FOR THE CURIOUS, THE UNSURE, AND THE NOT-YET
Curious about Catholicism? Come and see.
A pilgrimage where you encounter the faith instead of being argued into it.
Some of the people who will travel with us are not Catholic. Some were raised Catholic and left. Some are preparing to enter the Church, or married to someone who belongs to it, or simply not sure what they believe and would like to see the thing up close before deciding anything. This doorway is for them.
Here is what you will see. You will walk into St. Peter’s Basilica and find that no photograph prepared you for its size. You will go down into the catacombs on the Appian Way and stand where Christians buried their dead and prayed when it was dangerous to do either. You will attend Mass, more than once, in churches that were built for it across fifteen centuries. You will see relics and learn why Catholics keep them. You will find an image of Mary in nearly every church and come to understand why Catholics honor her and the saints, and what that honor is and is not. In Assisi you will meet Francis and Clare, who are easier to understand in their own small town than in any book.
None of this is an argument. Nobody will seat you in a lecture or hand you a pamphlet at dinner. Bold Pilgrim is unapologetically Catholic, and the priest who travels with the group will gladly answer any question you put to him, but the posture of the journey is the one Philip took with Nathanael: come and see. What you make of what you see is between you and God.
It is a journey for the Protestant who wants to understand the early Church rather than hear about it secondhand; for the OCIA candidate who would like to stand in the places she is about to join; for the husband who came because his wife wanted Rome and finds himself more curious than he expected; for the Catholic who stopped going twenty years ago and is not sure why he is reading this; and for the person who loves the history and the architecture and would rather not be asked to explain himself. You will not be asked to.
Mass is open to everyone, and we hope you will come. Holy Communion is received by Catholics who are in a state of grace; everyone else is welcome to remain in the pew or to come forward for a blessing. Our priest will explain this with respect before the first Mass, and nobody will be singled out.
Where this leads
ItalyRome
The catacombs, the basilicas, the tombs of Peter and Paul, and Mass in the city where the Church first took root.
ItalyAssisi
Two saints who are easier to understand in their own town; a place that goes quiet when the day-trippers leave.
Vatican CityVatican City
St. Peter’s, the Museums, and a scale that corrects your sense of what people will build for God.
The journey
Sample itinerary. Confirmed departures and prices have not been announced.
Questions people ask before they come
EVERY PILGRIMAGE BEGINS WITH A FIRST STEP
Where is your faith
calling you?
Tell us what you have in mind. A place, a prayer intention, a parish, or simply a desire to go.
Start planning