World Youth Day 2011 – The Most Exciting Event for the Catholics

Religion and celebration are two sides of the same coin – where there is religion, there are celebrations. One of such world’s biggest and the most exciting celebration for the Catholics known as World Youth Day is going to be hosted in Madrid, Spain from August 15-21, 2011. You can just imagine how wonderful it would be because it is going to be hosted and celebrated in city which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

If you wish to be a part of this beautiful and memorable world youth day 2011 event, you need to find a travel agency that can make your travel easier, safe and comfortable and nothing can give you better option and opportunity than Unitours which is a world leader in Catholic travel. You can take advantage of their wide experience of Catholic pilgrimage. They have been offering the best services and become one of the leading pilgrimage tour operators.

You can consider joining Unitours for this memorable event because they were remarkable for their services for the past six WYD held at several places like Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto, Cologne, and Sydney. One of the most noteworthy aspects of Unitours is that they offer flexibility regarding planning out your program as to where you wish to go and how much you want to include in your tour. Visit the website unitours.com, and plan out your program according to your convenience if you do not want to miss this wonderful World Youth Day 2011!

Catholic Pilgrimages to Deepen Your Catholic Faith

Pilgrimage is an essential part of the life of many Christians. It is a spiritual journey that puts a desire in you to return to God. Getting detached from the everyday concerns of the world and to spend a peaceful time in the presence of God is the central aim of the Catholic pilgrimages. By visiting holy places and shrines around the world, you can deepen your Catholic faith and explore the local culture and history.

Pilgrimages have their own spiritual significance. Most Christians choose to visit the places where Jesus lived, especially during the Christian festivals (Bethlehem at Christmas, Jerusalem at Easter), ascend the Mount of Olives to be in awe at the amazing view of the Holy City of Jerusalem. When you visit the holy places, your pilgrimages become your cultural heritage tours because holy sites and shrines are the part of cultural tradition and heritage.

Walsingham, Iona, Canterbury, and other essential medieval pilgrimage sites during the first half of the 20th century started to fascinate large numbers of pilgrims. Some English cathedrals revived the medieval custom of issuing pilgrim badges in the 1920s. Catholic pilgrimage sustained - to Rome, Fatima, Lourdes, and other Marian shrines - and in the decades just after the Second World War, the strict divisions between Catholic and Protestant spirituality began to vanish. Christians of all denominations started visiting the Holy Land and other major pilgrimage sites.

The great continent of North America has several shrines and devotional sites which have played a significant role in fostering the Catholic Faith in the New World. You can typically think of making pilgrimages to Rome, Jerusalem and the several shrines as well as holy sites throughout Europe. You can plan your pilgrimage to the Shrines of North America and get the opportunity to discover the history and miraculous interactions between God and humanity on a local level.

With Unitours, the most prestigious name for over 45 years in Protestant Christian pilgrimages worldwide, you can plan your Catholic pilgrimages tour to all of Europe, the Middle East the Holy Land, Turkey, Mexico, Croatia. You can experience bliss and deepen your relationships with God by visiting the holy sites!

The First Crusaders and Jerusalem the Holy Land

After a long, dangerous and hard journey, the First Crusaders finally reached Jerusalem in the summer of 1099 and took it. The final result of the First Crusade was the establishment of four Latin "states" or "kingdoms" in the Middle East: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. These first crusaders took on the symbol of the cross Oberammergau Passion Play 2010.

"The Art of the Crusaders in the Holy Land, 1098-1187" examines the art and architecture produced for the Crusaders in Syria-Palestine during the first century of their quest to recapture Jerusalem. It was the innovation of Pope Urban 11 to provide penitential warfare with the charismatic penance of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to Fulcher of Chartres, Pope Urban promised the first crusaders that 'all who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. The canons of the council summarized the offer made by Urban II as he launched the First Crusade. Whoever, for devotion alone, not to gain honor or money, goes to Jerusalem to liberate the Church of God can substitute this journey for all penance. Thus, apparently they were making an expedition to Jerusalem; in reality, however, they wanted to divest the Emperor of his kingdom and take Constantinople.

Serious problems faced the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem catholic pilgrimages after the First Crusade and before Saladin's victory at Hattin. A good concise account of the First Crusade from Pope Urban II's call at the "Council of Clermont" in 1095 to the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem in 1099. But the Crusaders cause, to capture and hold Jerusalem for Christendom, was always a dubious one, and the century (almost) of Frankish rule in that city was initiated by a massacre and punctuated by various acts of perfidy, war crimes, and wanton aggression. What distinguishes the Crusades is that they were not fighting for the particular interests of their fatherland or their family, but for a cause, Jerusalem, the True Cross, salvation, with universal significance. The same year, the second crusaders started off and captured Antioch in 1098 and Jerusalem in 1099.

Christianity & Pilgrimage

Pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with the life, birth and crucifixion of Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome and other sites associated with the Apostles, Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

The second largest single pilgrimage in the history of Christendom was to the Funeral of Pope John Paul II after his death on April 2, 2005. An estimated four million people travelled to Vatican City, in addition to the almost three million people already living in Rome, to see the body of Pope John Paul II lie in state.

World Youth Day is a major Catholic Pilgrimage, specifically for people aged 16-35. It is held internationally every 2-3 years. In 2005, young Roman Catholics visited Cologne, Germany. In 1995, the largest gathering of all time was to World Youth Day in Manila, The Philippines, where four million people from all over the world attended.

The major Christian pilgrimages are to:

• Jerusalem. Site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
• On roads such as the Via Francine. Site of the deaths of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and other early martyrs. Headquarters of the Catholic Church.
• Santiago de Compostela in Spain on the Way of St James (Spanish: the Camino de Santiago). This famous medieval pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James is still popular today.

Group Pilgrimage Travel By Unitours

Pilgrimage is an important part of spiritual life for many Christians. Christians see life itself as a journey, coming from God and returning to God. The pilgrim seeks to separate himself from the everyday concerns of the world, and to spend time in the presence of God as he travels to a place of special meaning. A Pilgrimage is a symbol that is acted out.

1. A journey to sacred place or shrine.
2. A long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.
Here are some of the best-known places visit on pilgrimage: Holy Lands (Israel / Palestine) Many visit the places where Jesus lived, especially during the Christian festivals (Bethlehem at Christmas, Jerusalem at Easter) Jerusalem: Ascend the Mount of Olives to marvel at the spectacular view of the Holy City of Jerusalem. Walk down the hill the Church of Peter Noster and the Chapel of Ascension.

Olive Wood Crosses of Jerusalem:
Olive Wood Crosses of Jerusalem The olive tree is traditionally a symbol of health and peace. The Olive Wood of Jerusalem is the symbol of Eternal Life and it is well known since ancient time. According to Christian religion believe Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, near Jerusalem near an olive tree, some says that this tree still exists today. The Olive Tree grows in the Holy Land and can survive for up to 2000 years. In the Bible, Noah sent out a dove from the ark to find dry land and the dove returned with an Olive branch. It is said that the Dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Olive tree has been highly admired since old times and it is considered as a blessed tree. The people planted olive trees in various parts of the Holy Land to spread its cultivation. The oil from the olives was used to anoint priests, prophets and kings to empower them as well as to pray for their healing.