Our Lady of Sorrows pastor to lead Rome pilgrimage

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December 17, 2009

Anonymous The Jacksonville Daily Progress Thu Dec 17, 2009, 08:41 PM CST

Progress staff Reports

The Rev. Mark Kusmirek of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church will take a group of pilgrims on a tour of Rome Jan. 22-29.

“We will take as many as can go. They are always welcome,” Kusmirek said.

He said 16 or 17 people have signed up to go on the pilgrimage, which costs $2,650 (plus air tax) for round trip airfare from Houston, first-class hotel, daily breakfast buffet, dinners and lunches per the itinerary, sightseeing and entrance fees per itinerary, private motor coach, professional tour escort, licensed local guides, passport case and luggage tags, and Mass schedule.

Anyone interested in going needs to have their reservation in by Jan. 1, said Kusmirek, who will be spiritual leader for the pilgrimage. The trip is being handled through Best Catholic Pilgrimages of Chicago.

“Rome is a beautiful city. It is the heartland of Christianity aside from the Holy Land,” he said.

Kusmirek said the city contains great antiquities and sites to visit. He said they will be able to make their stops while staying at one hotel in the “Eternal City.”

This is the second time Kusmirek has led a pilgrimage to Rome, with last being three years. Last year, he took a group to the Holy Land.

“It's always different. It is a spiritual experience regardless of your religious affiliation,” Kusmirek said.

The tour group will leave Friday, Jan. 22 on a Trans-Atlantic flight to Rome. Upon arrival Saturday, Jan. 23, the group will be me by an escort and taken to a private motor coach, which will take the pilgrims to their hotel.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, the group will take in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Catacombs of St. Sebastian, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. The pilgrims will visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel on Monday, Jan. 25, then stop for a guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica and stop at John Paul II's Tomb; the day will conclude with sightseeing at St. Mary Major's Basilica.

The tour group will visit the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Foro Romano on Jan. 26, then travel to the archeological sites at the Basilica of San Clemente. Also on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the group will visit the Piazza of San Gregorio and Church of San Gregorio Magno, and the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

The next day of the trip, Wednesday, Jan. 27, will take the travelers for a papal audience and blessing, along with a visit to the Vatican, where the Swiss guards will be on hand to welcome the Holy Father. The next stops that day are St. John Basilica in Lateran and the “Palace of the Holy Steps,” the actual steps Christ is believed to have climbed when he was brought before Pilate. Kusmirek will celebrate Mass at St. John Basilica in Lateran.

The group of pilgrims will leave Rome on Thursday, Jan. 28 for a full-day excursion to Assisi, the mystical town of St. Francis and St. Clare. The day will include tours of the Basilica of St. Francis, Crypt of St. Francis, and the upper church, which houses the Frescoes of Giotto and Cimabue. After lunch, the tour group will visit St. Mary of the Angels Church, where Kusmirek will celebrate Mass prior to the pilgrims returning to Rome.

The pilgrimage will end Friday, Jan. 29, when the group will depart the Rome airport for home.

Anyone who would like to go on the pilgrimage can contact the Rev. Mark Kusmirek at 903-586-4538 for more information of brochures.

Information from Best Catholic Pilgrimages can be contacted at 1-800-908-2378 or info@bestcatholic.com.

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