The Southern Cross’ Saints of Italy pilgrimage in May 2023 will now be led by Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu of Johannesburg.
The pilgrimage — a “roadtrip” across Italy from Rome to Venice which also includes Assisi, Siena, Florence, San Gimmignano and Padua — was originally slated to be led by Jesuit Father Russell Pollitt, who had to withdraw due to new commitments within his order.
Fr Ndlovu, a published poet and writer who featured on The Southern Cross cover in January 2021, previously led the Southern Cross pilgrimage to “Catholic France” in October 2019.
“Fr Lawrence really endeared himself to the group with his powerful homilies and his easy-going humour,” said Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher, who co-led that pilgrimage. “I remember one pilgrim coming up to me after our first Mass in Lourdes, and saying, ‘How did that priest know to speak straight to my heart?’ I can’t imagine a greater compliment a homilist can receive. But amid our rich spiritual life we also had many good laughs with Fr Lawrence.”
Simmermacher also co-led the Saints of Italy pilgrimage in 2015, led by the late Fr Emil Blaser.
“Of all my wonderful pilgrimages, that one ranks among my favourites,” Simmermacher said. “I still have so many vivid images of that journey, even after seven years. It was a lovely group, everything went smoothly, and we visited a virtual ‘Hall of Fame’ of saints and saw some incredible sights — and on a couple of occasions, we experienced the intercession of saints. And driving through beautiful Italy, especially the regions of Umbria and Tuscany, was quite breathtaking.”
Among the saints the group will encounter are St Peter, St Paul, St Francis of Assisi, St Clare of Assisi, St Ignatius of Loyola, Popes St John Paul II and St John XXIII, St Catherine of Siena, Bl Marco Arcutis, and many more. They will also see the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo in Florence, the great sights of Rome such as the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, and have an opportunity to explore beautiful Venice, among many other things.
For further information, contact Gail at cell/WhatsApp 076 352-3809 or or go to www.fowlertours.co.za/saints
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