AMU pilgrims combining religious and literary tour

For some, a pilgrimage means visiting religious sites in an attempt to get closer to God, not visiting the town that inspired Bram Stoker's "Dracula."

But that's what pilgrims had in store for them when they stepped off the plane Monday for an Ave Maria University pilgrimage to the English countryside, said Joseph Pearce, AMU professor of literature and organizer of the pilgrimage.

"The idea is to be both religious pilgrimage, and, apart from going off the beaten track (to find religious sites), we are going to combine this with a literary pilgrimage," Pearce said.

This was the second year Pearce has taken pilgrims to England. Last year, pilgrims visited London and its surrounding communities, he said.

Pilgrims left Tampa on Monday and will return June 30, Pearce said. Among the places they will visit is the Lake District, Yorkshire Moors and Derbyshire.

AMU provost the Rev. Joseph Fessio is also taking part in the trip, serving as chaplain. Two other priests, one British and one Scottish, are in attendence, Pearce said.

According to The Catholic Church of England and Wales, there are about 4 million Catholics in the two countries. While England may not be the obvious choice for a Catholic pilgrimage, Pearce said he's hoping that will be a draw.

"People have already been to the obvious places, like Rome and Lourdes," Pearce said. "You have to remember that for 1,000 to 1,300 years, depending on who you believe, England was a Catholic country. There's a long history of Catholicism here."

Beginning in 1532, Pearce said, Henry VIII took steps to make Catholicism illegal. Shortly thereafter began 150 years of persecution when hundreds of Catholics were put to death, Pearce said.

In 12 days, pilgrims won't have time to visit all of the sites of martyrs' deaths, but they will visit a few key spots, Pearce said.

There are about 125 Church recognized martyrs from England, Pearce said.

Early on in the trip, pilgrims will attend Mass at St. Hilda's Church, the shrine to the Blessed Nicholas Postgate, near the Yorkshire Moors.

Postgate served as a secret priest for years during the time which Catholics were being persecuted until he was eventually captured, Pearce said. Once captured the priest was brought to York, where he was subsequently tried and executed in 1679.

The same day they visit the shrine of the Blessed Nicholas Postgate, pilgrims will visit Whitby, a seaport town made famous because of the Synod of Whitby, which harmonized the churches in England with Rome, Pearce said.

And while Pearce said he understands most of the pilgrims will be attending the trip for the religious value, as a literature professor he hopes they'll enjoy the literary aspect of the trip.

Just days after visiting Whitby, pilgrims will visit the home of the Bronte sisters in Haworth, England. They also will have a chance to walk across moors and visit the houses that were featured in Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights."

Walking tours dominate the pilgrimage, Pearce said, and those tours are something he's looking forward to.

"As an Englishman now living in exile over here, I'm enjoying going to the places I can't go to all the time," he said. "It's a great opportunity to revisit all of my favorite places."

The pilgrimage lasts 12 days and costs about $3,595, which includes airfare and many accommodations while in England.

Community members interested in supporting the town of Ave Maria will have a chance to attend a SIX-day Italian pilgrimage later this year.

Fessio will be taking community members to Padua, Italy, where they will get a chance to tour the studio where the organ for the town oratory is being built, Fessio said. In addition to visiting the studio, community members will also have a chance to tour Venice and Ravenna.

The Italian pilgrimage costs $10,000, and doesn't include airfare; however a portion of the $10,000 will count as a tax-deductible donation toward the purchase of the oratory's organ.

For more information about future pilgrimages, community members are encouraged to call Ave Maria University at (239) 280-2500.