Join Bishop John Dunne for a Rockville Centre Diocese a Pilgrimage to.. 50th International Eucharistic Congress & Ireland
Trip Coordinator: Msgr. James McNamara
June 4 - 13, 2012 $2,984per person fromJFK, New York (depart from your local US airport - via add-on airfares) (Dublin Only Option: June 9 - 13, 2012 ~ $2,149 per person from JFK, New York)
WELCOME TO THE 50TH EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS!
As announced in Quebec three years ago, the 50th Eucharistic Congress will be held in Dublin, Ireland. Every four years, the International Eucharistic Congress is celebrated by thousands of Catholics from around the world.
The week consists of daily events, including large public Eucharistic celebrations, plus venues for song, drama, lectures and international fellowship. The purpose of the Congress is:
♣ to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Church
♣ to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist (the responsibility we have to reflect in our lives the meaning of what we celebrate).
The Diocese of Rockville Centre is sponsoring a pilgrimage to the Congress under the spiritual leadership of Bishop John Dunne who has served as one of our auxiliary Bishops since 1988. Bishop Dunne has family roots in Castlebar. Thus, our pilgrimage will begin in in the west of Ireland and end with the first three days of the Eucharistic Congress.
We hope you will be able to join us for this memorable experience. Travel arrangements are being made by 206 Tours.
Fr. Jim McNamara, Pilgrimage Coordinator
Msgr. James McNamara
Please enjoy some personal photos from Fr. Jim McNamara pilgrimage to Ireland in 2005
Irelandis the third-largest island in Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Long known as the "Isle of Saints and Scholars", Ireland was the epicenter of Christian learning while the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages. As the home of Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columba, and many more, Ireland also provides many faith-based attractions- from the Book of Kells, an elaborately scripted 9th-century version of the Four Gospels, to the Knock Shrine, a leading Marian pilgrimage site, to historic abbeys, cathedrals, churches, and high crosses.
Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Dublin in June 2012. This will mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council. The Council marks an important moment of renewal and deepening of the Church's teaching and of her understanding as the Body of Christ and the People of God.
A Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people which aims to: ♣ promote awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life & mission of the Catholic Church ♣ help improve understanding and celebration of the Liturgy ♣ draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist
The Congress normally takes place every four years. The daily celebration of the Eucharist is at the very heart of the Congress. The wider program includes other liturgical and cultural events, testimonies, and workshops during the week of the Congress. The theme for the Eucharistic Congress is "The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another."
The hope is that the theme will contribute to an enriched understanding of the Eucharist as true personal Communion with Jesus Christ and to a renewed understanding of the Church. In the Eucharist we are invited to a personal act of encounter with the Lord who gives himself for us, in Word and Sacrament. That encounter opens the path for new relationships in which we, as Church and as individual Christians are invited to engage in a social mission, in which we in turn are given for others.
The Eucharist is bread for the life of the world (Jn 6:51)
Your Trip Includes: Round-trip airfare from JFK to Shannon and Dublin to JFK Airlines Fuel Surcharges & Airport Taxes 3 day entrance to the 2012 Eucharistic Congress in Dublin 8 nights accommodations in 3-star hotels as follows:
~ Jun 05-07 (2 nights) Ardilaun Hotel, Galway
~ Jun 07-09 (2 nights) Breaffy House, Castlebar
~ Jun 09-10 (1 night) Knock House Hotel, Knock
~ Jun 10-13 (3 nights) Ballisbridge Inn, Dublin Full Irish breakfast daily 6 dinners at your hotel or local restaurants Mass daily Tour Escort thoughout Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary Portage of luggage at hotels (1 piece per person) Flight bag & portfolio of all travel document
Not Included:
Dinner on 2 nights, lunches, tips to guides and drivers (suggested 9 euros per person per day), optional traveler’s insurance (www.206tours.com/insurance), optional cancel for any reason protection plan (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection), items of a personal nature.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1, June 4, 2012: Depart USA
Make your way to the airport for your overnight flight from JFK to Shannon. Dinner and breakfast are served on board your flight.
Day 2, June 5, 2012: Arrive Shannon
We arrive in Shannon Airport where we are greeted by our tour guide. We depart for our visit to the Cliffs of Moher. We continue on to Galway, it has kept its medieval charm with its color-ful streets and many authentic pubs. Dinner and overnight in Galway.
Day 3, June 6, 2012: Connemara & Kylemore Abbey
After a good Irish breakfast we will travel westward through Connemara where you will have Mass & a visit at Kylemore Abbey & Gardens. We return to Galway in time for dinner (on your own tonight) and overnight.
Day 4, June 7, 2012: Tuam, Ballintubber & Castlebar
After breakfast we depart for Tuam where we will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral. We continue on to Ballintubber Abbey, which remains intact despite countless attaches and repressions since 1216. We continue on to Croagh Patrick, one of the most famous pilgrimage desitinations in Ireland. It is believed that St. Patrick spent 40 days and nights on the summit banishing snakes, dragons and pagan demons. We arrive in Castlebar in time for dinner and overnight.
Day 5, June 8, 2012: Ceide Fields & Achill Island (weather permitting)
After breakfast we head north to Ceide Fields, a 5000 year old Neolithic farm stead. Visitors can tour an interactive museum which explains the significance of the site as well as walk the site itself, exploring its peoples' complex system of agriculture and way of life. We continue on to Foxford Mills, founded in 1892 by an Irish nun, Mother Arsenius. Our final visit of the day will be to Achill Island, where we will visit the House of Prayer, shrines and churches. We return to Castlebar for dinner (under your own arrangements) and overnight.
Day 6, June 9, 2012: Knock
Today we will visit Knock and the shrine situated in the plains of East Mayo. It is one of the world’s leading Marian shrines. On August 21, 1879 fifteen women, men and children, witnessed an Apparition of Mary. We will celebrate Mass at the Basilica, the largest church in Ireland. Knock is a very popular pilgrimage destination, and in 1979 Pope John Paul II visited this holy place. We will spend afternoon on our own, for private prayer time at the shrine, free time for lunch and shopping before returning to hotel for dinner and overnight in Knock.
Day 7, June 10, 2012: Dublin
After breakfast we depart Knock for Dublin. We arrive in time to join in the Opening Mass of the Eucharistic Congress. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 8, June 11, 2012: Dublin & Eucharistic Congress
We will have a tour of Dublin including: Trinity College which is the oldest university in Ireland founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I. We visit the ancient library containing the Book of Kells, a manuscript from the 9th-century written by the monks at St. Colombo's monastery on the island of Iona. We will also visit St. Patrick's Anglican Cathedral, a Gothic Cathedral which has a splendid interior, with beautiful tombs, monuments, and ornate stained glass windows. This afternoon we join the Eucharistic Congress which will focus on Celebrating our Communion through Baptism today. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 9, June 12, 2012: Glendalough, Wicklow & Eucharistic Congress
Today we will travel through the beautiful mountains of Wicklow, called the "Garden of Ireland‟ to reach Medieval Kilkenny and magnificent view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Morning visit to Glendalough, an ancient monastic city, established in the 6th-century by St. Kevin, in the heart of "the valley of the two lakes" (Gleann da Loch). It was a very important centre of learning as well as a pilgrimage destination. There are many legends concerning St. Kevin and he is often compared to St. Francis of Assisi. We'll be taken on a guided tour of the site, which includes a Round Tower, the ruins of the Cathedral, and "St. Kevin's Kitchen" surrounded by an old cemetery. We return to Dublin for the Eucharistic Congress which will focus on the Communion of Mariage and Family today. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 10, June 13, 2012: Depart USA
This morning we transfer to Dublin Airport for our return flights to the USA. Lunch and dinner served on board.
Dublin Only Option: June 9 - 13, 2012 ~ $2,149 per person from JFK, New York
Your Dublin Only Trip Includes: Round-trip airfare from JFK to Shannon and Dublin to JFK All Fuel Surcharges, taxes and security fees (up to $350) 3 day entrance to the 2012 Eucharistic Congress in Dublin 3 nights accommodations at Ballisbridge Inn, Dublin Full Irish breakfast daily 3 dinners at your hotel or local restaurants Mass daily Tour Escort thoughout Sightseeing and admissions fees Portage of luggage (1 piece per person) Flight bag & portfolio of all travel document
Not Included: Lunches, tips to guides and drivers (suggested 9 euros per person per day), optional traveler’s insurance, optional cancel for any reason protection plan, items of a personal nature.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1, June 9, 2012: Depart USA
Make your way to the airport for your overnight flight from JFK to Shannon. Dinner and breakfast are served on board your flight.
Day 2, June 10, 2012: Dublin
After breakfast we depart Knock for Dublin. We arrive in time to join in the Opening Mass of the Eucharistic Congress. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 3, June 11, 2012: Dublin & Eucharistic Congress
We will have a tour of Dublin including: Trinity College which is the oldest university in Ireland founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I. We visit the ancient library containing the Book of Kells, a manuscript from the 9th-century written by the monks at St. Colombo's monastery on the island of Iona. We will also visit St. Patrick's Anglican Cathedral, a Gothic Cathedral which has a splendid interior, with beautiful tombs, monuments, and ornate stained glass windows. This afternoon we join the Eucharistic Congress which will focus on Celebrating our Communion through Baptism today. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 4, June 12, 2012: Glendalough, Wicklow & Eucharistic Congress
Today we will travel through the beautiful mountains of Wicklow, called the "Garden of Ireland‟ to reach Medieval Kilkenny and magnificent view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Morning visit to Glendalough, an ancient monastic city, established in the 6th-century by St. Kevin, in the heart of "the valley of the two lakes" (Gleann da Loch). It was a very important centre of learning as well as a pilgrimage destination. There are many legends concerning St. Kevin and he is often compared to St. Francis of Assisi. We'll be taken on a guided tour of the site, which includes a Round Tower, the ruins of the Cathedral, and "St. Kevin's Kitchen" surrounded by an old cemetery. We return to Dublin for the Eucharistic Congress which will focus on the Communion of Mariage and Family today. Dinner and overnight in Dublin.
Day 5, June 13, 2012: Depart USA
This morning we transfer to Dublin Airport for our return flights to the USA. Lunch and dinner served on board.
Additional Information & Travel Tips: What to Know Before You Go Any Questions? For more information, please contact: Eva tel: 800-206-TOUR (8687) or email: eva@206tours.com with any questions or to register.
For general information, please contact: Msgr. James McNamara email: jmcn4571@aol.com
Ireland for the 2012 Eucharistic Congress in Dublin
$2,984
June 9 - 13, 2012
Dublin Only for the 2012 Eucharistic Congress
$2,149
$400 per person deposit is non-refundable
Please select your departure airport. If you are not departing from New York(additional fees may apply) For your local airport, please click on drop down menu below
Join
Round-trip airfare from JFK to Shannon and Dublin to JFK
333 Marcus Blvd 