Tekton Ministries
Pilgrimage to
Ireland
“Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me.”
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
April 12 – 22, 2027
with Fr. Rand Langhorst
St. Joseph & St. Clara Catholic Parishes • Auburn & Peru, Nebraska
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is with great joy that I invite you to join me on pilgrimage to Ireland — an island where the Catholic faith is not simply remembered but carved into the ground itself. In round towers and roofless abbeys, in high crosses standing in wet grass since before the Norman conquest, in a Marian apparition witnessed in the rain by fifteen ordinary villagers, Ireland keeps a record of what it costs to hold on to the faith and what it means to hand it on.
Over eleven days we will pray at Knock, where Our Lady appeared in 1879 to a people worn down by famine and hardship. We will stand at Ballintubber Abbey, where Mass has been offered without interruption for more than eight hundred years, through suppression, confiscation, and persecution. We will climb the Hill of Slane, where St. Patrick is said to have lit a fire that the High King could not put out.
With over 30 years of experience, Tekton Ministries guides Catholic pilgrims not as tourists collecting photographs, but as seekers drawing ever closer to Christ. Every dimension of this journey — from daily Mass to the prayerful reflections prepared for each day — is designed to deepen your faith and send you home with something more durable than souvenirs.
Ireland is one of the easiest countries in the world to visit badly. The scenery is generous, the welcome is warm, and it is entirely possible to spend eleven days here and come home with nothing but photographs of green fields. The difference between a tourist and a pilgrim is not the itinerary; it is the posture of the heart.
What makes this island holy is not its beauty. It is the fidelity of the people who lived on it. Irish Catholics kept the Mass alive when it was a criminal offense, celebrating on flat stones in open fields with a lookout posted on the ridge. They handed the faith down through generations of poverty and emigration and grief. Nearly every site on this pilgrimage is a witness to that stubborn, unglamorous perseverance. Come prepared to be changed.
Before you depart, write down three to five specific intentions — a loved one in need of healing, a relationship broken by sin, a grace urgently needed. Do not be vague. “Pray for my family” is a start; “Pray for my son’s return to the sacraments” is a pilgrimage intention. Carry the list with you and pray it deliberately at every shrine and altar.
Much of what we will see stands open to the sky. Roofless naves, broken cloisters, and weathered high crosses are not failures of preservation; they are the physical record of suppression, confiscation, and survival. When you stand inside one, ask who built it, who prayed in it, and who was willing to lose everything rather than give it up.
Ireland offers long stretches of quiet — on the coach crossing the bog, on a cliff path above the Atlantic, in the early morning before the day begins. The temptation is to fill that space with conversation or a phone. Resist it. The Irish monastic tradition was built on the conviction that God is most easily heard when nothing else is competing for your attention.
Read about Knock, Ballintubber, Glendalough, and Monasterboice before you go. Spiritual preparation turns a visit into an encounter.
Arrive in a state of grace. Speak with Fr. Langhorst about scheduling Confession before we depart, so that your heart is open to the fullest graces of the pilgrimage.
Begin praying the Rosary now, before you leave. Knock is a Marian shrine of profound silence — Our Lady spoke no words there at all.
“By A Different Way: A Catholic Guide to Pilgrim Spirituality”As an Amazon Associate, Tekton Ministries earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
The Eucharist is the summit of this pilgrimage and the thread that ties every day together. Come with hungry hearts.
Monastic sites reward the pilgrim who lingers. Let the group move ahead and give yourself five unhurried minutes in one place.
Keep a small notebook. Write what surprised you, what moved you, and what God seemed to be saying to your heart each day.
Throughout this journey, we will pray for:
This pilgrimage involves moderate to extensive walking at monastic sites, castles, cliff paths, and historic city centers. Expect uneven ground, wet grass, stone steps without handrails, and cobblestone streets in Galway, Kilkenny, and Dublin. Days may begin early and include several hours on the coach. Plan on four to five miles — roughly twelve thousand steps — per day. Please bring comfortable, well broken-in walking shoes, a waterproof jacket, and dress in modest attire for all shrines and churches.
Our pilgrimage begins today as we depart on our overnight flight to Ireland. Meals and drinks are served aloft. Use this time of transition to set your heart toward what lies ahead — pray your intentions, review your preparation materials, and ask God to open you to the graces He has prepared for the days ahead.
Ashford Castle on the shores of Lough Corrib, County Mayo
Upon arrival in Dublin, we will be met by our local Irish Pilgrimage Manager, who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. We leave the capital and drive west across the green heart of Ireland to Knock, where we check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
The Basilica at Knock — Our Lady, Queen of Ireland
This morning we celebrate Mass together and visit the magnificent Basilica next to the original church where our Blessed Mother appeared in 1879, and where Pope John Paul II announced that the church would be known as the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland. The balance of the day will be free for prayer and personal time.
Ballintubber Abbey — “the abbey that refused to die”
Depart Knock for Ballintubber Abbey, where we will be given a tour of this beautiful historic site, formerly a stopping place for pilgrims on their way to climb Croagh Patrick. When St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in 441, he founded a church at Ballintubber. The present Abbey was built in 1216 by King Cathal O’Connor. It is the only church in Ireland still in daily use that was founded by an Irish king, and, despite years of continuous attacks and religious repression, it retains an air of ancient beauty and spirituality.
We then travel through Connemara, an area of outstanding scenic grandeur. There is a brooding sense of Ireland’s ancient culture and traditions in this haunted and mystical area where Gaelic is still the everyday language. Continue to Galway, “the City of the Tribes”, and check into our hotel.
The Cliffs of Moher, rising seven hundred feet above the Atlantic
Depart Galway and travel to the magnificent Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic great sheer rock face rising 700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. We will then travel via the lunar landscape of the Burren before taking a ferry across the River Shannon from Killimer to Tarbert. Continue to Killarney, situated in a spectacular location amidst mountains, glens and lakes. This evening you may wish to take an optional jaunting car ride, the traditional form of local transport by horse drawn wagon.
The lakes and mountains of Killarney
Travel the road that winds around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula, better known as “The Ring of Kerry.” It is undoubtedly one of the most magical places in all Ireland. Here bogs, mountains, valleys, lakes and sea blend into a landscape that is often breathtaking beyond words. Even the names of the towns seem to whisper their beauty: Cahirciveen, Glenbeigh, Killorglin and Sneem. Visit Muckross House and Abbey before returning to your hotel in Killarney for the night.
Blarney Castle, a McCarthy stronghold since 1446
Depart Killarney and drive to Blarney where we will visit Blarney Castle, which dates to 1446 and served as McCarthy’s stronghold. We will climb onto the battlements to reach the Blarney Stone, said to impart the gift of eloquence to all who kiss it. After some shopping time in the Blarney Woollen Mills we make our way to The Rock of Cashel, a monumental 12th century complex dominating the surrounding landscape. Continue to Kilkenny for dinner and overnight.
Ballyknocken Cookery School, House and Farm, County Wicklow
This morning, we will drive to the town of Ballyknocken and the Ballyknocken Cookery School, House and Farm. Tour the farm and take part in a hands-on, interactive cooking class built around traditional Irish fare. Beyond the kitchen, you can wander the herb, vegetable, and soft-fruit gardens with views of Carrick Mountain or join a sheep-herding demonstration with Pat the Shepherd and his collie, Jess.
Time permitting, we will make our way to Glendalough — the monastic city founded by St. Kevin in a glacial valley of two lakes — before continuing to Dublin to check into our hotel overnight.
The Hill of Slane, County Meath
Following breakfast, drive north to see the Celtic crosses in the historic ruins of Monasterboice and then continue to the Hill of Slane where St. Patrick is said to have lit an Easter fire as a challenge to the pagan High King of Tara. In the afternoon, visit St. Peter’s Church in Drogheda, famous for its tall west gable, rose window and for containing the national shrine of St. Oliver Plunkett.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland
This morning enjoy a city tour of Dublin, the vibrant capital of Ireland, with a romantic aura of Old-World Europe, including visits to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Our Lady of Lourdes Church where we will see the Shrine of Matt Talbot, the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street where we will see the Shrine of St. Valentine, and the Old Town. The balance of the day will be free to enjoy this city on your own.
This evening enjoy a farewell dinner at a local pub with traditional Irish music.
Following breakfast we transfer to the airport for our return flight home. Like the Magi, who “departed for their own country by another way” (Matthew 2:12), we do not come home the same as we left. The graces of these eleven days are not meant to be stored away, but to be lived in our families, our parishes, and our daily encounter with Christ.
“To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendor and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”— Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
This pilgrimage involves moderate to extensive walking at monastic sites, castles, cliff paths, and historic city centers. Expect uneven ground, wet grass, stone steps without handrails, and cobblestone streets in Galway, Kilkenny, and Dublin. Days may begin early and include several hours on the coach. Plan on four to five miles — roughly twelve thousand steps — per day. Please bring comfortable, well broken-in walking shoes, a waterproof jacket, and dress in modest attire for all shrines and churches.
| Base price per person | $5,065.00 |
| Air taxes & fuel surcharges | $708.53 |
| Total Per Person | $5,773.53 |
Travel insurance is not included in the pilgrimage price and is strongly recommended for every pilgrim. A pilgrimage is a significant investment, and coverage protects you against trip cancellation, interruption, medical emergencies abroad, and lost baggage. Details and enrollment information are available at tektonministries.org/travel-insurance.
Average conditions for mid-April in Ireland
Modest attire is required at all shrines and churches (shoulders and knees covered). Bring comfortable, broken-in waterproof walking shoes for wet grass, uneven monastic ground, and cobblestone streets.
“A pilgrimage is not a vacation. It is a transformative journey that begins with a single act of surrender: the willingness to leave behind what is familiar and step into what God has prepared.”— By A Different Way