Join me on pilgrimage!

Abbeys of Belgium, German gothic cathedrals, and...beer?

Yes, it’s true, the plans are all in place for a pilgrimage in 2024 to Belgium and Germany! Why should you join us? Well, let me tell you a story.

Last summer, my husband Daniel and I traveled together without kids for the first time in 14 years. And we went big. We went to Scotland!

We were leading a Catholic history and whisky trip. Can we call it a pilgrimage? Well, we had daily Mass and two priests traveling with us, so I’m gonna say yes. Our bus driver Kevin was left with the impression that Catholics are always doing one of two things: going to Mass or drinking whisky. Our friends Fr. Ryan Higdon and Fr. Harrison Ayre were incredible spiritual fathers to have with us and the brave souls who signed up to travel with us were amazing.

Some were couples, some were traveling solo, and none of us knew each other before meeting at the Edinburgh airport. There’s something special that happens when you go on pilgrimage. The whole experience was absolutely unforgettable. At the end of the trip we all decided: we have to do this again. And Fr. Harrison had an idea that had been brewing (pun intended) in his mind for a few years: a pilgrimage of Belgian abbeys and beer!

We talked to the tour company we planned the Scotland trip with, Select International, and they were willing to help us create our dream itinerary for this new adventure. It’s happening June 29th-July 10th, 2024.

More than half of the pilgrims who went with us to Scotland asked to pre-register and have already put down their deposit (a testament to the quality of Select’s meticulous coordination for these trips), but we have some spots still available for you.

From Fr. Harrison:

We may not associate beer and pilgrimage in the same sentence, but this adventure truly is a pilgrimage. Belgian Trappist Monks have been making unique beers for centuries and are world famous for their craft. In this pilgrimage, we encounter the God who has revealed himself in the prayerful life of these monks and the fruit of their work. Indeed, these monks reveal God to us through their unique beers. In visiting some of these monasteries, in tasting some of these beers, in seeing the beauty and uniqueness of Flemish and Belgian architecture and culture, and in our friendship with one another, we will find the God who comes to meet us and reveals Himself through the beauty of created things. This trip will be one of conviviality, which means sharing life, joy, and celebration over the things that impart meaning and friendship with one another. The world famous and award winning beers of these Trappist monks will be a means to share this life together, where the fruit of their work and prayer will help us grow closer in friendship and closer to Christ. We will also, of course, visit churches, pray together, see world famous art and architecture, and so much more. This pilgrimage is meant to be Catholic in every sense of the word!

You can click here to see the full itinerary, but here’s a few highlights:

• Leuven: St. Anthony’s Chapel (crypt of St. Damien Molokai)

• Brussels: Grand Place, St. Michael’s Cathedral, Cantillon Brewery

• Westmalle: Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Cafe Trappisten

• Ghent: St. Bavo Cathedral (Ghent altarpiece), St. Nicholas Church

• Flanders Field American Cemetery, Abbey of St. Sixtus (and brewery), De Struise Brouwers

• Bruges: Church of Our Lady, Basilica of the Holy Blood, De Halve Mann Brewery

• Chimay: Abbey of Our Lady of Scourmont, Chimay Brewery Auberge de Poteaupre

• Orval: Abbey of Our Lady

• Bastogne: Achel Brewery, St. Benedictus Abbey

• Aachen, Germany: Aachen Cathedral

• Cologne: Cologne Cathedral (Kolner Dom), Church of St. Andrew (tomb of St. Albertus Magnus)

This will be my fourth pilgrimage organized by Select International. Each of them have been incredible. They coordinate the hotels, brewery tours, private bus and driver, Belgian guide, daily Mass for our pilgrims, and meals and they do an amazing job. That way we can just relax and enjoy the trip—all the details are in place.

If this sounds like the kind of trip you’d be interested in, join us!

We are keeping the trip small so that it will be intimate and to avoid complications of needing two buses or having too large a group for brewery tours, etc. Everything is easier with a smaller group. And the trip is already 1/3 full with pre-registrants from previous trips! So if you’re interested, don’t wait to register and put down a deposit.

Got questions? I’m happy to answer them. Let’s go to Belgium!

-Haley