Coronavirus update
Announcement 23rd March 2020
Statement from Marian Pilgrimages

The current situation as of 23rd March 2020:

Italy

All Pilgrimages before 1st June have been postponed. We are in the process of contacting all our group leaders & pilgrims to advise them of the situation.

On the 9th of March the Italian government declared the country in isolation, with travel permitted within regions for purposes of work or emergency. While the isolation measures are in effect the Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against travel to Italy, until further notice.

At the time of writing, this period of isolation in Italy will be in place until Friday, the 3rd of April and as our pilgrimage season in Italy begins on Monday, the 20th of April, this recent development will not affect our pilgrimages and all arrangements are scheduled to go ahead under the advisement from the Department of Foreign affairs.

Medjugorje

All Pilgrimages before 1st May have been postponed. We are in the process of contacting all our group leaders & pilgrims to advise them of the situation.

All our planned pilgrimages from the 1st May are scheduled to go ahead, we are currently working with the airlines and our hotels to extend the pilgrimage season up until December with a special 'thanksgiving' departure for 2020 on the 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Lourdes

All Pilgrimages before 1st May have been postponed. We are in the process of contacting all our group leaders & pilgrims to advise them of the situation.

All our planned pilgrimages from the 1st May are scheduled to go ahead, we are currently working with the airlines and our hotels to extend the pilgrimage season up until December with a special 'thanksgiving' departure for 2020 on the 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Fatima

All Pilgrimages before 1st May have been postponed. We are in the process of contacting all our group leaders & pilgrims to advise them of the situation.

All our planned pilgrimages from the 1st May are scheduled to go ahead.

Oberammergau

Unfortunately the Oberammergau Passion Play has been cancelled for 2020. We are extremely disappointed about this as the amount of work our group leaders & Mary Kelly put into the itineraries was immense. The Passion Play organizers have rescheduled for 2022, and please God we will be able attend it then.

We are in the process of contacting all our group leaders & pilgrims to advise them of the situation.

Holyland

We are still evaluating the viability of our April & May pilgrimages to the Holy Land. We have a conference call with the authorities in Bethlehem and the Latin Patriarch on Monday 30th March, and we will be taking their excellent advice on how to proceed.

On March 5th, 2020, Palestine declared a State of Emergency. In response to the decree, His Excellency, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem made an announcement to all pilgrims and locals in the area, notifying them that all Catholic sites in Palestine are currently closed and are scheduled to re-open at the end of April.

Following this announcement, alternative arrangements for all our affected pilgrims in the Holy Land were put into place, making sure they could continue their pilgrimage with minimal disruption. We are expecting all groups to return safe and sound to the US and Ireland within the next few days.

Statement from Marian Pilgrimages

As a result of the impact that the Coronavirus has had, we would like to inform our pilgrims of the current situation and procedures in place. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going into the unknown but with the help our of Our Lord and through prayer and guidance we will act in a manner worthy of which we are being called. We find ourselves at the centre of an unprecedented situation with each one of us facing challenges that we would never have imagined. The great sense of solidarity amongst our wonderful staff has shone through in this period and we have been truly overwhelmed by the kind words of support and show of faith we have been receiving from our pilgrims.

With over 25 years' experience in arranging pilgrimages, through the years as a company, we have found ourselves in situations similar to that which we face today. Our team of experienced staff in Dublin, Boston & London are working closely with the airlines and our ground handlers at the various pilgrimage sites as the situation unfolds, and it is the intention of Marian Pilgrimages to operate all our planned pilgrimages. We are receiving daily updates from our ground handlers at our various destinations and are speaking regularly with our group leaders and spiritual directors, ensuring everybody is well informed.

Today we have made the difficult decision of postponing all our pilgrimages up until the start of May 2020. During these times more than ever we turn our hearts to Our Lady and Jesus to give us the strength we need and the wisdom to make the right decisions. The situation regarding the Coronavirus is everchanging and so we will be evaluating all our remaining pilgrimages closer to the departure time in order to make a more informed decision, and with the grace of God this trial will turn into a triumph as quick as it manifested. Should the need arise for us to postpone or re-schedule your pilgrimage, our long-standing collaboration with hotels and airlines means that we will be in a position to swiftly re-organise and reschedule. Rest assured that together we will find the most favourable solution for you, with our office staff always on hand to offer advice and direction.

With Marian Pilgrimages you can be sure that when booking your pilgrimage, you can do so, safe in the knowledge that we are fully licensed and bonded by the Commission for Aviation Regulation in Ireland. If you have planned to travel on your annual pilgrimage and have not yet secured your place,  please feel free to ring and book yourself in, and in the unlikely event that your flights are cancelled and your pilgrimage is unable to go ahead, we will be happy to refund all monies paid.

The safety and well-being of our staff, pilgrims and their families is always our priority and we have encouraged everybody to work from home. As a result, we have had to close our doors to the public for the time being. With the technology we have in place it is possible for our team to still take and respond to your queries. However due to the disruptions we are all experiencing in our community, our team’s ability to perform their tasks have been greatly diminished and so we ask that you be as patient as possible. So, for the next few weeks our phones will be open from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday and email and social media channels will be monitored throughout day. We will endeavour to reply to you as soon as we can.

Please, join us in prayer as we consecrate all our pilgrims and staff to Our Lady and St. Joseph. Lord, in this time of the unknown we ask you to bless all who are unwell, we implore you to protect us, eliminate all fear and anxiety and increase our trust in you.

Marian Pilgrimages Team