Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Peter Houlihan, one of our pilgrims in 2012, has alerted us to the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which can be found at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/  

It provides travel updates for all countries, including the ones to which we will be travelling on our Champagnat Pilgrimage in 2012.  You will be pleased to know that Kenya and Rwanda are not on the list of countries Australians are recommended to avoid travelling to at this time.

Twitter Hashtag

The Twitter Hastag for our Pilgrimage is #champilg12 This gives us an easy way to comunicate with each other. To participate, sign up to Twitter, search for #champilg12 and tweet within this group.

What Pilgrims Experience

Our Pilgrimage offers participants the opportunity to experience the charism that is at the heart of Marist mission, including:

1.  Insights into the life and times of Marcellin Champagnat in southern France and Paris;
2. An overview of the Marist Institute today as viewed by the Brothers and lay Marists at our General House in Rome;
3.  An experience of meeting young African Marist Brothers and of Marists working with the poor in schools in Kenya and Rwanda and
4. Sharing contemporary Marist spirituality in Marist communities internationally and amongst the pilgrims themselves.

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Getting to know our pilgrims

Planning continues apace for our time away next year.  We will soon be deciding on the airlines we will be selecting. Over the past week, each pilgrim has been sent a form to complete to enable us to assess what people require on the Pilgrimage and to enable us to organise the first payment of our airfares, now that the numbers and names of the pilgrims are becoming clearer.  Soon we will be asking for our first Pilgrimage deposit of $3,000 from each pilgrim, to be received on or before Friday 23rd September, 2011. Invoices will be sent to the person nominated by each pilgrim on the information form.  Pilgrims are starting to get their injections and considering insurance requirements. We wish you well in your preparations.

Pilgrimage Planning

Now that registrations for our Pilgrimage are closed, we are beginning more detailed preparations for our great time ahead in March and April 2012.  Joining me in leading next year's Pilgrimage will be Marie Dorrington, Carole Wark, Neville Solomon and Paul Herrick.  We have two orientation afternoons planned for next year - the first in Melbourne on Sunday 12th February from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm and the second in Sydney on Sunday 19th February from 11.00 am to 2.30 pm.

Welcome to our next Champagnat Pilgrimage

Br Bigotta with pilgrims in St Peter's Square, Rome

Our next Pilgrimage departs from Australia on Saturday 31st March, 2012 and returns on Saturday 21st April, 2012.  We will be travelling to Paris, the Hermitage in southern France, Rome, Kenya, Rwanda and London. If you would like to register your interest, please email Br John McMahon at jmn@champagnat.org.au