Announcement for CATHF 2022 Pilgrims
Dear All,
As you know international travel right now is fraught with regulations and restrictions. Recently Fr. Joseph Johnson, the Chesterton Schools Network (CSN) chaplain, travelled to Italy and found its current testing requirements and vaccination status reports, both at the national level and at the level of institutions (museums, restaurants, hotels) so cumbersome that it interfered with his itinerary. The rules for a group of students at this time is in his words “‘unworkable’"!
Wisely, the CSN had a backup plan if travel to Rome was deemed unfeasible, and so I am happy to report that the networks schools will be traveling to Portugal this year, where the laws are far more permissive. The trip will be at the same time, March 16-26, 2022 and for the same cost of $3,000. Julie Bowles remains our main contact for the trip.
Portugal is of course near and dear to my heart and as a substitution is, I think, a fantastic choice: not only will the nature of pilgrimage still remain intact, as students get to visit the shrine of Or Lady of Fatima, but will also be able to take in a history that mirrors our curriculum in a similar way to the Rome trip, albeit from a different historical perspective.
What can students expect to enjoy?
A rich history that dates back to the Phoenicians! Lisbon is according to tradition founded by Odysseus, and was also chosen for its seven hills. Originally inhabited by Celts, Portugal saw the coming of the Carthaginians, Romans (including Julius Caesar), Visigoths and the Moors, until the nascent Crusader kingdom of Portugal was carved out of Muslim Iberia at the same time that the Holy Land was being reclaimed. Students will be able to experience this history, from visiting downtown Lisbon to seeing the Roman Aqueducts of Evora, from the Cistercian Monastery at Alcobaca to the Templar castle of Tomar.
They will indulge in cuisine inspired by the melding of Mediterranean and Atlantic seafood flavored with spices from around the world, a patrimony from the Age of exploration and the far-flung Portuguese colonies of Goa, Macao, Timor, Angola and Mozambique.
The rich literature of Portugal also parallels are own curriculum, with epics, sonnets, tales of chivalry and folklore to be discovered.
I hope you will join Chesterton in this opportunity. If so, please make sure that you have made your deposit of $200, if you have not already done so. Many have already, but everyone who wishes to go must have theirs in by Nov. 1st. Please contact Julie Bowles if you have further questions. There will be a parent meeting next week with the tour director, Mr. Joe Long and brochures will be ready at that time.
Mr. Janeiro
Headmaster
There will be a Zoom meeting for all school faculty and staff and families next week with the tour director, Mr. Joe Long.
Mark your calendars:
Thursday October 28, 7 PM CST
A Zoom meeting link will be sent to you soon.
Brochures will be ready very soon.