religious family pilgrimage to the holy land.

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Matthew 21:15-16 ESV)

Pilgrimages and Religious Tours for Families.

Plan a family pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

An unforgettable trip for families and households. Tailored family pilgrimage holidays. Traveling as a family unit on a pilgrimage cements bonds and forms unique memories for a Christian family unit or families looking for a tour which has the possibility of changing lives. The family has come under heavy attack in today's society. Divorce destroys 50% of all marriages. God has given us the instruction book for families. He has defined the family, taught us the roles of each of the family members, and has promised to bless those who adhere to His will. Praise God! We need it!

The Family is God's covenant arrangement where two people, male and female, are joined to one flesh, "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). It is a covenant in that it is an agreement, a promise made between the couple getting married. This covenant is before God and is binding until death (or adultery) breaks the union. The Family was instituted by God in the Garden of Eden Genesis chapter 1:26-31 and Gen. 2:18-25. Gen 1:26-31 is the declaration of Man's creation with the command to be fruitful and multiply. Concluding the section is God's declaration that it was very good. Gen. 2:18-25 is the account of Adam looking for a helper and God then making Eve from Adam's rib and instituting marriage.

From the earliest days, pilgrimages have never ceased. Sometimes it was difficult to go on pilgrimage to shrines, for example in Protestant countries during the Reformation, and there was a decline in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Sometimes, as in the case of Ireland, pilgrimages seem to have flourished as an act of defiance against Protestantism.

During the nineteenth and twentieth century new pilgrimage sites developed, often as a result of visions of the Virgin Mary. People often go there to pray for help in times of difficulty, or to give thanks. In Roman Catholic tradition, many believe that saints can intercede for them, helping them to communicate with God and giving guidance about how to live.

Some famous examples of shrines to the Virgin Mary (‘Marian’ shrines) include: Lourdes (France) Fatima (Portugal) Guadalupe (Spain) Medijigore / Medjugorje (in the former Yugoslavia – A much more recent shrine)

Protestants churches often want to remember their special people too: Wesley’s Chapel: Methodists, for example, might visit Wesley’s Chapel in London as a way of recognising and consolidating their sense of who they are and what their tradition is. Wesley was the ‘founder’ of Methodism, although he himself always remained an Anglican. Methodists and other Protests can honour their spiritual heroes without thinking that those great men and women intercede directly with God for them. Walsingham: Anglo-Catholics (a nineteenth century movement within the Anglican Church) revived the medieval Marian shrine at Walsingham and it became a centre for their movement.

Taize: The famous Taize community near Lyon is the scene of many modern pilgrimages by young people. It was founded by the son of the Protestant pastor and is, in effect, a Protestant monastery. Iona: In Scotland, the Church of Scotland has rebuilt the famous monastery at Iona as a retreat centre where Christians can go to meditate and pray.

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