FOOD MEETS FAITH IN THE HOLY LAND
A unique pilgrimage experience combining food and faith in the Holy Land is set for February 2014. Jeff Young, "The Catholic Foodie," will lead the trip to Israel together with spiritual director, Fr. Michael Werkhoven of the Diocese of Memphis. The dates for the pilgrimage are February 5-15, 2014.
Israel, referred to as the Holy Land, is the place where Jesus walked, talked, ate and drank with his companions over 2000 years ago. Pilgrims will get to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, visiting many of the significant locations of Jesus' life like Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem and Emmaus, celebrating Mass in most of those locations.
A Unique Holy Land Pilgrimage Experience Combining Food & Faith
Some of the traditional pilgrimage experiences will include:
In addition to the traditional pilgrimage experiences, pilgrims will also be treated to a deliciously “foodie” buffet of events that will include:
Organized by Select International Tours, this unique once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage experience will put pilgrims in touch with the daily life of Jesus, as well as the locations associated with the main events of his life.
Who is Jeff Young, The Catholic Foodie?
A former seminarian and educator, Jeff Young is the founder of The Catholic Foodie, an apostolate to strengthen families through food and faith around the family table. Jeff firmly believes that God created us to seek communion – with himself and with others – and one of the primary ways we experience communion is around the table, both the table of the Eucharist at Mass and the family dinner table at home. Jeff notes that, from Genesis to Revelation, food plays an important role in God’s relationship with his people and in our relationship with each other. It’s all about communion.
Born and raised in south Louisiana, it is in Jeff's blood to be passionate about both food and faith. With his unique down-home style, he shares recipes, reviews, and culinary inspiration through The Catholic Foodie blog and podcast, and through the weekly Around The Table Food Show on Catholic Community Radio (690AM in New Orleans, and 1380AM in Baton Rouge). He is currently working on a book that celebrates food and faith "around the table." Jeff is also a conference speaker who has spoken on various topics ranging from "growing in faith around the table" to "using social media to reach inactive Catholics."
Who is Fr. Michael Werkhoven?
Fr. Mike Werkhoven is a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee. He is the pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit in east Memphis, and has been a priest for 11 years. Before entering the seminary in 1994, Fr. Mike was an art major in college and worked many years as a professional artist. He finished up his undergraduate studies in philosophy at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, LA. Fr. Mike studied for one year in Rome at the North American College before coming back home to finish his studies at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Besides the Catholic Church, Fr. Mike's two main loves are art and food, and his hobbies are creating both and tying them both into the divine life we share with Christ and our universal call to holiness. Just as there is "sacred art", Fr. Mike believes there is "sacred food" and it all starts with the "holy trinity" of onions, peppers, and celery. Besides being a pastor, Fr. Mike also serves as the spiritual director for the diocesan SEARCH youth retreat and is the chaplain for "Fishers of Men" of the Diocese of Memphis.
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Additional Resources:
http://catholicfoodie.com
http://catholicfoodie.com/holyland
http://www.selectinternationaltours.com
http://http://youtu.be/ZcZPVZEqNZY (promo video)
Images of Jeff Young and Fr. Michael Werkhoven can be found at http://catholicfoodie.com/journey-to-the-holy-land-with-the-catholic-foodie