“We cannot thank you enough for the incredible experience we had on your trip, even without having gotten married on the trip, your guidance through our Holy Land/spiritual journey was life changing beyond our expectations and beyond our ability to even verbalize…  Our wedding was amazing and grace filled, again thank you so much.  Janet, thank you for being so kind as I prepared for the ceremony, your encouragement and words were truly another blessing.” ~Jill & Rusty

I received a call from Brian Gardner today who traveled to the Holy Land on May 23 with Steve and Janet and Scott Hahn. He raved about the trip. He said that he had been to the Holy Land before with a different group, but that Footprints of God and Corporate Travel were “top of the line” and worth the extra cost. He had been leery about going again with such a large group, but he was utterly impressed with the smoothness and overall superbness of the trip. He called it “remarkable,” “like clockwork,” “a seamless event.” He mentioned that Steve had incredible enthusiasm about all the sites for someone who has been to the Holy Land so many times.
~Maria Michalik, Corporate Travel Service

“How can we ever thank you enough for all that you did to help make our Rome trip a fantastic experience?!!  The whole event far exceeded my expectations.  You asked for some feedback regarding our trip and so I will share some thoughts with you:” (continued here)

Steve Ray and John Hale of Corporate Travel were interviewed about the pilgrimage to the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Read the article: http://alturl.com/uqvzi

“I would encourage pilgrims to travel to the Holy Land with Steve and Janet.

My wife, Annie and I traveled with Steve and Janet on last year’s June 3 to June 13, 2010 Footprints of God Pilgrimage to Israel.

Everything Steve writes about concerning safety in his blog is true. Steve and Janet do business with Corporate Travel, a family company that has been providing tour services since 1965. That is over 45 years. Steve and Janet, and Corporate Travel, are professionals and know their business and their land. They would never put you or their employees (guides and bus drivers) in harms way. And Steve and Janet would not put you or themselves in harms way.

It is natural to stop and think when a terrorist action occurs and that is what the terrorists want you to do. They want to disrupt commerce and travel. Do not let them take control. You need to be in control. Go. Steve and Janet will lead you on an inspiring and safe journey.

It is a great trip where your spirit is touched and you are blessed. Your historical knowledge will be increased. The Rosary will never be the same for you. Have a great trip as you walk in the Footprints of God.”

Chuck Voreis
Utica, IL

It is on the headlines yesterday and today – a bomb was detonated near the main bus station at the entrance of Jerusalem. Should pilgrims be concerned?
First, this was not a tour bus that was hit but a public transportation bus.
Second, it was not any where where we go as pilgrims. It was in the heart of Jewish West Jerusalem. We spend our time in East Jerusalem. All the bomb issues in the past have been in West Jerusalem.
Third, this is the first such incident since 204 and Israel. In 2010 there were a record number of tourists – exceeding 3 million. This year will exceed that. Not one pilgrim has been hurt.
Fourth, the major problem you hear about are rockets from Gaza. Gaza is no where near where we go For all intents and purposes, it is a million miles away, as is the turmoil in Libya and Yemen and other countries.
Fifth, we have people on the ground now in Jerusalem and the word is “No problem for pilgrims!” t is similar to this: what if a neighborhood in downtown Detroit had a bomb go off, would you hesitate to fly into Metro Detroit Airport and drive to the suburbs? This is a very similar situation.
Sixth, if you are registered to go with us soon, please feel free to call if you have any concerns and I would be glad to talk with you. Call me at 734-926-9070.

We are in the Holy Land waiting for the Footprints of God pilgrims to arrive. Some people have voiced concern about traveling to the middle east…but let me tell you, I have been running from city to city, and all around Jerusalem and feel completely safe. I am surrounded with with thousands of other tourists, and hundreds of tour buses (pictured are the buses lined up across the street at the Garden of Gethsemane, 64 of them).

UPDATE 2/7/2011: We just received word from Egypt that they will work with us in good-faith on a refund! We have to be flexible on the time frame, it will take a week or two to work out the details and the amount due to chaos in Egypt, especially with the banks. We are now working with the airlines to get as much of a refund as possible. To Effected Pilgrims: Please be patient as Corporate Travel is working professionally on your behalf to get the money back to you. Give them time to get this all resolved. They are doing a great job! Also, we have rescheduled the trip for Feb. 7, 2012.

Our priest has scheduled a March, 2011 tour of the Holy Land and Egypt with [another travel company affiliated with YTB]. Great price, until you get to the “additional fees.” After having been with you and Janet, I really am appreciative of the services you provided, which were INCLUDED IN THE COST.
~Joanne
Footprints of Paul Pilgrim (Nov., 2010)

Benedict XVI is planning to preside over the beatification rite for John Paul II on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the Vatican.

A communiqué from the Congregation for Saints’ Causes announced that…continued at http://www.zenit.org/article-31450?l=english

We are excited to announce that Jerry Usher is coming to the Holy Land with us in April 2011, Jerry is well known in Catholic media, having hosted Catholic Answers Live and received a degree in Theology and Philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville. His past projects have included the Faith Database, and now Jerry has founded a new website dedicated to increasing and supporting the call to priestly life at VocationBoom.com.

For more information about the Pilgrimage in April Call Suzanne at (339) FOG-TOUR or click here for the pilgrimage page.

I am currently in Athens, Greece where I have been on a CSS pilgrimage through Greece and Turkey via cruise ship lead by Steve Ray.  We are coming to the end of the pilgrimage and now that I’m off the cruise ship I have the opportunity to email you and tell you what an awesome pilgrimage this has been.  I have always admired St, Paul but have even greater admiration for him since actually “following in his footsteps” and seeing what he saw.  The weather has been perfect (sunny ant about 70 – 75 degrees daily) except today was overcast and rained a little.

I’d like to encourage you to go to Steve Ray’s blog and see the pictures and videos of this pilgrimage.  Today we celebrated Mass with three priests who came on the cruise/pilgrimage atop Mars Hill where St. Paul preached the sermon about the TRUE God.  Athens had many idols and above the place where Paul preached was the Temple of Athena – another pagan goddess.  Acts 17:16 says that Paul’s spirit was greatly grieved when he arrived in Athens and saw that the entire city was given over to idols.  To see his sermon, go to Acts 17:22-31 and please check out the picture on Steve’s blog site of this morning’s Mass which was atop Mars Hill – it was thundering and lightning during the Mass which made it quite intense,

You can also see this picture on our CSS facebook page – go to Facebook and type in the search bar: Catholic Scripture Study International to see the posting and picture.  Also feel free to post comments on Steve’s blog site regarding the pictures and pilgrimage.  I hope you’ll consider going on the next CSS pilgrimage to Ireland in 2012.   Blessings, Gail

By Nancy Freeman, Published in the Ave Herald Newspaper

The Holy Land is the land where lie the ruins of the world’s most ancient
civilizations. To the Jews this is the land of the Bible and their past
glories; to the Christians this is the land where Jesus lived and suffered,
the land which heard His mighty words and witnessed His miracles; to the
Moslems this is the land from which the prophet ascended to heaven. Since
very ancient times until today, war followed war, riot followed riot,
saturating its holy ground with human blood. No country in the world has had
a more dramatic history than the Holy Land.

So what’s a nice girl like me doing in Israel? In the beginning (excuse the
pun) I had little desire to go to the Holy Land. My husband surprised me
with my first trip in 1999 to accompany Scott Hahn, my best friend, and
three bus loads of other pilgrims. I have since returned 2 more times and do
not anticipate another trip but have learned never to say ‘never.’

Why Israel? Why a pilgrimage? To celebrate Mass at the Church of the Primacy
of St. Peter where Jesus fed the apostles and confirmed the primacy of Peter
as Shepherd of the Church. To ride on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus calmed
the waves and walked on the water.  To stand on the mountain top of Mt.
Tabor and celebrate Mass where early Church Fathers believed that the
Transfiguration took place.  To renew wedding vows for married couples at
the Wedding Church in Cana where Jesus changed water into wine. To attend
Mass in the shade of the trees on the Mount of Beatitudes and pretend you
were there when Jesus preached to the thousands. To visit Tabgha where Jesus
multiplied the loaves and fishes. To explore the Rock and Cave at Caesarea
Philippi where Jesus made Peter the Rock and gave him the keys of the
Kingdom and the Church to which we as Catholics now belong. To celebrate
Mass at St Peter’s house in Capernaum and meditate on the Scriptures telling
us that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law here, that he slept and ate here,
cured a paralytic lowered through a hole in the roof, performed many
miracles, and finally cursed the city for its unbelief. To visit the site of
the synagogue where Jesus preached the sermon on Bread of Life and eating
His Flesh and Blood. (“You are What you eat” you know!) To renew your
Baptismal vows in the same Jordan River where John baptized Jesus.  To walk
up the steep hill where Mary 3 months with Child visited Elizabeth who gave
birth to John the Baptist. To celebrate Mass at the Tomb of the Holy
Sepulchre where Jesus was laid to rest while trying not to fall into a vale
of tears.  To lay hands on the spot where baby Jesus was born at the Church
of the Nativity. To sing Joy to the World and other Christmas hymns at
Shepherd’s Field outside Bethlehem at Mass yet again. To the Mount of Olives
to visit the Church of the Pater Noster where Jesus taught the Apostles to
pray and where He ascended into Heaven. To the Garden of Gethsemane for Mass
where we also prayed the first Sorrowful Mystery-Agony in the Garden. To
visit the Church of the Dormition where Mary according to Catholic theology
and tradition is said to have fallen asleep for the last time, just before
she was taken into Heaven along with her soul after her death. To walk down
into the depths of the carved out cistern where Jesus was held at the palace
of Caiaphas where the Church of St Peter’s in Gallicantu (“cock crowing”)
now stands. To enter through the walls of Old Jerusalem through the Dung
Gate to pray at the Wailing Wall, the most holy place in the world for the
Jews. To slip our prayer request on pieces of paper and insert them into
cracks in the wall as others have done for over two thousand years. To
witness the sheer delight of a young boy brought from Miami to perform his
bar mitzvah in this ancient city and to hear the shofar which is an
instrument made from a hollow ram’s horn that is bent and curved upwards. It
is preferred because it was a ram that was offered as a sacrifice in place
of Isaac when his father Abraham bound him to an altar with the intention of
sacrificing him to God.
<http://www.jewish-art.org/media-files/shofartang.mp3> Click here to listen
to the sound of the shofar   And last but not least, to carry a cross
following the footsteps of Christ as He walked the Via Dolorosa and the
Stations of the Cross. Believe me when I say there is no better time machine
to transport you back 2000 years than to visit the Holy Land.

Now that I am home, I know from past experience that I will continue to be
‘weepy’ at the simplest of acts: the reading of a Scripture passage, praying
the rosary, receiving Eucharist, grocery shopping (for crying out loud even
this can reduce me to tears).

Please check out Steve and Janet Ray’s pilgrimages at
<http://www.catholicconvert.com> www.catholicconvert.com. Why is it
important to go on a Catholic pilgrimage? We go to the Holy Land to support
the Christians who are only 1.5% of the population and dwindling. Whenever
possible stay at Christian hotels, use Catholic shops, guides and drivers.
Eat at Christian restaurants and help the Christians of the Holy Land as
much as possible. Most guides are Muslim and Jewish and some will mock or
place doubt as to the authenticity of the holy sites. With Steve and Janet
Ray as Catholic guides you will be guaranteed Steve will be defending the
faith and explaining the holy sites in light of the Catholic faith.

Also, if you would like to have a holy card that has been laid on all of
these holy sites please contact me as I carried a backpack weighing 10 lbs.
filled with religious articles…and I am most happy to share. And I am 10
lbs. lighterJ

Shalom!

Nancy Freeman

Even though Turkey and Greece have been in the news lately, all is well. We are currently in the heart of Athens and I have been running through the city to keep up my miles. Pictures below are from today showing no one is disrupted here and life is going on as usual as if nothing happened.

Some bombs were sent to embassies in Athens but have not caused trouble for us. I am here now and have been out in the streets most of the day. (Packages were also sent to Chicago.) We are not near these happenings and are certainly not targets. We will only use Athens as a stopover before boarding the ship. Later we will visit the Acropolis and have Mass at the Cathedral.

My agents and friends in both countries confirm their is no problem for tourists and both countries are full of pilgrims and tourists who are having no problems or fears.

If any signed up for pilgrimage are concerned, call Corporate Travel at 800-727-1999 or me (they’ll give you my cell number here in Athens).

Our cruise is set and ready to go and the sites are all spectacular and biblical, food is exceptional, accommodations very nice and I’m ready to lead you in the footprints of St. Paul! The weather is PERFECT!

For those not going, watch for our videos right here!

“Made it home safe and sound, Steve and Janet.  Thank you for making the Holy Land Pilgrimage so special.  I am so happy that I took the leap of faith. Will be looking for future trips to take.   In 10 days, I grew more in my Catholic faith than I have in many years.  God Bless You and Yours!”

Virgina

Steve, back in Illinois and adjusting to life without breakfast salami.

The experience of pilgrimage fulfills the words of Augustine Fides quarens intellectum. Faith leads to understanding, not the other way around as practiced in our secular society.  Understanding is the reward of faith;  an understanding based more on trust than fact.

The Shroud was on my “bucket list.”  It was my focus, the rest being just icing on the cake.  So, I came curious, but left convicted.

In the final analysis, it was less the relics and more the pilgrims.  All those souls gathering in a desire to grow in faith provided context to my heart — the Church Militant is a singular pilgrim community that cooperates for the salvation of the world.  This satisfies a need of the heart that the mind can never provide.

I love being Catholic. ~Joe

Lord, I just want to thank you for being such a good and loving Savior and caring for me and blessing me in so many ways.   Thank you for allowing Jeff and me to go to Italy and see all the beautiful holy relics that you have left for us to assist in strengthening and enriching our faith.

Everyday there were new blessings starting with your Holy Shroud.  Our group of a hundred-fifty pilgrims, Steve and Janet Ray, Father Scott Courtney, Teresa Tomeo, and a total of 1.5 million other Christians all standing in line to see you, waiting quietly to see your face, the face of Jesus in your burial cloth. The blood stains at your feet, hands, the crown of thrones and the wound in your side, all a reminder of how much you love us. The anticipation was over whelming as we prayed and praised you in line. Just as we were about to enter the church I was overcome by your precious Holy Spirit. I knew you wanted us all to feel your holy presence and to receive this great gift you have left for us. Praise you Jesus for caring so much for each one of us. Then holy Mass at St Francis de Sales Church in Turin.

Well, Lord I didn’t think you could top that, but you did. A day long trip to Assisi, what would that bring, see the sights, take a nap, but no, you had something greater in mind. You wanted to speak to our hearts and prepare us for the rest of the Pilgrimage. First, Father Scott said the Rosary and not only was the bus moving but your Holy Spirit was on the move, touching hearts even my non-Catholic husband was touched. Next, we listened to the conversion story of Steve Ray.  As he talked it made me ashamed, because as a cradle Catholic I have been keeping my faith under a bushel basket, and not sharing how wonderful it is to be Catholic with my non-Catholic sisters and brothers. I have not been fully appreciating the richness of my faith, not being joyful and on fire for you, so others can see all the blessing you have given me through your church. We ended the day celebrating Mass at St Mary of the Angels Basilica in Assisi.

We started the next day with Mass at St. Clare Basilica. After mass we hopped on the bus, up we went to the top of the hill and toured the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi.  The rain did not stop us from seeing the holy example St. Clare and St. Francis showed us, in the humble and simple way they lived. Their lives were depicted in the works of art through out the Basilicas, which Elizabeth Lev, an art history professor, brought to life for us. Lord, help me become a channel of your peace, to live a simple and holy life, and thank you for the example set by your holy saints.

The journey continued the next day to the Holy House of Nazareth in Lanciano where your mother Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she was going to be your mother. Mary then went to Elizabeth and told her that the mighty God had done great things for her and that His mercy would reach from age to age. How blessed are we that we can see a part of the home where you grew up. We could see two worn groves in the marble floor where pilgrims like us prayed on their knees around the perimeter of the Holy House, which is now incased in marble. The same day we had Mass at the Shrine in Lanciano were you cared so much for a priest that was struggling with his faith, that you preformed a Eucharistic miracle on a rugged little alter in a tiny little church, your heart tissue and your blood type AB the same blood type found on the shroud. You have weaved these miracles together so lovingly just for us.

Our miracle day! Your Spirit was at work today making it possible for us to have mass at the new shrine of Padre Pio, where no one other than the Pope and the friars are allowed to perform mass. Steve Ray made arrangements a year ago for us to have mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, but he was moved to the new tomb in April. Steve Ray told our Italian escort to tell the curator that if he tells 150 pilgrims to sit they will sit and not move. The Italian escort also told her, he would go to the market and buy bread and wine and we would have mass the old way. She finally agreed to let Father Scott say mass. None of us new this was going on until after the most Spirit filled mass of the trip. Then we went up to the top where you can see a view of the Adriatic Sea and there we found the Grotto of Michael the Archangel, and it was closed, so you Lord had the Friar open it just for us.  What a day!!!

On our way to Rome we stopped to see Veronica’s Veil, another faith building experience. The features on the Shroud match the face on the veil perfectly. Lord you are so awesome to have left us so many signs of your love. When we arrived in Rome we went down into the catacombs of St. Callixtus and saw the tombs of the early Christians. I have to admit it did give me the hebegebees.  Then we celebrated mass at the church of St. Callixtus. Cardinal Arinza was a surprise guest at our dinner. He told us as lay people we represent 99% of the church and we have a responsibility to share our faith. Lord help me to show your joy to others.

We ended in Rome being part of the Papal audience. I was able to get up close, about six feet from the Pope. He was in his pope-mobile just like you see him on EWTN. Our group was shouting “We love being Catholic! WOO! WOO!” There were people from all over the world. What a privilege to see the leader of your Holy Catholic Church up close and personal.  Jeff says “I was like a five year old at Disneyland for the first time”.  After all that excitement, we concluded with mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica.

Our farewell dinner was bitter sweet. Saying good-by to our new friends in Christ and being afraid to leave for fear I won’t change the things you want to change in me. Lord have Mercy.

Yes, we did get to shop.  What was my favorite part of the trip you ask? It was the tomb at the shrine of Padre Pio and the mass that was held there. My husbands favorite was daily mass. I never expected that answer. Maybe we will have a Magnificat miracle. Praise God!!!

Thank you Magnificat sisters from the bottom of our hearts. Darlene and Jeff May 2010

DEAR JANET AND STEVE,

MY TWO DAUGHTERS AND I HAD A FANTASTIC PILGRIMAGE THANKS TO YOUR PLANNING AND PROFESSIONALISM, NOT TO MENTION YOUR LOVE OF GOD AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE HOLY PLACES. HOPE YOUR ROME EXTENSION WENT WELL ALSO, AM SURE IT DID. WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES FOR A LIFETIME.  HOPE TO TRAVEL WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF AGAIN ONE DAY. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

SINCERELY IN CHRIST,

ANN HALL