PILGRIMAGE & THE WORLD CUP??? (cont'd)

On Sunday 11^th June we visited Kevelaer, a small town near the Dutch border. This town is a Marian pilgrimage centre, dating back to 1641 when Our Lady appeared to Hendrick Busman. The picture of Our Lady is known as “Comforter of the Afflicted.” This site is visited by over 800,000 pilgrims every year. And this little town has 5 beautiful churches, including a Basilica. Today was the feast day of Trinity Sunday and there were thousands of pilgrims visiting Kevelaer.
Fr Llanos celebrating Mass in Kavelaer

On Monday 12^th June we visited Trier, the oldest German town on the Moselle River situated near Luxemburg. This town dates back 2000 years B.C. Trier is very famous for the Porta Nigra, the best preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps. We celebrated Mass at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maximin where the remains of St. Matthias the Apostle are believed to be buried. We also visited the Trier Cathedral, Germany’s oldest diocesan church. This church is dedicated to St. Peter. The cathedral is said to be founded by Emperor Constantine during 306-337 A.D. This church is home to the Holy Robe of Christ, a garment which is said to have been worn by Jesus just before His Crucifixion. Empress Helena brought this robe from Jerusalem to Trier. We then left this beautiful city to travel to a little town called Burstadt.

On Tuesday 13^th June, we spent a leisurely day cruising down the Rhine River from Koblentz to Eibengen. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the Rhine River. We sailed for six hours, and the scenery was fantastic. There are over forty castles between this part of the river and numerous churches and vineyards. What a relaxing way to see the country side, sailing comfortably in a huge barge. We disembarked at the village of Rudesheim to visit the pilgrim church of St. Hildegard of Bingin. This monastery was built in the 12^th century. St. Hildegard is a great mystic, visionary, composer and spiritual writer and her remains are enshrined in this church. We were privileged to celebrate mass here.

On Wednesday 14^th June, we traveled to Heidelberg. This beautiful city is built on the River Neckar. This is a very picturesque Old Town and the Heidelberg castle is perched way above the river. The castle was built in the 16^th century. This city also has the oldest university in Germany and the city library was founded in 1421. Heidelberg is the original home of the printing press. We then drove for hours to a little town called Allersberg, where we would spend two nights.

      
Church in Heidelberg                                        Oldest building in Heidelberg

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