Anglican Christianity A Spiritual Journey to the Sacred Places of Britain Optional Extension to Durham, Edinburgh, & Lindisfarne, Sept. 29 - Oct.2, 2016 September 19-29, 2016
ALONG WITH MS. KATHLEEN WINCH, JOINING US ON OUR JOURNEY ARE: The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith was elected the eleventh bishop of North Dakota in 2004. An enrolled member of the Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma, he served churches in Oklahoma and Minnesota before coming to North Dakota. He is the Chair of the Bishops Native Collaborative and Vice-Chair of the Executive Council s Committee on Indigenous Ministries. Bishop Michael places a high priority on the baptismal ministries of all the people of God, evangelism, youth ministry, the diaconate, Benedictine spirituality, spiritual vitality, preaching and theological education. His desire is that each of the congregations of the Diocese of North Dakota becomes a community of disciples who make other disciples. As a Communion Partner bishop, he works to keep as many people as possible in both The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Fr. Mark Strobel, Interim Dean Mark Strobel will be the Interim Dean of Gethsemane Cathedral. He started on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 and officiated at his first service February 15, 2015. He is a North Dakota native, growing up in Kulm. Mark graduated from Jamestown College with degrees in music and religion; Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA; and St. John s University School of Theology in Collegeville, MN. Please be sure to greet Fr. Mark with a warm Welcome to the Gethsemane and Diocese of ND family.
DAY 1: SEPT. 19 - DEPARTURE TO LONDON Depart United States for London. Connoisseurs Tours will assist you with arranging your flights to The British Isles. DAY 2: SEPT. 20 -ARRIVAL LONDON/ WESTMINSTER Please plan to arrive in London by 11:00 AM. Upon arrival in London, transfer to the Grange White Hall Hotel located across the street from the British Museum. This afternoon we invite you to attend Evensong at Westminster Abbey and then return to our hotel for dinner. (D) DAY 3: SEPT. 21 - GREENWICH/LONDON/ WINDSOR CASTLE/ST. GEORGE S/LONDON This morning we depart for a panoramic tour of London. We will continue our tour while we enjoy a cruise and lunch on the River Thames and continue our tour past London s major landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, St. Paul s Cathedral, and the Tower of London. This afternoon is free for you to explore The British Museum, The Churchill War Rooms, The Tower of London, and enjoy an optional theater performance of one of London s great productions. (B, L ) DAY 4: SEPT. 22 - HAMPTON COURT/ LONDON/FREE AFTERNOON We will depart this morning for Hampton Court Palace, arguably one of the most famous palaces in the world. Henry VIII confiscated the palace from Cardinal Wolsey in 1529 when the Cardinal failed to get the divorce Henry wanted from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. This afternoon we will drive to Windsor Castle to see the largest and oldest occupied castle in Europe - home to the present day Elizabeth II. We will tour the Castle and attend evensong at St. George s Chapel, the resting place of 10 royal Sovereigns including Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. We will have a lovely dinner in Windsor and then return London for rest and overnight lodging. (B,D) SEPTEMBER 23 - CANTERBURY/ST. MARTIN S We are bound for Canterbury! We will begin our tour with a short walk to the parish church of St. Martin, just outside the medieval walls of the town. The chancel of St. Martin s was built for Queen Bertha of Kent in the 580s. It is the oldest space in England where regular and continuous worship has been offered (now for over 1400 years). It was on this spot that St. Augustine, the
herald of the Gospel sent from Rome by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to evangelize Anglo-Saxon England, worshipped. If any church can be called the cradle of Roman Christianity in England, St. Martin s can claim first place. We will have dinner and then experience one of the highlights of the tour: a private candlelight service with just our group in Canterbury Cathedral. Overnight we will be in the Canterbury Lodge, located adjacent to the Cathedral. (B,D) SEPTEMBER 24 - HEVER CASTLE/ PENTHURST PLACE/SISSINGHURST/ ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS This morning we depart for several fascinating and off the beaten track sites which are important to the story of Henry VIII. The first site is Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. She was perhaps the most infamous woman in English History and was extremely important in the evangelical Protestant movement. It was she who changed the course of history, causing a split with the Roman Catholic Church, by demanding to be Henry s wife and not his mistress. We will have lunch and a visit to what many consider one of the most famous and beautiful gardens in England: Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens. Sissinghurst was created in the 1930s by Vita Sackville-West, poet and gardening writer, and her husband, Harold Nicolson. In 1305 King Edward I spent a night here. The garden itself is designed as a series of rooms, each with a different character of color and/or theme. The walls are a mixture of high clipped hedges and pink brickwork. We then arrive at The Spa Hotel in Royal Tunbridge Wells in the late afternoon where we will enjoy dinner and overnight. (B,L,D) SEPTEMBER 25 - ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS/ WINCHESTER/OXFORD We depart Royal Tunbridge Wells for Winchester, well known for the Great Hall of its Castle which was built in the 12th century. It is famous for King Arthur s Round Table, which has hung in the hall from at least 1463. We will visit Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. Since the break with Rome, the consecration of English bishops had been hole-in-the-corner affairs performed, like Cranmer s and Shaxton s consecrations, in the obscurity of St. Stephen s Chapel. This was all about to change. On September 19th, Henry and Anne staged a major ceremony. Cranmer consecrated the three most recently appointed bishops: Foxe, Latimer and Hilsey in the presence of the cream
of the English Episcopate in Winchester Cathedral. In the afternoon, we continue to Oxford, and the Cotswold Lodge, our home for the next two evenings. (B, D) as Headington parish church where Lewis and Joy are buried. This evening will be free for dinner on our own, possibly at the Eagle and Child. (B) SEPTEMBER 27 - OXFORD/HATFIELD HOUSE/YORK/LEICESTER CATHEDRAL We depart for Hatfield House en route to York. Hatfield House was completed in 1611. It was built by Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury and son of Lord Burghley, the chief minister of Elizabeth I. The deer SEPTEMBER 26 - OXFORD/ST. MARY MAG- DALEN/MARTYR S MEMORIAL/THE KILNS This morning we will enjoy a guided walking tour of Oxford, including St. Mary Magdalen s Church. Chantry certificates for 1549 suggest that St. Mary Magdalen s was the most densely populated parish in Oxford. St. Mary Magdalen openly used the Book of Common Prayer in 1660 while Charles II was still in exile. Briefly, from 1748 to 1763, St. Mary Magdalen s was a powerhouse, generating the new evangelical enthusiasm under vicar Joseph Lane, who was praised by Charles Wesley for displaying the very spirit of Methodism. We will also see the Martyrs Memorial, built in remembrance of the 16th century martyrs, Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley, who were burned at the stake nearby. Time permitting, we will visit the Divinity Schools where C.S. Lewis lectured, and The Kilns where Lewis lived, as well park surrounding the house and the older building of the Old Palace had been owned by Elizabeth s father, Henry VIII, who had used it as a home for his children, Edward, Elizabeth and Mary. It was while she was living in the Old Palace, in 1558, that Elizabeth learned of her accession to the throne. Superb examples of Jacobean craftsmanship can be seen throughout Hatfield House such as the Grand Staircase with its fine carving and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel. Displayed throughout the House are many historic mementos collected over the centuries by the Cecils, one of England s foremost political families. In the late afternoon we will arrive in the magnificent city of York for dinner and overnight at the Monkbar Hotel. (Time permitting, we will attend Evensong at York Minster) (B, D)
SEPTEMBER 28 - YORK This morning we will attend Eucharist at York Minster. York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. York stood to lose more than many cities from Henry s religious revolution, so it is no surprise that the rebellious march known as Pilgrimage of Grace began in York. Between late 1536 and 1537 a number of revolts against the king took place in Northern England. These were collectively known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. However, strictly, the Pilgrimage of Grace only refers to the revolt that occurred in Yorkshire between October and December 1536. After Eucharist and time for lunch, we have a guided walking the medieval city. Then we will have time EXTENSION: SEPT. 29 - OCT. 2 SEPTEMBER 29 - YORK/DURHAM This morning we will depart York for the short drive to Durham. En route, we ll travel back in time to the era of St. Cuthbert. We ll travel by coach to St. Paul s church in Jarrow where the famous scholar Bede was first buried, but then moved later to the Cathedral at Durham. Bede lived and wrote his famous History of the English Church and People here at Jarrow, through which we know the world of St. Aidan and the Celtic saints in northern England. In Bede s lifetime the currents of Benedictine Christianity spread northward from Canterbury, enriching the Celtic spirituality that Aidan had introduced. After St. Paul s Jarrow, we ll visit the adjacent Bede s World, a beautifully re-created peasant village of the early 700s. This afternoon we will tour and explore Durham Cathedral which will be a highlight of the trip. Be sure to notice the columns in the Nave they re all different. We will check into the Durham Marriott Hotel. This evening for those who are willing we will attend Evensong in the beautiful Durham Cathedral. (B, D) for personal exploration of York s rich history; from Roman York, to Anglo Saxon York, to Viking York, we will have time to visit York s fascinating museums or do some leisurely shopping. (B, D) SEPTEMBER 29 - RETURN HOME OR CONTINUE ON EXTENSION This morning for those who wish to return home, a morning transfer will you from the Monkbar Hotel to the Manchester Airport. Or continue on the Northern England, Lindisfarne, Scotland Extension.
SEPTEMBER 30- DURHAM/LINDISFARNE/ EDINBURGH After breakfast we will have a leisurely departure for the Holy Isle of Linidsfarne (off the coast of Northumbria in England), where we will trace St. Aidan s missionary journey. King Oswald called Aidan from Iona in Scotland to evangelize his kingdom in 635 AD, and he settled Aidan and his fellow monks on Lindisfarne near his palace at Bamburgh. Aidan and his brothers set out on foot, preaching the Gospel all over Northumbria, and planting new mission stations as they went. After Aidan s death in 651, St. Cuthbert succeeded him as Prior, and followed in Aidan s missionary footsteps. We will continue on to Edinburgh where The Palace was once the home of Mary, Queen of Scots and was the setting for many dramatic episodes in her short life. We will also tour St Giles Cathedral, known as the historic City Church of Edinburgh, and the Mother Church of Presbyterianism. It contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle (Scotland s chivalric company of knights headed by the Queen). We will enjoy a walking tour of the famous Royal Mile- its cobbled streets, tiny shops, and steep allies will invoke the medieval era. As we walk, we will hear the stories of Scotland s great figures of we will arrive in time for dinner and overnight at the Bruntsfield Hotel. (B, D) OCTOBER 1- EDINBURGH After breakfast at our hotel, we will set out to explore the historic city of Edinburgh. Our tour of Edinburgh will include the official residence of Her Majesty The Queen- the Palace of Holyrood. literature. We will view Edinburgh Castle, which dominates Edinburgh s skyline and gives stunning views across the city and countryside. (B, D) OCTOBER 2- RETURN HOME Return home from Edinburgh EXTENSION COST: $895.00 per person, $195.00 single supplement
GENERAL INFORMATION, TERMS & CONDITIONS Please read the Terms & Conditions in their entirety prior to making any payment for this tour. Any payment made towards a tour booking shall constitute a confirmation by the Guest on behalf of themselves and all other persons named on their booking that he or she has read, understood, accepted and agreed to the Terms & Conditions of this tour, the terms of which will apply to the Guest and all other persons named on their booking. PRICE OF TOUR $3295.00 per person, double occupancy $695.00 Single Supplement Maximum limit of $10,000 **150% of Trip Cost paid up to a maximum of $10,000 for the unused portion of Your Trip and the transportation cost to re-join the Trip or return home. CANCELLATIONS $200.00 per person from the time of booking to 120 days prior to departure is non-refundable. $400.00 per person from 119 to 90 days prior to departure is non-refundable. 50% of the tour price from 89 to 60 days prior to departure is non-refundable. 100% of the full program cost from 59 to 0 days prior to departure and during the tour is non-refundable. All cancellations must be in writing. Tour cost does not include items of a personal nature. DEPOSIT & FINAL PAYMENT A Deposit of $400.00 per person is due to reserve a place on this tour. Deposits and payments can be paid by check or any major credit card. Final payment is due July 17, 2016. The Travel Insured Group Deluxe travel insurance protection plan is strongly recommended. Rates begin at $194.00 per person (tour only) and $276.00 (tour plus extension). Single travelers will be slightly higher. Contact us for your current rates. CONNOISSEURS TOURS PROTECTION PLAN PROVIDED BY TRAVEL INSURED Traveling is a big investment. It pays to protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances that can result in trip cancellation and additional expenses such as costs related to medical emergencies. This Travel Insured Protection Plan is specifically designed to provide you with peace of mind knowing you are protected against the financial impact of unexpected events while on your trip. Additional insurance is available to include the cost of your airfare. Please contact Connoisseurs Tours if you would like to insure the cost of your airline tickets after your have purchased your airline tickets. See below for the Schedule of Coverage: Trip Cancellation* (not applicable if $0 trip cost) Trip Cost* Trip Interruption** ($500 return air only if $0 trip cost) 150% of Trip Cost* Cancel for Work Reasons Trip Cost* Trip Delay 6 hours $750 ($150/day) Baggage/Personal Effects $1,500 Baggage Delay 24 hours $400 Accident & Sickness Medical Expense $50,000 Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation $250,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment $25,000 Worldwide Emergency Assistance Services Included *Up to the lesser of the Trip Cost paid or the limit of Coverage for which benefits are requested and the appropriate plan cost has been paid. RESPONSIBILITY Connoisseurs Tours acts only as an agent for the traveler with respect to transportation, accommodations and other services offered on the tour. Connoisseurs Tours and their agents assume no responsibility or liability for any act, error or omission, or for any injury, loss, accident or delay or irregularity that may be caused by any defect in any aircraft, ship, train, bus or other carrier or through neglect or default of any subcontractor or other third party. The passage contract in use by the carriers when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the carriers and the traveler. Connoisseurs Tours and/or their agents will not be responsible for loss, injury, damages or expenses to person or property, due to illness, weather, strikes, local laws, hostilities, wars, terrorist acts, acts of nature or other such causes in connection with the tour for anything beyond their reasonable control. Connoisseurs Tours is not responsible for transportation or other delays or changes in the tour program beyond their control, nor any additional expenses or loss of time that may be incurred by the traveler. It may be necessary or advisable for the well-being of all travelers to alter the itinerary at any time, without notice to the travelers, and such alterations will be made without penalty to Connoisseurs Tours. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to decline or not to retain any person as a member of any tour or to change or withdraw a tour as circumstances demand. All rates quoted are based on tariffs in effect at the time the tour was planned and are subject to change in the event of adjustment therein. Baggage is carried at the owner s risk and baggage insurance is recommended. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to substitute hotels of equal or superior quality. The proposals of this section are governed by Georgia law, and final payment by the traveler to Connoisseurs Tours shall be deemed to be consent to the above provisions. VALIDITY September 24, 2015 through March 31, 2017
Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Email: Telephone: RESERVATION FORM Anglican Christianity: A Spiritual Journey September 19-29, 2016 Enclosed is a deposit of for people check (Checks should be made payable to Connoisseurs Tours) Credit Card: Visa Mastercard Amex Discover Card# Exp. Date: / Sec. Code: Rooming With: Please Reserve place(s) for this tour A deposit in the amount of $400.00 per person (plus optional insurance) is required for a reservation I wish to purchase single accommodations: $695.00 per person supplement I wish to purchase the Connoisseurs Tours Protection Plan: Please contact me about rates. I am registering for the tour, September 19-29,2016 I have read and understand the Terms and Conditions of this tour Signature: Date: / / Please mail your reservation form and deposit to: Connoisseurs Tours 110 McIntosh Drive Savannah, GA 31406 (912) 335-8155 1-800-856-1045 www.connoisseurstours.com Please contact me about airline reservations I am registering for the extension: September 29 - October 2, 2016
It is helpful in our spiritual journeys into the future to explore our rootedness in the past. For us as Episcopalians that crucial point occurs in England where the faith of the early church intersects with the Reformation and the renewal of the church we know as Anglican. Bishop Michael Smith Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral brings you some exciting news! In September of next year we will be embarking on a spiritual journey to Britain where we ll visit towns, cathedrals, and Holy places that were witness to the early Christian Saints and key players in English Reformation. Our goal is to enrich the imagination and to trace the growth of early Christianity in England and Scotland. We will explore the lives of Kings, Martyrs and Saints as we journey to Great castles, magnificent country homes, glorious cathedrals, charming gardens and medieval villages and towns. We begin the tour in London, visiting many of the sites that are both built and associated with the Tudors. We then take a circular route through the glorious English countryside, passing through Canterbury, Hever, Penthurst, Winchester, Oxford and York. For those who wish may extend their stay, as many are doing, we have planned an extension to visit the medieval city of Durham- Durham Cathedral- burial place of the Venerable Bede and Shrine of Saint Cuthbert. We will also visit the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, founded by Saint Aidan, and then continue through Northern England before we complete our tour with an extended stay in Edinburgh. All along the way there will be opportunities for some leisure time, shopping, private exploration, and one of course theater productions in London. We have invited Bishop Michael Smith and Father Mark Strobel Cathedral Dean to join us and they have accepted. The Bishop and Father Mark will lead us on this spiritual journey and they will be joined by one of the best guides in Britain, Mrs. Kathleen Winch, who is also a member of the Church of England. Our host company is Connoisseurs Tours who specializes in Episcopalian and Anglican Journeys all over the world. Key components for all of their tours include outstanding lecturers and guides, delicious food and wine, beautiful venues, and private access to exquisite sites. However, the most important part of any journey is being with a small group of fun and congenial travelers. Do consider joining fellow North Dakota travelers on our journey next September. Please feel free to share the information with friends. We have 32 places, many of which have been reserved, so please contact Connoisseurs Tours today with any questions, or to make a reservation. 1-800-856-1045 or info@connoisseurstours.com