Pilgrims visit France and Italy

Intermountain Catholic

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From Nov. 5 – 15, Monsignor Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sandy, and Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of Saint Mary Parish in West Haven, led 36 people on a pilgrimage to France and Italy. Courtesy photo/ Msgr. Robert Servatius

From Nov. 5 – 15, Monsignor Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sandy, and Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of Saint Mary Parish in West Haven, led 36 people on a pilgrimage to France and Italy. In France, the pilgrims visited the Shrine of Lourdes, where Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous; Avignon, where the papacy was situated for some 70 years; and Nice. While in Avignon they toured the papal palace there. In Italy they visited Florence, Pisa, Assisi and Rome. The highlight of the Rome visit was attending the general audience of Pope Benedict XVI on Nov. 14. In Rome, in addition to visiting the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, the pilgrims visited the basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and Saint John Lateran, and the catacombs of Saint Callixtus on the old Appian Way. They also had the opportunity to visit major Roman attractions such as the Piazza Navonna, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. During the pilgrimage, Masses were celebrated at both the basilica and grotto in Lourdes, the cathedral in Avignon, the church of Santa Croce in Florence, the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.