Newman University officials have extended the registration deadline for a pilgrimage tour to England to attend the beatification of 19th century Catholic theologian and educator John Henry Cardinal Newman, for whom Newman University is named. Those wishing to take part in the eight-day tour must make all arrangements with the tour operator and pay a $250 non-refundable down payment as well as any optional travel insurance no later than June 15, 2010. Final payments are due by July 8, 2010. The tour group is limited to 40 persons.
The eight-day Cardinal Newman Tour will take place Sept. 15 – 22, 2010, with the beatification scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 19. Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the ceremony at the Birmingham airport, located near Coventry.
Beatification is the recognition by the Catholic Church of an individual’s ascension to Heaven and ability to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. Typically the individual being beatified must have personal attributes of charity and heroic virtue, and have performed or been responsible for one miracle. It is the last step before canonization as a saint.
The tour will be led by Newman President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D., and will include several Newman University personnel and members of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC), the university’s founding and sponsoring order. The tour will feature visits to many of the places where Cardinal Newman lived and worked. Itinerary highlights are London and the city’s major landmarks, Birmingham for the beatification ceremony and to visit the Birmingham Oratory, Stratford-Upon-Avon to see William Shakespeare’s birthplace, and Oxford to see Oxford Oratory, Littlemore and Cardinal Newman’s home.
The tour is managed by Jo Wooderson of Around the World Travel. The tour package will include airfare, land transportation, lodging and some meals. The cost of the land portion is $1,339 for double occupancy. The price of air travel is still being negotiated, but the total tour cost is not expected to exceed $3,000 per person. Optional trip insurance packages are available for $119 or $149. A $250 per person non-refundable deposit is required to ensure a spot on the tour.
For more information or to reserve a place on the Cardinal Newman Tour, contact Wooderson at 800-832-0624 or [email protected].
