Monday, November 26, 2001 2:10 PM

Questions about the pilgrimage

It is, perhaps, worth mentioning again as an introduction to Vassula’s letter copied below that the arrangements and itinerary of next year’s TLIG pilgrimage are still in the process of being finalised. The final cost will be lower than originally indicated (due to the pilgrimage being to Egypt only) but the final figure is not yet available.

Any responses to Vassula’s letter should be sent to [email protected] or by replying to this email. Those who may have been familiar with the ‘noreply’ email address for contacting Vassula need to be aware that that address is no longer in operation.

Dear TLIG readers,

I do not know if you are aware of the work and sacrifice this Pilgrimage of Egypt draws out of Jonathan. There are also others who help him just as much, but I can tell everyone that it is not an easy task to prepare something so great for so many people, plus that he is not even a travel agent himself! We have been working since early spring and we are still working and will be still working until we see you in Egypt.

We had announced this pilgrimage very early last spring so that we have in front of us a bit more than one and a half year not only for the hotel reservations that have to be done ASAP but also to give everyone a chance to save some money for this project. I had advised my son who is coming to put aside 50 to 100 US$ every month to be able to pay his part and he would not feel the charge.

If I’m speaking in this way, it is because I heard some people say that this pilgrimage is meant only for the rich people. I am sorry if I have offended some people. Should I have reduced our pilgrimage to a 5 day trip and cut down prices? But then to go all the way to Egypt and see a fraction of the holy sites would that have been worth going at all so that one saves 400 US$? When one goes abroad anywhere in the world for an 11 day pilgrimage and has 3 meals a day, buses, guides, equipment for translations and charter flights, can one reduce the price the agencies asked Jonathan? Jonathan has been dealing with these people to reduce it as much as possible. It is the best deal one can get for those 11 days. In Egypt it is not possible to have taken a 3 star hotel for health reasons. We do not want to end up with hepatitis cases. Nor were there any possibilities to take rooms in monasteries. There are no such facilities.

I had been announcing during spring time when we were forced to reduce the amount of people who were interested to come that we shall repeat this same pilgrimage for the year 2003, again for October. AM I to do

it at all? And if yes, who will be willing to be the co-ordinator and
take the responsibility in preparing all that Jonathan and others,
including myself, have prepared? This is a task of a team. Who will
be the next team? For sure I shall not ask the same people, so who is
willing to go through all of the hassle? Do not forget that Jonathan

and the others have a job and are not sitting free and available for just this!

If we were wrong to start this project at all, especially because of the finance question, I would like to be informed so that I put this aside and do no more of this sort of retreats and pilgrimages abroad. But then, those who respond and say that this is not done in the proper way, I would like them to say what is the proper way and in fact take charge themselves for the future pilgrimages. I know it is not a small sum, but we all had time (more than one and a half year) to save some money if we wanted to join this pilgrimage.

The other question was how to deal with priests who cannot truly afford to pay their way. Anne-Marie Peters had done an excellent job of „savings“ to be able to bring along with us 75 clergy! In spite of this I heard critisism that the TLIG is swimming in money when in reality we had zero capital when we started that other project! That had put me off to the extent that I said that if priests are speaking behind my back saying that TLIG is rich because they were paid and came free, what is the use of helping them? That is the reason I said in this pilgrimage we do not finance any of the clergy. TLIG is not rich. It is like someone who visits a poor family as a guest and because they want to treat him as a king, this poor family puts everything they have, preventing even themselves, so that the put a royal banquet for their guest to treat him nobly. When he leaves he finds his friends and says that no one should believe this family is poor, they play it poor and explains to them what he’d been offered. Would that family then want this ungrateful man back?

Now we see that clergy want to come, only they do not have the means and

they cannot save. So I left this question to Anne-Marie Peters and if
we all have to pay like 50 US$ for bringing the clergy, are you ready to
do it? Do you want them? It will add up to your bill. So it is up
to you to decide. Im sorry if this does not sound so cheerful but this
is what has been raised and I’m perplexed to know what to do.

In Christ,
Vassula