Would you like to take a group of parishioners or organization members on a Catholic-themed journey, and you’re not sure where to start? Saint Christopher Journeys can take care of everything for you—collecting travel documents and fees, providing a journey guide, arranging transportation and accommodations, providing materials for prayer and reflection on your journey, helping you organize pre-journey and post-journey meetings, and more. All you need to do is recruit ten paying participants, and you get to go for FREE! If you recruit fifteen, a second person goes half price!
What is the benefit to my church or organization for sponsoring a Saint Christopher Journey? For the international journeys, $50 is donated back to your church or nonprofit organization for every paying participant. Also, you don’t have to restrict the journey to participants; you can invite others to join the journey, and they might think about joining your church or organization in the process. More importantly, through donations made to Catholic causes, your church or organization can fulfill part of its mission to help others. Probably most importantly, you make your church or organization better by helping in the spiritual and moral development of your members who learn more about the challenges to justice in the world and bring that knowledge back with them. All your church or organization needs to do is to agree to help promote the journeys and allow you to hold meetings to recruit and prepare participants. These are also great opportunities for college alumni/ae groups or faculty/staff journeys.
How is Saint Christopher Journeys different from other Catholic travel organizations? The purpose of Saint Christopher Journeys is educational travel focusing on justice through a Catholic lens. On a Saint Christopher Journey, you will visit museums and shrines, just like you would with another organization. You will also visit Catholic schools, orphanages, refugee shelters, hospitals, and other social services doing justice in their communities. In addition to resources for devotional prayer, your group will be provided with resources for reflection and social analysis informed by Catholic Social Teaching. In short, on a Saint Christopher Journey, you go deeper.
How does an adult group journey differ from a student group journey? The adult group journeys are designed with adults in mind. They are a bit shorter, and accommodations are a little nicer. Adult groups usually do not do any direct service. Saint Christopher Journeys are restricted to adults 18 and older who are legally self-responsible. Journeys do involve walking on unpaved paths, using stairs, long rides and flights, limited menus, and not always with air conditioning. Adults need to keep these things in mind before choosing a journey.
What is the benefit to my church or organization for sponsoring a Saint Christopher Journey? For the international journeys, $50 is donated back to your church or nonprofit organization for every paying participant. Also, you don’t have to restrict the journey to participants; you can invite others to join the journey, and they might think about joining your church or organization in the process. More importantly, through donations made to Catholic causes, your church or organization can fulfill part of its mission to help others. Probably most importantly, you make your church or organization better by helping in the spiritual and moral development of your members who learn more about the challenges to justice in the world and bring that knowledge back with them. All your church or organization needs to do is to agree to help promote the journeys and allow you to hold meetings to recruit and prepare participants. These are also great opportunities for college alumni/ae groups or faculty/staff journeys.
How is Saint Christopher Journeys different from other Catholic travel organizations? The purpose of Saint Christopher Journeys is educational travel focusing on justice through a Catholic lens. On a Saint Christopher Journey, you will visit museums and shrines, just like you would with another organization. You will also visit Catholic schools, orphanages, refugee shelters, hospitals, and other social services doing justice in their communities. In addition to resources for devotional prayer, your group will be provided with resources for reflection and social analysis informed by Catholic Social Teaching. In short, on a Saint Christopher Journey, you go deeper.
How does an adult group journey differ from a student group journey? The adult group journeys are designed with adults in mind. They are a bit shorter, and accommodations are a little nicer. Adult groups usually do not do any direct service. Saint Christopher Journeys are restricted to adults 18 and older who are legally self-responsible. Journeys do involve walking on unpaved paths, using stairs, long rides and flights, limited menus, and not always with air conditioning. Adults need to keep these things in mind before choosing a journey.
Destinations
Have a particular theme you want to explore or a special site you want to visit? We can accommodate you!
Florence, Italy: The host organization is the University of Detroit Mercy’s Pagnotta Campus in the medieval hilltop city of Volterra. In addition to the amazing history of art, groups will meet current artisans, and enjoy a little of the art of winemaking. Florence and Pisa are included on this journey. Siena, Assisi, and Rome can be added on.
Oxford, England: Working with the University of Oxford, this journey features walking in the footsteps of faith-filled authors JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Saint John Henry Newman. You can also see some Harry Potter film locations. A day trip to London is included.
Mexico City: 500-year-old churches and 2,000-year-old pyramids await your exploration! Participants will learn about Mexican history and culture through special lectures and museum visits, including Mass at the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. We work with two Catholic host universities, LaSalle University and the Jesuit IberoAmericana Universitty. The US State Department has consistently listed Mexico City as “Level 2” for caution, which is the same for London, Paris, and Madrid.
Merida, Mexico: Located in the State of Yucatan, Merida is a small city with a rich Mayan culture and history. Participants will visit the famous Chichen-Itza Ruins, and there is ample opportunity to visit contemporary Mayan communities. The beach is only a 20-minute drive away. We work with two Catholic universities in Merida: Marista University and Anahuac Mayab University. Yucatan State is “Level 1” for caution with the US State Department, its safest level, and Merida is regarded by the travel industry as one of the safest cities in North America.
Havana: Founded more than five hundred years ago, Havana has long been an enchanted location for visitors. This journey includes a visit to the Shrine to Saint Lazarus, considered the second most important shrine in Cuba. Travelers will visit several Catholic social service projects serving children, the elderly, and the disabled. There are also be museum visits and some time to enjoy the shopping, music, or other sites.
Cuba Cross-Island Extension: The most important shrine in Cuba is to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in Santiago, on the far eastern side of the island. In making this journey to and from Santiago, groups will visit locations rarely seen by tourists and learn what the Catholic Church is doing to help the rural poor through education and social services.
Kenya: The Brothers of Saint Charles Lwanga are the hosts for this journey. Groups will visit the brothers’ school as well as Catholic hospitals and other social services, and they will also see amazing animals on a five-day safari at Amboseli National Park.
Over the Rainbow: Would you like to visit a city where more than thirty languages are spoken in the schools? Where the first Mass was celebrated in 1541? A city that once sat on an international border? Is it Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or maybe San Antonio? No—it’s Garden City, Kansas! This is a western town that celebrates its diversity.
From Tolton to Black Lives Matter: Fr. Augustus Tolton was born a slave near the town of Hannibal, Missouri. He became the first Black-identified Catholic priest in the United States. Groups will visit his birthplace and tomb. There is currently a cause for his canonization as a saint in the Catholic Church. In addition to Father Tolton sites, participants will learn about the history of slavery through visits to Mark Twain’s home and a visit to a station on the Underground Railroad. Visitors will also journey to the Cathedral of Saint Louis to see the world’s largest collection of mosaics and to learn more about the birth of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Martin Luther King and Saint Jude Hospital: One of America’s greatest voices for social justice came from a Christian minister, Reverend King. He was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel, now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, dedicated to continuing King’s dream of justice for all. Memphis is also home to the world-famous Saint Jude’s Hospital. Travelers will explore this rich history in one of the most culturally gifted cities in the United States, Memphis, the home of Rock-and-Roll and Soul.
Chicago: The founders of America’s third largest city were Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian man of African descent, and Kitihawa, his Potawatomi wife, both Catholics. The city was been a magnet for immigrants and a rainbow of cultural diversity ever since. It is home to one of the largest Mexican populations in the world. Groups will explore the rich cultures and learn about the many Catholic service programs that make up Chicago’s present day.
Louisville: Historically known as the “Gateway to the South,” Louisville has a long history in the struggle for racial justice that continues to this day. The Muhammad Ali Center is one resource in learning about racial justice, and the Thomas Merton Center provides a distinctively Catholic perspective on racial justice. Like many places, Catholic institutions in Louisville have had to come to terms with their history of slave ownership. Visiting with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, there is the opportunity to understand a history of both slave holding and work for racial justice.
Have a particular theme you want to explore or a special site you want to visit? We can accommodate you!
Florence, Italy: The host organization is the University of Detroit Mercy’s Pagnotta Campus in the medieval hilltop city of Volterra. In addition to the amazing history of art, groups will meet current artisans, and enjoy a little of the art of winemaking. Florence and Pisa are included on this journey. Siena, Assisi, and Rome can be added on.
Oxford, England: Working with the University of Oxford, this journey features walking in the footsteps of faith-filled authors JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Saint John Henry Newman. You can also see some Harry Potter film locations. A day trip to London is included.
Mexico City: 500-year-old churches and 2,000-year-old pyramids await your exploration! Participants will learn about Mexican history and culture through special lectures and museum visits, including Mass at the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. We work with two Catholic host universities, LaSalle University and the Jesuit IberoAmericana Universitty. The US State Department has consistently listed Mexico City as “Level 2” for caution, which is the same for London, Paris, and Madrid.
Merida, Mexico: Located in the State of Yucatan, Merida is a small city with a rich Mayan culture and history. Participants will visit the famous Chichen-Itza Ruins, and there is ample opportunity to visit contemporary Mayan communities. The beach is only a 20-minute drive away. We work with two Catholic universities in Merida: Marista University and Anahuac Mayab University. Yucatan State is “Level 1” for caution with the US State Department, its safest level, and Merida is regarded by the travel industry as one of the safest cities in North America.
Havana: Founded more than five hundred years ago, Havana has long been an enchanted location for visitors. This journey includes a visit to the Shrine to Saint Lazarus, considered the second most important shrine in Cuba. Travelers will visit several Catholic social service projects serving children, the elderly, and the disabled. There are also be museum visits and some time to enjoy the shopping, music, or other sites.
Cuba Cross-Island Extension: The most important shrine in Cuba is to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in Santiago, on the far eastern side of the island. In making this journey to and from Santiago, groups will visit locations rarely seen by tourists and learn what the Catholic Church is doing to help the rural poor through education and social services.
Kenya: The Brothers of Saint Charles Lwanga are the hosts for this journey. Groups will visit the brothers’ school as well as Catholic hospitals and other social services, and they will also see amazing animals on a five-day safari at Amboseli National Park.
Over the Rainbow: Would you like to visit a city where more than thirty languages are spoken in the schools? Where the first Mass was celebrated in 1541? A city that once sat on an international border? Is it Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or maybe San Antonio? No—it’s Garden City, Kansas! This is a western town that celebrates its diversity.
From Tolton to Black Lives Matter: Fr. Augustus Tolton was born a slave near the town of Hannibal, Missouri. He became the first Black-identified Catholic priest in the United States. Groups will visit his birthplace and tomb. There is currently a cause for his canonization as a saint in the Catholic Church. In addition to Father Tolton sites, participants will learn about the history of slavery through visits to Mark Twain’s home and a visit to a station on the Underground Railroad. Visitors will also journey to the Cathedral of Saint Louis to see the world’s largest collection of mosaics and to learn more about the birth of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Martin Luther King and Saint Jude Hospital: One of America’s greatest voices for social justice came from a Christian minister, Reverend King. He was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel, now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, dedicated to continuing King’s dream of justice for all. Memphis is also home to the world-famous Saint Jude’s Hospital. Travelers will explore this rich history in one of the most culturally gifted cities in the United States, Memphis, the home of Rock-and-Roll and Soul.
Chicago: The founders of America’s third largest city were Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian man of African descent, and Kitihawa, his Potawatomi wife, both Catholics. The city was been a magnet for immigrants and a rainbow of cultural diversity ever since. It is home to one of the largest Mexican populations in the world. Groups will explore the rich cultures and learn about the many Catholic service programs that make up Chicago’s present day.
Louisville: Historically known as the “Gateway to the South,” Louisville has a long history in the struggle for racial justice that continues to this day. The Muhammad Ali Center is one resource in learning about racial justice, and the Thomas Merton Center provides a distinctively Catholic perspective on racial justice. Like many places, Catholic institutions in Louisville have had to come to terms with their history of slave ownership. Visiting with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, there is the opportunity to understand a history of both slave holding and work for racial justice.
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