Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde will return to his
ancestoral homeland in September when he leads a nine-day
pilgrimage to Sicily and Rome.
The bishop’s grandmother was born in San Mauro Castle Verde,
located along the scenic northern coast of Sicily, while his
grandfather was born in Tusa and his father was born in
Pollina. All three towns will be visited by the pilgrims
Sept. 12, the third day of the pilgrimage.
Bishop Loverde will celebrate two milestones this year: his
75th birthday Sept. 3 and the 50th anniversary of his
ordination to the priesthood Dec. 18.
The pilgrimage will include daily Mass with Bishop Loverde; a
papal audience with Pope Francis; and a special dinner and
private Scavi Tour in Rome with diocesan seminarians studying
at the North American College.
In addition to Rome, the pilgrims will visit Cefalu, Monreale
and Palermo in Sicily, with an optional one-day tour of
Assisi.
A separate eight-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be led
by Father Thomas P. Ferguson, episcopal vicar for faith
formation and director of the Diaconate Formation Program.
That tour will take place Sept. 3-10 and include visits to
Caesarea, Haifa, Mount Carmel, Nazareth, Tiberias, the Sea of
Galilee, Capernaum, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The renewal of
wedding vows will take place at Cana.
The Holy Land pilgrims will have the option of extending
their trip to Rome Sept. 10, or returning to Washington
Dulles Airport via Paris.
The Italian pilgrimage will depart Sept. 10 from Washington
Dulles Airport for a non-stop, overnight flight to Rome.
After a welcome breakfast Sept. 11, the pilgrims will take an
afternoon flight to Palermo, followed by a short drive to
Cefalu where they will check into the Hotel Alberi del
Paradiso.
On day three, Bishop Loverde will celebrate Mass at Casi de
Madre.
The pilgrims will depart for Finale Sept. 13, followed by a
30-minute drive along the coast to Caccamo, a city founded by
the Normans in 1093.
Day five promises to be memorable, with a morning excursion
to picturesque Monreale, which is famous for its treasury of
fine mosaics located in the town’s great Norman Cathedral.
The group will then travel to Hotel Garibaldi in Palermo.
A private tour of Stanze al Genio (Tile Museum) will take
place Sept. 15, followed by a visit to Palazzo dei Normanni
and Capella Palatine, before returning to the hotel. The
pilgrims will then take an afternoon flight back to Rome,
with a casual dinner at the Starhotel Michelangelo near the
Vatican.
The papal audience will take place Sept. 16, followed by the
private Scavi Tour inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The bishop
will celebrate Mass at 5:30 p.m. at a church near the
Vatican, followed by dinner with the seminarians and
religious from the diocese at the North American College.
An optional tour of Assisi, made famous by St. Francis of
Assisi, will take place Sept. 17. The group will depart Rome
Sept. 18.
Find out more
Contact Anne Mathis at 703/841-2516 or
[email protected]; or Teena Dick at Dube Travel,
207/626-0555, or [email protected].
