Pilgrimage
Passion Play Pilgrimage to Germany and Austria, Sept 22 - Oct 2, 2020
Join us for an 11-day immersion into the rich history, spirituality, and culture of Germany and Austria. We will have prime seats for the world famous production of the Oberammergau Passion Play. The play's history can be traced to 1633, when the Black Plague swept Europe. The people of Oberammergau took a solemn oath that if God spared them, they would present a day-long play depicting the last week in the life of Christ. They have kept their promise to this day. Every ten years the citizens of Oberammergau perform their passion play with the same love and devotion they have shown for over 380 years. Today the play, which involves more than 2,000 people to stage, is performed on an open-air stage with a covered auditorium seating 4,700, against a beautiful backdrop of towering Alpine mountains.
Our tour of Germany will also include Heidelberg, the city with the oldest university in Germany and the home of the Student Prince; Rothenburg, Germany’s best-preserved Medieval town; and Munich, the magnificent capital of Bavaria. We travel along the famed Romantic Road through fairytale towns surrounded by moats, gates and towers, admiring the landscape dotted with lovely church spires standing since the Middle Ages. In the Bavarian Alps, we stop for a panoramic view of Mad King Ludwig’s fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most photographed palaces in the world and the model for the castles at the Walt Disney theme parks. We pray at the Marian shrine of Altötting, home of the Black Madonna, a pilgrimage destination for over 500 years, which has been visited by two popes, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
In Austria, we tour Innsbruck, the picturesque capital of Tyrol province, situated in the heart of the Alps; Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and the location where much of The Sound of Music was filmed; and Vienna, the resplendent historic capital of the once mighty Hapsburg Empire. We drive through Salzkammergut, one of Europe’s most scenic resort regions. We also visit the Benedictine Melk Abbey, an imposing architectural masterpiece, overlooking the Danube.
Throughout our pilgrimage will have the opportunity for daily Mass and to pray at deeply historic spiritual sites. We will experience great art, beautiful architecture, and breath-taking natural scenery. We will sample many alluring dishes of German cuisine and have a glass or two of the local drinks, famous world-wide. We will learn about the culture and history of two countries, meet many friendly locals, and forge new bonds of friendship. Join us for the experience of a lifetime!
If you have any questions, please contact Zoltan Abraham at zoltan.abraham@mqp.org or 425-391-1178 x117
