Have you ever been to the Holy Land?

For many Catholics, the answer is no – not because the desire is absent, but because the journey has never been possible. International travel demands time, money, planning and physical stamina. In recent years, many long-anticipated pilgrimages were also postponed or canceled as global events and changing personal circumstances made travel uncertain. Some people lost the opportunity to make a first pilgrimage. Others had hoped to return to places that had already become important to their faith.

A canceled pilgrimage can feel like more than an interrupted vacation. A pilgrimage is a journey made with spiritual purpose. It gives people time to pray, to listen and to encounter Scripture in a different way. Walking through the land where the biblical story unfolded can make familiar passages feel immediate and alive. When that journey cannot happen, the desire behind it often remains.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien will offer another way to begin – or renew – that journey. Father Bob Colaresi, O.Carm., will lead an Armchair Holy Land Pilgrimage, a daylong experience created for those who have never been able to go, those whose plans were canceled and those who would welcome an opportunity to revisit the Holy Land through memory and prayer. No passport is needed.

Father Bob brings an extraordinary depth of experience to the day. He has led more than 1,120 people on 34 Holy Land pilgrimages. Drawing from his personal collection of slides and songs, along with biblical insights and the experiences gathered across those journeys, he will help participants see the Holy Land through the eyes of both a seasoned guide and a Carmelite priest.

That makes the day more than a travel presentation. Images can reveal the geography behind the Gospel. Music can move knowledge from the mind toward the heart. Stories from previous pilgrimages can provide the human texture that maps and dates alone cannot convey. Biblical reflection can draw these elements together and invite participants to ask what the sacred places mean for their own lives of faith. With Eucharist and lunch included, the experience is shaped as a shared day of pilgrimage, prayer and community rather than a hurried lecture.

An armchair pilgrimage does not pretend to reproduce every dimension of being physically present in the Holy Land. It cannot place the dust of the road beneath a pilgrim’s shoes or recreate the feeling of standing within an ancient sacred place. But pilgrimage has never been only about distance traveled. It is also about attention: approaching the Gospel with openness, allowing familiar stories to be seen anew and becoming more receptive to God’s presence. That interior journey can begin wherever a person is able to say yes.

This is what makes the event an especially meaningful opportunity for young people. Many high school students, college students and young adults are genuinely interested in the Holy Land, yet an international pilgrimage may be far beyond their present resources. The expense can be prohibitive. School, work and family responsibilities can make a long trip impossible. Some may be deeply committed to their faith but have never considered the Holy Land attainable at all.

For $45 and the investment of a single day, the armchair pilgrimage makes an initial encounter possible. It can help young Catholics understand that the Gospel did not unfold in an imaginary landscape, but among real people and places, across roads, hills, towns and communities. It can give greater context to Scripture, awaken new questions and deepen an interest in prayer, history and vocation. For some, it may plant the desire to travel to the Holy Land later in life. For others, it may become the most vivid opportunity they have to experience its religious depth. Either outcome has value.

The day also creates the possibility of an intergenerational pilgrimage. Parents and grandparents can attend with younger family members. Parish groups, catechists, campus ministers and youth leaders can invite young people who might benefit from experiencing the Holy Land alongside adults whose faith has been formed over many years. Returning pilgrims can share memories, while first-time participants bring fresh curiosity. The result can be a conversation across generations about Scripture, faith and the places that have shaped Christian faith.

Young people are not the only ones for whom this format opens a door. The day welcomes older adults for whom international travel has become difficult, people with health or mobility concerns, caregivers who cannot be away for an extended period, those balancing work and family obligations, and anyone uneasy about the demands or uncertainties of overseas travel. It also offers something valuable to people who have already visited the Holy Land. Images, music and reflection can recover memories that have faded and invite a former pilgrim to discover new meaning in places once seen in person.

For Carmelites, the invitation carries particular resonance. Mount Carmel is not simply one more site in the biblical landscape. It is the place from which the Order takes its name and the setting in which the first Carmelites gathered in prayer. The Holy Land belongs to the Carmelite family’s spiritual geography. To explore it more deeply is to draw closer to the landscape of Elijah, the world of Scripture and the Carmelite call to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ.

The Armchair Holy Land Pilgrimage is therefore neither a substitute to dismiss nor merely a preview of a better journey. It is a genuine opportunity in its own right: a doorway through which many people can enter more deeply into Scripture and prayer. It meets participants where they are, without asking them first to overcome barriers of cost, distance, health or circumstance.

Perhaps the pilgrimage begins in an armchair. It need not end there. It can continue in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in prayer and in a renewed attention to the sacred ground present in everyday life. Whether you once had a trip canceled, hope to return to the Holy Land, have never imagined that such a journey could be within reach, or know a young person who would be enriched by the experience, Father Bob’s invitation offers a place to begin.

Event Information

Details:
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
$45, including Eucharist and lunch

Location:
Carmelite Spiritual Center
8419 Bailey Road
Darien, IL 60561
630-969-4141

Registration: Click HERE to Register TODAY!