Pilgrimages

Awarded third place in pilgrimages/Catholic travel by the Catholic Media Association.

Historian Kevin Schmiesing takes you to more than two-dozen sites and events that symbolize and embody America's rich and sometimes tumultuous Catholic past, including the Santa Fe Trail, Gettysburg, and the Bourbon Trail. You'll also meet both famous and infamous Catholics--including Augustus Tolton, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Frances Cabrini--who impacted our nation's history.

The idea for A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History came from Schmiesing's mother, he says. She turned every childhood vacation into a pilgrimage, purposely inserting religious sites into the family's journey to places such as Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, or Myrtle Beach.

Catholics have been part of the American experiment since the beginning--in founding the colonies and expanding the west, building education and health care systems, abolishing slavery, fighting on the front lines, and advancing science, technology, and space exploration. Each of the twenty-seven sites on Schmiesing's virtual itinerary--including, the Washington Monument, Wounded Knee Creek, the University of Notre Dame, and Mission San Diego de Alcalá--transports you to a significant time in US history and connects the dots to our Catholic heritage. You will meet notable Catholics such as John F. Kennedy, Black Elk, and Katharine Drexel, and learn more about their contributions to history.

You will explore the various and sometimes conflicting roles Catholics have played in key periods and events through the stories of shrines, memorials, and other historic places including:

the Catholic Plymouth Rock--St. Mary's City, Maryland;

the Bourbon Trail--Church of St. Thomas, Bardstown, Kentucky;

the Pope's Stone--the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia;

a Catholic mission and a Native American tragedy: Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota; and

the home of the first Black priest--the churches of Quincy, Illinois.

In this richly illustrated spiritual pilgrimage, explore the beauties and blessings of the Marian shrines and holy places of France with the Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, as your spiritual director and guide.

You've accompanied Fr. Joe to Fatima and Rome. Now come along on the journey of a lifetime to the "eldest daughter of the Church": France!

This latest A Pilgrimage with Mary immerses you in some of the many shrines, apparition sites, and gorgeous landscapes of France. From Lourdes to Laus, from Rue du Bac to Prouille, journey in spirit across the length and breadth of a land Our Lady has visited many times, discovering a spiritual landscape full of indescribable riches and extraordinary devotions. With the Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, as your spiritual director and guide, become immersed in the history of powerful Marian devotions given to us through some of the many French saints, visionaries, and mystics. Rich in beauty and blessings, this book will inspire you to ope

Italy: a storied land of saints and the travel destination of dreams.

For those wishing to experience this remarkable country to the fullest, just knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Enter bestselling author, Catholic media personality, and Italy aficionado Teresa Tomeo to provide the choicest sites, best routes, and most inspiring and satisfying journeys to help you soak in all the beauty Italy has to offer and make your Italy excursion utterly unforgettable.

Tomeo draws from her experiences of more than sixty trips to her motherland, as well as from the many travel-coaching sessions she has given through her much-loved travel company, T's Italy, to take you on a unique journey that combines major attractions with off-the-beaten-path dream destinations, offering her best advice as a true daughter of Italy and half-time Italian resident.

There is nothing quite like a Tomeo-inspired journey to Italy. Tomeo believes that no Italian excursion can be complete without embracing la dolce vita, the uniquely Italian way of life that prioritizes gastronomic pleasure and slowing down to enjoy God's majestic creation and natural wonders, which open one's mind and imagination to life's possibilities. Her descriptions of the trattorias and delectable meals, as well as the home-cooked recipes she recommends, are sure to make you hungry for the fullness of the Italian cultural experience.

Tomeo includes practical, time-tested travel tips and faith and culture gems to help you navigate this lively land and catch the many unique regional feast days and celebrations it has to offer.

Whether you are traveling from the Vatican to Venice, Assisi to Amalfi, Turin to Tuscany, Pisa to Positano, or from Sorrento to Sicily, Tomeo shares the best of the best, from magnificent churches, to stunning hilltop chapels filled with brilliant Renaissance masterpieces, to the best places for cappuccino and limoncello, to the best shopping and exploring options. She guides you to the tombs and relics of the most beloved saints and introduces you to the lesser-known heroes whose miraculous and inspiring stories will lift your mind and heart to Heaven.

Tomeo believes that Italy, more than any other place on earth, captures the meaning and essence of Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament the work of His hands." Join her on a one-of-a-kind exploration of this sacred and enthralling land so that planning your bucket-list trip to Italy becomes a joy rather than a chore, and your dream of Italy becomes a true la dolce vita reality.

America's got faith! You'll find it in every state -- in grand cathedrals and tiny chapels, in miracle shrines and underwater statues, and even in blessed dirt. Finding these sacred places hasn't been easy, until now!

Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles: A Traveler's Guide to Catholic America takes you to more than 500 of the country's most intriguing holy sites, each with a riveting story to tell. Stories about:

architecture (the interior of Guardian Angels Cathedral in Las Vegas resembles angel wings)

religious history (at Maryland's Old Bohemia, Jesuit priests lived and worked incognito during anti-Catholic persecution)

artifacts (the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Philadelphia holds an original cast by Saint Catherine Labouré)

answered prayer (from the Grasshopper Chapel in Minnesota to the Coral Miracle Church in Hawaii)

healing places, beautiful places, hidden places, places where saints walked, and much more.

Organized by state and region, Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles can help you easily plan your vacation or pilgrimage, and find sites close to you that you've never heard of. Chapters also include Catholic trivia and color photos. Websites, phone numbers, addresses, and other pertinent information are included.

Rome: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Eternal City is not a travel book; it is a pilgrim's guide to the city of Rome and its most ancient churches. In addition to helpful descriptions of the primary monuments and churches of Rome, this book will give the reader just enough historical background to enhance the spiritual nature of a trip to the Eternal City. Along with the description of each church, Papandrea includes prayers from the ancient church, and across the span of the history of Christianity, in order to facilitate prayer and meditation in the very sites that have been considered holy ground for over a millennium. Over one hundred photographs are included, not only to help the reader use this book as a guide in Rome, but also to make the book a valuable devotional aid both before and after the trip. Coming back from Rome after using this book, the reader will find that Rome has become a second home.