new website for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  This is a welcome addition to the official websites of other places in the Holy Land.

For more information on Jerusalem see our page at http://www.thecatholictravelguide.com/Jerusalem.html

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This is a question often searched for on our website.  There is an organization called the Apostleship of the Sea that provides priests in good standing to various cruise lines.  These priests have been background checked and you can be sure that they are in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. 

The Apostleship of the Sea was originally founded back in 1920 to minister to seafarers who often found themselves away from home for long periods of time.  With the growing popularity of leisure cruising in recent decades they have expanded their ministry to help provide priests to cruise lines.  Only Holland America and Costa guarantee a priest on every cruise, but other lines do have priests at certain times.  Check out our web page for a breakdown of which ones they are.

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If so you will undoubtedly be going to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, but if you have an extra time you might want to include a visit to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land.

The John Paul II Cultural Center, having recently been taken over and re-vitalized by the Knights of Columbus, is just a short walk from the Basilica.  It is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Masses at 11:30 a.m. each of those days.  Admission on other days is by appointment only at this time.

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For those who plan to travel to the Eurozone with U.S. dollars, there should be good news in 2012.  Due to the financial upheaval in several of the countries, notably Greece and Italy, the dollar will buy more this year than last.  In May of 2011 the exchange rate was close to $1.50 equal to 1 Euro.  As of January 2012 the exchange rate is about $1.29 to 1 Euro.  So your buying power will be greater if things stay the same, and most experts seem to feel that they will for the bulk of 2012.

Check out our web page for suggestions regarding currency.

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If you are travel to New York City in January you invited to attend this great event sponsored by the Catholic movement Communion & Liberation (not to be confused with Liberation Theology) and the Crossroads Cultural Center.  Speakers will include noted theologians as well as a former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, experts  speaking on the "Arab Spring" and many others as well as exhibits.  There is something that is bound to appeal to everyone.

On Sunday January 15 at 11:30 a.m. Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop H.E. Diarmuid Martin,  Archbishop of Dublin.

The two organizations sponsoring this event have received encouragement both from the late Pope John Paul II as well as our current Pope Benedict XVI.  

All events, except one, are free and no registration is required.

Click here for a link to the New York Encounter website.

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Pope Benedict XVI has announced recognition of the miracles attributed to the intercession of Blessed Marianne Cope that will pave the way for her canonization.  The date of her elevation to Sainhood has not yet been set but we expect it to be some time in the first half of 2012.  For more about Blessed Marianne cope click here.

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A friend told us about this, and at first we did not believe him, but it's true.  You can buy an entire medieval village in Italy.  A bit out of our reach at over 3 million euros, but still quite interesting.  Here is the link.

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The Discovery Times Square Museum is featuring an exhibit which features the oldest copy of the Ten Commandments, written on a parchment scroll dating from around the time of Christ  (estimates are from around 250 B.C. to 85 A.D).  Due to the old and fragile nature of the documents they may not be displayed again for some time so if you are in New York you might want to include a stop here.  The exhibit runs from December 16, 2011 through January 2, 2012.

Here is a link to the museum's website.

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