Tourism and Pilgrimages
The National Coordinator for Human Mobility Apostolates is planning to develop a national network of those persons involved in a Tourism Apostolate. We have begun to reach out to all those providing pastoral care at our various parks which are either national, sport, state, theme, or amusement parks; and also for those who are providing pastoral care to tourists at major resort centers, conference centers, convention centers; along with tourists at recreational locations such as beaches, casinos, racetracks and hotels; and major events that attract millions of people, such as festivals, expositions, fairs, sporting events, concerts, and conventions. All of these events provide an opportunity for appropriate pastoral care.
We hope to have a national network developed by January 2005 that can assist in the development and support of the Catholic Tourism Apostolates in the United States. Catholic Pilgrimages and Tour Groups are informal and depend on an individual deciding to lead a pilgrimage or tour. The Coordinator for Human Mobility Apostolates hopes to develop a network through which the leaders and directors of Catholic Tours and Pilgrimages would be official ministers of the local church, be recognized and acknowledged for this ministry and that a national network could help to promote develop and support a Pilgrimage and Tour Ministry. This project will begin at the end of 2004.