Catholic Family Vacations

Whether you are at the Walt Disney Resort or snow skiing in Vermont, vacations are supposed to be a time to take a break. But like everything else under heaven, leisure has been given to us by God for a purpose. Vacations are not only a time to give our bodies a rest from the rigors of work, they are also great opportunities to give us time to think about Christ. As St. Augustine said, our souls are best at rest when resting with God.

Turning what might be just another vacation into a pilgrimage of grace is one way to rescue our own attitudes regarding leisure and rest.

Father F. Joseph Harte is pastor of Queen of the Universe Shrine in Orlando, Fla. The Shrine initially grew out of a diocesan ministry to travelers in the Walt Disney area. Commonly thought of as the “Disney Church,” the Shrine has catered almost exclusively to the spiritual needs of tourists since its opening in 1986. Father Harte reminds travelers, “Your relationship with Christ doesn't change when on vacation—you take him with you wherever you go.”

“Americans don't really take pilgrimages,” Father Harte said. “Whereas it's very common in Europe, it's something we're just not familiar with in the States.”

Mention the word “pilgrimage” and most think of an overseas trip to Lourdes or to the Holy Land. In the Americas, it might mean a visit to Our Lady's Shrine in Guadalupe, Mexico. But a pilgrimage is much more than a visit to a famous site. Father Harte explained that a pilgrimage is basically a journey to be taken with God, to meet God and then to take God back home with you. “Invoke Christ at the beginning of your journey,” he said. “Your efforts to make contact with God are impelled by grace. As we journey to meet him, he turns and meets with us.” It is these moments of grace that will bring us the true refreshment we are looking for during vacation.

It is relatively easy to build a pilgrimage into your plans, regardless of where you are headed. Daily Mass is a good place to start. By dialing (800) Mass-Times—(800) 627-7846—Catholics have access to 22,000 parishes throughout the nation. This free service provides information from locations and Mass times to confession and wheelchair access. Also, the University of Dayton has an extensive list of Marian shrines available on its “Mary Page” Web site. The Liguori Guide to Catholic USA (Liguori Publications, 1999) is another excellent aid to finding monuments, shrines or monasteries along the path to your destination.

Once you are there, make use of all the time you have. Whether you stay for Mass or just have time to say a rosary, if you pray the Stations of the Cross or simply light a candle before a favorite statue—Christ is there, meeting with you and your family.

Father Harte has seen the Holy Spirit at work in the hearts of many throughout his ministry at the shrine. “Inevitably, people come here first just to look around. Suddenly, they are beckoned by Christ and are here saying their confession, walking the rosary-walk or participating in Mass,” Father Harte said.

Anne Olund of Blaine, Minn., is a mother of five. For the past three years her family has participated in a Catholic Family Camp. Each summer, approximately 40 families come together for a weekend camping experience seasoned with the faith. Morning prayers are at 8 a.m. followed by daily Mass. Afternoon Gospel meditations are also part of the daily spiritual food. Because it is held at a Baptist camp, they have the added security of knowing that no radios, television or immodest bathing suits are allowed. Every evening, the families share an examination of conscience and do their nightly prayers. A campfire rosary is a favorite for children and parents.

“Even though we are in the midst of chasing all our children, there really is a wonderful peace of God here,” Olund said. “It may not seem as fancy as some other vacation, but the witness of others living their Catholic faith impacts us all. Relationships are built — within our families as well as with other like-minded families. It's really just a wholesome, family vacation.”

Don't have the time and energy to plan a Catholic vacation? Plug into a week of ready-made Catholic culture with a rustic, natural backdrop. Catholic Familyland in Bloomingdale, Ohio, is a week of summer fun in the context of Catholic culture. Daily Mass and teachings are interspersed with sports, pony rides, crafts and water slides. “Families come here because they want to get their families to heaven. They realize they just can't find that Catholic environment anywhere else,” said Jerry Conniker, founder of Familyland.

Doug and Patty Green of Columbus, Ohio, agreed. “We just never knew anything like it existed: a place where your family can get away, have fun, relax and grow in your faith. Everything that makes you a Catholic is provided here: Mass, rosary, the 3 p.m. chaplet, praise and worship, and eucharistic adoration.”

“Growing in our faith helped us to grow as a family. And seeing other families practicing the faith really helped our kids grow, too,” Patty Green said.

Whatever your vacation plans, remember to slow down—especially if you are traveling by car. What American doesn't share the memory of a bleary-eyed 4:30 a.m. awakening followed by 13 miserable hours in a hot, stuffy car, whining for potty stops, pleading for lunchtime, missing scheduled naps—and all that just from Dad!

In their zeal to provide memories and photo-ops, parents can often miss the close family time they'd hoped to have. The travel experts at Fodors remind us that “traveling with kids can bring out the best in you as well … When rolling along the highway with your child, share the scenery, sights and sounds of the open road. Most of all be patient, and enjoy the ride!”

In other words, make the trip part of the trip. Waiting until we are “there” brings out that “Are we there yet?” syndrome in everyone. Whether you're traveling by car or by jet, use travel time to your family's best advantage: discuss family life, play those stupid car games you loved as a kid (punch buggy red!), listen together to library books on tape instead of ignoring each other until the real vacation begins. Stop and picnic at parks or shrines that lay along the drive—and get in a short visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as long as you are there. Keep a Frisbee or soccer ball handy for a boisterous game at each pit stop. After each stop, have the little ones lead the family in a decade of the rosary before continuing on your way. Between the prayers, the visits to Jesus and the family talks, you have created your own Catholic family retreat. When the car is unpacked, the film is developed and the laundry is finally done, look back and ask yourselves, “Have we come home closer to God and each other?”

Caroline Schermerhorn writes from Newark, Ohio.