No, I haven’t been away for the last month, but have just been very busy, with a host of new requests from friends of Pax Travel old and new. Especially greetings to, Fr. Joseph, the Rector of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota whom we will be welcoming with a group of parishioners to these shores in June, making a pilgrimage via Canterbury and Walsingham to York, to the Shrine of Blessed John Henry Newman in Birmingham, and ending with a boat trip on the Thames to the Tower of London on the Feast of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More on 22^nd June. This pilgrimage will be sandwiched between the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4^th June, and, of course the Olympics at the end of July.

It promises to be a great year, where, hopefully, we will confound the prophets of doom and gloom and overcome the darkness of recession.

My sincere prayers and best wishes go out to my Christian and Muslim friends in Nigeria, who are being so cruelly attacked, by agents of the Devil, calling themselves Boko Haram. And many people deny that Satan is still powerful! I appeal to prominent believers of both of the great religions of Christianity and Islam to jointly condemn this cruel, wanton violence. And I wish the President of Nigeria good luck in his mammoth task!

Great news! Our new brochure, Pax Travel: Journey’s of Faith 2012, is now with us, and last weekend we were able to send out copies to those of you who had so requested. Many thanks to our youthful helpers, Christopher, Roberto and Chelsea ably marshalled by our own Ludo Smith. There are some wonderful pilgrimages in the brochure and I cannot even begin to advise on which are my favourite! What I would say is that if you want to join Canon Christopher Tuckwell, in the steps of St. Boniface to Germany, ending with a stay in Dresden, the “Florence of the Elbe” next July, then book up soon since early indications are that this will fill up very quickly and we are limiting it to 36 people. Bookings are also coming in for our Pro-Life pilgrimage to Lourdes next September led by Bishop John Rawsthorne. If you haven’t yet got a copy of the brochure, then you can download it from our website.

This month marks my 40^th Anniversary in the travel business. I am sure youngsters like John Tangney and Alistair McCabe will be rushing to their telephones to send their congratulations! My first Holy Land pilgrimage was in 1977, which resulted in my setting up Pax Travel in January 1978. But more of that after Christmas which I gather is just round the corner!

There has been so much doom and gloom about the world and especially the European economic situation, but that does not seem to have stopped you from booking up to go on pilgrimage. I cannot think of a better way of spending your holiday money than doing this. That is what you have been telling me in your feedback forms after you have returned from one of our trips. I look forward to welcoming you to one of our 2012 tours. Perhaps we can then find time to pray for all those pusillanimous politicians and investment bankers who got us into this mess in the first place.

Philip Dean

Managing Director

Assisi was awesome last Thursday October 27^th, the day Pope Benedict arrived from Rome by special train for the day of prayer for World Peace accompanied by a trainload of leaders of the major world religions as well as a few non-believers. As Cardinal Peter Turkson said in his introductory remarks in the Basilica of S. Maria degli Angeli “We come from different religious traditions and from various parts of the world to renew and strengthen a quest for the truth that each of us out of our own traditions is ceaselessly committed to. We come also to bear witness to the great power of religion from God, and to renew a common commitment to building peace, to reconciling those in conflict and to bringing man back into harmony with creation”. Noble aims indeed! This belies the observation by Lucretius 200 years ago: “Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum”. No, said Dr. Muzadi, from the international conference of Islamic Scholars, it is not religion that is the problem. The problems arise from people of religions, with wrong interpretations of the “wholesomeness” of religion!

Rabbi David Rosen said that the sages of the Talmud teach us that not only is peace the name of God, but it is the essential prerequisite for redemption! David, please convince Benjamin Netanyahu and his hawkish coalition partners of this truth. For once, let him extend the hand of friendship to Ramallah and Gaza. Can’t be done? How about South Africa and Northern Ireland? Can’t be done or don’t want it to be done?

Back to Assisi; my “man of the match” was Archbishop Rowan Williams, who said that lasting peace begins when we see the neighbour as another self and so begin to understand how and why we must love our neighbour as we have loved ourselves! He went on to say that for the Christian, the heart of all this is the conviction that in Jesus of Nazareth God himself identifies with human nature, and thus with each and every human person!

I leave the final words to Pope Benedict:

“Violence never again,

War never again,

Terrorism never again,

In the name of God, may every religion

Bring upon the earth Justice and Peace, Forgiveness and Life, Love!”

After Assisi, Judith and I spent a wonderful two days in Siena, before flying home on Michael O’Leary’s magnificent flying machine from Perugia.

Back home, Pax Travel was delighted to welcome two good friends and colleagues, Alistair and Rosemary (McCabe travel) to Kentish Town earlier this week. Alistair McCabe set up McCabe pilgrimages many moons ago, and offices a superb selection of pilgrimages to manifold places. Pax Travel are currently not offering Egypt but McCabe are, and I have no hesitation in recommending them for Egyptian-based pilgrimage tours!

Last of all, a commercial for Pax! There are just a few places remaining on our “Christmas in Rome” tour from 22^nd - 27^th December. Why not look at our website for details?

Philip Dean

Monday 24^th October 2011

I am between visits to Assisi, and was privileged to be there for the Feast of St. Francis on 4^th October with a small but appreciative group of pilgrims. What a wonderful day to be in Assisi, with more than 10,000 people gathered in the old town for the festivities. I am off to Assisi once more this Wednesday, where Judith and I hope to be present at Pope Benedict’s celebration of Mass after his leadership of the Interfaith meeting, which marks the 25^th Anniversary of the initial meeting hosted by Pope John Paul II. What momentous events have happened between my two visits to Assisi.  On my first visit, on 3^rd October, I flew out on the same plane as members of the Kercher family, the only people who have come out of the aftermath of the murder of their much-loved daughter Meredith with any credit or dignity at all. Spare a thought also for the unfortunate Patrick Lumumba, slandered by Amanda Knox who served 3 years in jail for this offence, but now stand to earn a Queens ransom. Meanwhile, our prayers go out to the Kercher family and to Patrick who lost his job and his house in Perugia unjustly.

On to happier news! Congratulations to Archbishop Vincent Nichols for using his good offices to ensure peace at the Vaughan. At least they are happy now! Also, they have got Stubbings as head, whilst for Manchester United and Chelsea yesterday, it was drubbings all round!!  Still, I am sure that both those great teams will live to fight another day, whilst for Captain Paul, we wish you a very happy stay at the helm of the good ship Vaughan. Oh and please look after young Leo. Perhaps you will teach him a few Latin phrases!

Now on to even better things. At Pax Travel, we have nearly put to bed the finished version of our 2012 brochure. In about another 3 weeks, it will be available for public consumption. There are some really exciting new ideas that we are incorporating into next year’s program:

·         The Divine Art of Fra Angelico will be explored during a visit to Florence.

·         An exciting-looking pilgrimage in the steps of St. Boniface to Germany ending with a visit to Dresden, which will take place in July.

·         Of course we will be returning to Assisi for the Feast of St. Francis, which is where I came in!

For the rest of the contents of the brochure you will just have to wait and see.

Philip Dean

The Managing Director’s Blog - 1^st September

I am just back from two peaceful weeks in North Norfolk, not far from Wasingham, where Judith and I were able to get to mass at the Catholic  Parish Church and also to meet friends, such as the newly consecrated Anglican Bishop of Richborough, Norman Banks, who will be moving to live at St.Albans in January 2012. This will be Wasingham’s great loss.

The advantage of being a tour operator specialising in Christian Pilgrimages, is that we meet people from all branches of the tree of Christianity as practised in our country. We respect and work with Catholics, including members of the Ordinariate, members of the Church of England (All branches of the candlestick!), Methodists and Baptists. My parents were cradle Baptists, and converted to Catholicism after hearing the voice of the Great Dominican Preacher, Fr. Vincent McNab at Speakers Corner!

We are presently busy at Pax Travel. The wonderful young people are back from World Youth Day in Madrid, and apart from the unbearably hot weather, and getting soaked by the semi-tropical down pour at the all-night vigil with Pope Benedict, they seem to have had a very rewarding experience in Spain. My special thanks to Ericsson who masterminded the Pax organisation, and also to his two young assistants, Luis and Ross, both of whom rose to the occasion splendidly. Our friends in Aid to the Church in Need, are on pilgrimage to Ukraine next week, followed by the Friends of Guildford Cathedral, to Finland and Russia. Obviously nothing to Syria or Libya this year, but several to Rome and Assisi, the Holy land, Sicily, Iona, Brittany, Cordoba and Granada, Jordan, Santiago De Compostela and Fatima, ETC. ETC.

To anyone reading this (from any part of the world!) and who is thinking of organising a Pilgrimage next year, I say : Drop me a line, and I will be delighted to work with you!

Philip Dean

Six weeks on since my last blog, my regular readers must have been wondering whether I had emigrated, gone into a monastery, or been kidnapped by special forces from the Latin Mass Society! I am happy to report that none of these three possible scenarios has taken place, but I had been busy in various ways. Firstly, I was privileged to take part in a wonderful Pax Travel pilgrimage to Padua and places associated with St. Anthony. Then in the last week of June, Judith and I went to Aldeburgh for two wonderful festival concerts, an all-Schubert piano recital and a Saturday morning concert by the brilliant Elias Quartet, playing Mendelssohn and Britten. By the way, if anyone is thinking of sending me a Christmas present, I would love to have a CD of the Late Quartets of Beethoven played by the Lindsay Quartet. Actually if anybody can tell me where I can get a copy, I will be quite happy to pay for it!!

Next, I and several of my staff were present at Westminster Cathedral on the 2^nd of July to witness the ordination of four new priests, including Fr. Andrew Gallagher, who worked at Pax Travel for two years before entering the seminary. I know that Andrew will make a wonderful priest and we ask for your prayers for him, and all of us at Pax Travel wish him well. Also from the Pax stable, Mark Walker has two more years of his studies to complete before he too becomes Fr. Mark! Just to show my ecumenical equanimity, our good friend and pilgrimage organiser Fr. Norman Banks, has now become Bishop Norman Banks, and I am hoping for promotion for some of my other Anglican friends (no names revealed!) over the next 12 months!

On a sadder note, my trusted staff member and graphic designer, Matthew Sanchez, disappeared two weeks ago under apparent personal financial pressure and is now, we believe, in Spain. If anyone comes across Matthew on the Camino de Santiago or in Madrid, will they please let me know so that I can at least reassure his mother that he is safe and well?

Philip Dean

To lunch with Fr Michael Seed yesterday. My thanks to Lord Alton for bringing to Fr Michael’s attention my mention of him in my last blog. David Alton is one of the very few genuinely good public figures in today’s Britain, and his excellent book on pilgrimage (Pilgrim Ways ISBN: 0-85439-605-5) is still a must for those who are more than just interested in the subject. Alton’s book along with Judith Dean’s ‘Every Pilgrims Guide to Assisi and Franciscan Places of Pilgrimage’, Dr Ian Bradley’s ‘Pilgrimage’ and Peter Stanford’s ‘The Extra Mile’ are four of the most readable books on the subject. Both Judith and Ian are guiding pilgrimages for Pax Travel this autumn. Ian Bradley, together with Bishop Martin Shaw will lead the ‘Scottish pilgrimage from Iona to St Andrews’ (8th - 14th September, 6 places remaining). Judith will guide a pilgrimage ‘In the footsteps of St Francis & St Benedict’ (3rd - 7th October, 12 places remaining), celebrating the Feast of St Francis in Assisi and ending at the monastery of St Benedict in Subiaco. I asked Fr Michael Seed if he and David Alton would lead a pilgrimage to Rome & Assisi next year. David, if you are reading this, and if you agree, many of your supporters will come on this pilgrimage.

I reminded Fr Michael Seed that it was the tenth anniversary of the two of us having thought up the idea of ‘A Night Under The Stars’, the now world-famous annula concert in aid of the homeless charity, The Passage (set up by the late Cardinal Basil Hume). On June 6th 2001, I went to St John’s Smith Square and paid for the hire of the hall for the inaugural concert, as well as booking for the two principle acts that year, Cantate Youth Choir and Young Musician of the Year, Adrian Spillett. Fr Michael then brought the great and the good onto the organising committee; Peter Shepherd, to be a great Chairman for 10 years, Eira Jessel, Lady Knott, kate Guthrie, Deborah Moore (Sir Roger’s Daughter), et al! It was a great pivilege to serve on the committee  for five years, and then, when it was working like a well-oiled machine, to bow out gracefully. The Passage still needs as much support as it can get, and I must book up my tickets for this year’s ‘A Night Under the Stars’, to be held at the Royal Festival Hall this October.