When you think of religious pilgrimage, the Holy Land comes to mind, or perhaps the Vatican. But there’s another pilgrimage destination where ancient ruins emerge from a dramatic landscape – testaments to an over 1500-year-old Christian tradition. This destination is Ireland, whose heritage was celebrated at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. Catholic Focus takes a ...read more

Full disclosure: my family tree doesn’t extend even a single root in Ireland. So when I traveled to Dublin last summer for the International Eucharistic Congress, I didn’t know much about the nation’s history. That would explain my surprise  when Tourism Ireland proposed that, during our stay, we visit the country’s religious pilgrimage sites. ‘Why ...read more

An integral part of any successful pilgrimage is that moment of self-doubt when you ask yourself, “What have I gotten myself into?” This was a question often uttered along the route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which I walked last fall. On the rough days, as we shuffled along the seemingly interminable path, ...read more

Are pilgrimages necessary? That’s the question we’re asking this week on Perspectives: The Weekly Edition. Deacon Pedro speaks with two alumni of the Camino de Santiago walking pilgrimage, Gillian Kantor and Kris Dmytrenko. They discuss whether we need sacrifice, time for reflection, and being taken out of our comfort zone in order to encounter God. ...read more

S+L’s Kris Dmytrenko has been walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Read his previous blog entries about the pilgrimage here. After walking 800 kilometres, I finally reached Santiago de Compostela, the Spanish city at the end of my cross-country pilgrimage. But where was the Cathedral? My pace quickened as I marched towards the historic ...read more

S+L’s Kris Dmytrenko has been walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Read his previous blog entries about the pilgrimage here. “All I have to do is walk”. This is what I told myself in the weeks leading up to my pilgrimage, as I imagined how simple life was about to become. The Camino de ...read more

S+L’s Kris Dmytrenko is walking  the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. He may write regular updates for the blog, or he may not until he reaches the end–as the spirit (and wifi availability) leads him. It was an appropriate start to my pilgrimage, which will take me along an ancient route in Spain called ...read more

A trip to Israel is more than a vacation. It’s a tour through biblical history, as well as an inner journey to meet Jesus. The people and places of the Holy Land testify to Him as a living Gospel account. On Catholic Focus, we take a pilgrimage to Israel. There, we go behind the scenes ...read more

A trip to Israel is more than a vacation. It’s a tour through biblical history, as well as an inner journey to meet Jesus. The people and places of the Holy Land testify to Him as a living Gospel account. On Catholic Focus, we take a pilgrimage to Israel. There, we go behind the scenes ...read more

When comparing long-term travel plans among Christian friends, the one country on everyone’s list, without exception, is Israel. But obstacles like cost — a typical return flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv will run well over $1000 — mean that many pilgrims tend to make the journey later in life. Looking back on my own ...read more