Choral Pilgrimages
A pilgrimage tour is both spiritual and educational. Christians have always celebrated their faith by walking in areas that recall an event in the life of our Lord or in places that represent an important moment in the history of the Church. A choral pilgrimage is unlike an ordinary tourist's experience. As pilgrims, we go to see beautiful places, in a new country or locality primarily to connect us to the history of our faith. But as a singer on pilgrimage, spiritual encounters await you and the growth your choir will experience as you rehearse and prepare to sing God’s praises in some of the greatest venues on earth!
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In Italy, where Rome remains the spiritual center of Christian pilgrims around the world, visit the site of the deaths of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and other early martyrs. Visit the location of relics of various saints, relics of the Passion, important churches such as the Catholic Church of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
In France, where Lourdes’ several churches and basilicas associated with Marian apparitions receive more 5 million pilgrims a year, the city is the second most visited Christian pilgrimage site in Europe after Rome. Visit also the second pilgrimage site in France after Lourdes with over 2 million visitors per year - the Basilica of St. Thérèse (Lisieux) in Normandie. These pilgrimage sites are followed by the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre.
In Spain, visit the city of Santiago de Compostela, the destination of the famous medieval pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James. Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza: the first church dedicated to Mary in history. Also, visit the Carmelite Convent of Alba de Torres, which holds the enshrined body of St. Theresa.
In Portugal, Fatima receives about 4-5 million pilgrims a year since a series of apparitions were seen by three shepherd children on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917. Visit also the Church of Marvila and the town of Santarem, site of a reported Miracle of the Eucharist.
In Ireland, join the one and a half million pilgrims who annually make their way to the shrine in Knock where in 1879, it was reported that the Virgin Mary, together with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, appeared to local people. Give an evening concert in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, burial place of St. Patrick.
In Poland, every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come to Czestochowa to see the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Góra that is the home of the Black Madonna painting, a shrine to the Virgin Mary. Give a performance in the famous basilica - Church of St. Mary.
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