Pilgrimages and Tours
with Father John
Welcome to the Office of Radio & Television's pilgrimages home page. The Office of Radio &
Television sponsors pilgrimages to Italy and hopes to include other European countries in the future. From this page
you will be able to access specific information about upcoming pilgrimages or
review past pilgrimages through pictures or streaming media content.
Please tell us what you would like to see or where you would like to travel. If you would like to be placed on our
mailing list to be notified of future pilgrimages, please click
here.
Current Pilgrimages and Tours
Past Pilgrimages and Tours
Streaming Media Files
The Euro
We are planning some exciting new tours for 2009 and beyond that will visit
Italy in May 2009, Turkey in September 2009 and Germany and Austria including the Oberammergau
Passion Play in 2010. Please visit us again as this
page will be updated as tour details become available.
SAVE THE DATE!
Rome & Sicily 2009 - May 4 to May 14, 2009
Join Father John Gatzak on this 11
day/9 night pilgrimage to Rome and Sicily. Visit Rome, Palermo, Agrigento,
Siracusa and Taormina. Complete itinerary and estimated cost will be
available by September 15, 2008.
Greece & Turkey 2009 - September 17 to
September 29, 2009
Join Father John Gatzak on this 13 day/11
night pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey. Visit Istanbul, Athens and Kudasai
(Ephesus, home of the Blessed Mother). Complete itinerary and estimated
cost will be available by October 1, 2008.
IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE!
Oberammergau Passion Play 2010
-
July 17 to July 26, 2010
Deposits are NOW being accepted to secure
your reservation on our 10 Day/8 Night Pilgrimage to Germany & Austria with Father
John Gatzak, including Oberammergau Passion Play ticket on Friday, July 22,
2010! Also visit Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna! Estimated
cost per person in Twin from JFK - $3,190** plus air taxes and fuel charges
($390 as of April 2008). **Final Cost will be set in August 2009.
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Pilgrimage to Poland with Father John
Gatzak - April 24 to May 3, 2008
Featuring: Warsaw, Krakow, Zakopane,
Shrine of Divine Mercy and
St. Faustina's tomb in Krakow, Shrine of
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Auschwitz Memorial and Wieliczka Salt Mines. 10 Days -
8 Nights.
Pilgrimage to Puglia... the Land of Padre Pio with Father John
- October 22 - October 30, 2007
Father John and
his fellow pilgrims experienced another wonderful 9 days and 7 nights in Rome
and Southeastern Italy. We visited
Rome
and the Vatican and participated in Pope Benedicts XVI's
weekly audience. In Puglia,
we saw some of Italy’s most unspoiled scenery, most fascinating artistic and
historical sites, and finest beaches. We visited Pietrelcina...
the birthplace of Saint “Padre” Pio and San Giovanni Rotondo…
the Basilica where we celebrated Mass the tomb of Saint Pio and the new
Pilgrimage Church of Saint Pio. In Monte
Sant’Angelo we visited the grotto and Shrine of Saint Michael
the Archangel. We explored the Castel del Monte,
a UNESCO World Heritage site. We visited
Trani, Polignano a Mare
and Locorotondo. We explored the cone shaped
Trulli of Alberobello. And experienced agritourism up close,
including visits to a winery and an olive oil factory, and culminating with an Italian cooking lesson.
Classic Italy in Fall with Father
John - September 24 to October 7, 2006
Father John Gatzak led another group of pilgrims on this 14 day, 12 night
classic tour of Italy. We were blessed by beautiful weather as we visited
Venice for 3 days including the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello,
Next we stopped in Modena for an education in traditional Balsamic Vinegar then
onto Florence and Michelangelo's David. From Florence we visited a
vineyard and winery in the Chianti region; Siena - home of Saint Catherine -
where we had a special visit with one of the local Contrada. Next up was beautiful Assisi
and visits to the Basilicas of Saint Frances and Saint Clare, Patron Saint of
the television Mass. From Assisi we toured to Sorrento and drove the breath
taking and winding Amalfi drive to Amalfi. Then it was on to Rome, but
first we stopped in Pompeii and visited this Roman city buried by the eruption
of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. In Rome, we attended a papal audience with our
Holy Father Benedict XVI, and the diaconate ordination of American seminarians attending the Pontifical North
American College at Saint Peter's Basilica, including Michael Carlson, Prospect,
CT, a seminarian from the
Archdiocese of Hartford.
Lenten Pilgrimage to Rome & Lourdes with Father John - March 31 to April
10,
2006
This Lenten Pilgrimage to Rome and Lourdes with Father John Gatzak,
Executive Director of the Office of Radio & Television of the Archdiocese of
Hartford, began with 4 days in Rome where we participated in the events
commemorating the 1st anniversary of the death of Pope John
Paul II, including a candlelit recitation of the Rosary and the Memorial Mass in
honor of John Paul II presided by the Holy Father Benedict XVI. Our stay
in Rome concluded with a Papal audience. Next we visited Pisa and its
famous Leaning
Tower, and yes everyone tried to hold it up... then on to Avignon, France and the Palace of the Popes.
Our Lenten pilgrimage concluded in Lourdes... the sanctuary and
grotto, where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette. It was truly a
very moving and spiritual experience for all as we prayed at the grotto,
participated in the Palm Sunday liturgies and culminated with a candlelit Marian
procession.
Sicily & Rome 2005 with Father John:
The Anniversary Tour - June 19 to July 1, 2005
Fr. John Gatzak, Executive Director of the Office of Radio & Television,
Archdiocese of Hartford conducted another unforgettable pilgrimage, this time,
in celebration of his 30th anniversary of priestly ordination on June 29,
2005. This pilgrimage began with 8 days exploring the ancient ruins on the beautiful Island of Sicily
visiting Taormina, an optional trek to Mt. Etna no eruptions this trip, Siracusa including a boat ride
around the harbor... the very waters that St. Paul sailed, Solarino... where Father
John celebrated Mass with his cousins, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento,
Erice, Saline, Monreale and Palermo.
We concluded the pilgrimage with 3 days in the Eternal City, Rome, the
highlights being the Papal Mass and Imposition of the Pallium with our new Holy
Father, Benedict XVI in the Basilica of St. Peter; visiting and praying at the
tomb of Pope John Paul II and celebrating Father John's
Anniversary Mass in the Basilica at the Catacombs of Priscilla.
Italy 2004: The Pallium Tour with Father John - June 24 to July 6, 2004
Father John planned this pilgrimage to celebrate the Archdiocese of
Hartford's new Archbishop, Henry J. Mansell, on the occasion of his receiving
the pallium from our Holy Father John Paul II on the Feast of Saints Peter and
Paul, June 29, 2004. This pilgrimage began with 2 days in Assisi where
we enjoyed the local Festa delle Campanelle, then we spent 4 days in Rome,
the highlight being the Pallium Ceremony and a General Audience with the Holy
Father. From Rome
we journeyed south for 5 glorious, sun-filled days in and around Sorrento, including visits to
Naples, Amalfi, an optional excursion to Capri, Ravello, Paestum and a Buffalo
Mozzarella farm factory.
Italy 2003 with Father John - October 11 to October 24, 2003
This pilgrimage was in celebration of the Office of
Radio & Television's Golden Jubilee with an added bonus. It included Lake Como, Florence, Assisi, Rome for the
Beatification of Mother Teresa (now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta) by our Holy
Father John Paul II on October 19, 2003, and San Giovanni Rotondo to visit the Basilica
and birthplace of
Saint "Padre" Pio of Pietrelcina.
Crossroads Pilgrimage 2002 to Italy with Father John - October 25 to
November 7, 2002
This pilgrimage included the beautiful island of Sicily with visits to Palermo,
Agrigento, Siracusa, and Taormina with its view of the erupting Mt. Etna, and
Rome and an audience with our Holy Father John Paul II.
Pilgrimage to Italy - October 27 to November 6, 2001
This pilgrimage was almost another casualty of the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks on the United States. However, from an initial group size of 35,
Father John led 20 brave and hearty pilgrims, including a first-time flyer, to
Italy where they prayed and remembered the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
in the Eternal City of Rome, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Assisi, Venice and Milan.
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The following pilgrimages have been featured on Crossroads Magazine™.
Just click on the pilgrimage name to watch the Crossroads Magazine™ episode
featuring that pilgrimage.
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