Participants sought for 2010 Passion Play trip to Germany

STANHOPE — Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish and Byram Travel in Stanhope are sponsoring a pilgrimage to the 2010 Passion Play in Germany and are seeking interested people to participate. The trip will take place July 29 to Aug. 7, 2010 and reservations are being accepted now for the limited number of spots available. The Oberammergau passion play is presented every 10 years since 1634 as a tradition by the inhabitants in the village of Oberammergau in Bavaria Germany in fulfillment of a vow made by the town’s people in the middle Ages. The trip will include visits to some of the famous sights and houses of worship of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the cities of Vienna, Prague and Budapest which have played pivotal roles in the life of the church, said planners. Highlights include the Hungarian Horse Show, Mathias Church, Fishermen’s Bastion, Renaissance dinner, Schoenbrunn Palace, Danube River Cruise, and Salzburg. Mass will be celebrated each day. In Prague, Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Victory Church which contains the Statue of the Infant of Prague. The culmination of the trip will be the passion play in Oberammergau. Pilgrimages have a long tradition in Christianity, according to organizers. There are records of pilgrims going to Jerusalem from the third century and in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” The accommodations will be four star hotels. Included are 16 meals, all transfers and round trip bus transportation from Blessed Kateri to Newark Airport. For fees and additional information call the parish office 973-729-1682 or Byram Travel at 973-347-8800; e-mail: regina@byramtravel.com.