10: The pope, in the flesh
At breakfast on Wednesday morning in Rome, our group of 45 pilgrims seemed a little more animated than usual. This...
Gunther Simmermacher
11: Connecting with a superstar among saints
Francesco di Bernardone was in many ways the prototype hippie, in the best sense of the word. He opted out...
Year-end Review 2005
JANUARY 2005 Following an apostolic visitation to the diocese of Eshowe, the Vatican rules that controversial Sr Priscilla Dlamini remain...
Jesus – A Kingdom Without Frontiers
Reviewed by Gunther Simmermacher Produced by Italian TV station RAI, the first two DVDs in this animated series for children...
1: Welcome in the Holy Land
In bygone eras, pilgrims to the Holy Land would arrive at the bustling, colourful port of Jaffa (at least if...
2: Where Jesus and Mary stood
When the author Mark Twain made his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1869, he found Nazareth “wonderfully interesting because...
3: On Jesus’ stage
The advent of Jesus’ public ministry arguably was his baptism by his relative John, the itinerant preacher of a new...
4: Galilean boatride
Tabgha, at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, is one of those sites that reminds us that Jesus’ concerns...
5: Transfiguration of the pilgrim
A Holy Land pilgrimage is a transforming experience. This is not necessarily evident externally, but few pilgrims come home without...
