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For more a decade the UUPCC Pilgrimage Service has helped to cement the bonds between North American UUs and their partners overseas. In recent years we have expanded our portfolio of travel services in order to provide multiple and varied pilgrimage opportunities for Unitarian Universalists of all ages. However, the focus and core offering of our service remains Congregational Pilgrimages. The past five years has seen almost 1000 US and Canadian UUs representing more than 150 congregations travel with us to visit partners around the globe. These pilgrimage groups ranged in size from 4-40 and we worked with each of them to customize an itinerary that met their time frame and interests. To begin planning your pilgrimage, please select "Planning a Trip" from the menu at the left. If your church is not partnered or you are not able or willing to organize your own group we offer a number of group tours for UUs of all ages and interests. Scroll down to read the descriptions / itineraries of the public trips open to all. If you are registering for a private trip and have the trip number click on the "Travel" button below.
Philippines 2011 Pilgrimages – March 2011 In response to requests, this year we are offering 3 options for spring travel to the Philippines. There will be the March trip (Option 1), similar to the highly successful "UUCP 101s" of previous years. This trip will be an in depth introduction to the people, programs and dreams of the UUCP as well as an introduction to the broader culture. Option 2 will include the final several days of the road trip which is part of the regular March trip as well as the extended time after the main trip concludes. During the extended time, the group will travel to Ulay-Cabiguhan to support the UUs there as they go through a Community Capacity Building assessment. Option 2 will include visits to several other UU congregations and a whale watch while they are with the Main group. Option 3 will be the shortest trip. The travelers will travel to Manila and then Dumaguete to visit the UUCP headquarters and meet the other pilgrims as well. They will leave the second day after arrival in Dumaguete for the CCB assessment in Ulay-Cabiguhan. After the assessment they will have an opportunity to visit one other UU congregation as they begin their trip home. This trip is primarily focused on supporting Ulay during their 3 day assessment. The partner church of Ulay, the UUs of San Mateo, will be pleased to have others join them in this effort. You can read the combined itinerary for all three trips here. Option 1 – 14 days, March 11 - March 24 Arrive Manila March 11. Get to know the culture and history of the Philippines during a tour of Manila, then worship with the UUs of Bicutan and meet the progressive young UUs of Quezon City. Fly to Dumaguete where you will be warmly welcomed at the UU Church of the Philippines headquarters and have an opportunity to learn about the dreams and realities of the UUCP. The next day you will tour the fascinating university town of Dumaguete. A road trip to explore the large tropical island of Negros and visit many UU congregations located in its small fishing and farming villages will follow over the next several days. The UU communities you visit will warmly welcome you, often with their joyful dance and songs. Your Negros travels will also include a stay at a lovely low-key beach resort, a whale watch, and the opportunity to get to know the others you will be sharing this adventure with. Travelers on this tour will return to Dumaguete after their travels around Negros and have a farewell ceremony at the UUCP headquarters before their return to Manila and subsequent travel home.
Option 2 – 11 days, March 19 - March 28 Arrive Manila March 18. Fly to Bacolod City March 19 and join the Option 1 group. This tour includes a community capacity building workshop in Ulay-Cabiguhan, the partner church of San Mateo. After the main group leaves for Manila, the Option 2 travelers will travel to the Ulay area with the Option 3 travelers where they will all support Ulay's community capacity building assessment and celebrate the graduation of a college student who has been the recipient of a San Mateo scholarship. Following the time in Ulay, the groups will visit the congregation of Bunga on their way to Bacolod City from where they will leave to return to Manila. After a night in Manila, both groups 2 and 3 will leave to go to their homes. After the assessment they will have an opportunity to visit one other UU congregation as they begin their trip home. This trip is primarily focused on supporting Ulay during their assessment. The partner church of Ulay, the UUs of San Mateo, will be pleased to have to have others join them in this effort.
Option 3 – 7 days, March 22 - March 28 Arrive Manila on March 22 and fly to Dumaguete City later that day to meet the UUCP and connect up with the other travelers. For details of the trip see Option 2.
UU Transylvanian Pilgrimage (on a budget)
Two life-changing weeks in Transylvania for under $1,150! This is the same quality Unitarian pilgrimage that the UUPCC has been facilitating for a decade – but at 60% of the price. We have just replaced hotels with dorms & guest-houses, substituted village meals for restaurants, and eliminated the long van ride from Budapest. (You could easily add days in Budapest onto either end of the pilgrimage). Beginning and ending in Kolozsvar/Cluj, this tour will visit the most significant of the Unitarian holy places including Torda, Meszko, Gyulaferhervar & Deva. You will also visit the frescoed Unitarian churches of, Szekelyderz (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Karacsonfalva, the spectacular 13th century castle at Vadjahunyad, the medieval walled city of Sighisoara/Segesvar, and the Saxon fortress church at Biertan (Segesvar & Biertan are both UNESCO World Heritage sites). You will spend a weekend with your partner congregation – make new friends and revitalize your partnership. If you do not have a partner in Transylvania the UUPCC will arrange for you to stay in one of the many beautiful Unitarian villages with other pilgrims. You can read the entire itinerary here.
Spring/Pentecost Pilgrimage to Transylvania & Budapest
During the spring of 2011 we are planning to organize a group pilgrimage to Eastern Europe to experience the historic roots of Unitarianism. We will share in the lives of our co-religionists in Eastern Europe, discuss the origins of our denomination with Unitarian ministers, and visit a number of significant Unitarian sites as well as attractions of general interest. Beginning in Kolozsvar (Cluj), Romania and ending in the lovely Hungarian capital city of Budapest, the trip will also include a stay in a Unitarian village, and visits to numerous historic village & town churches. Travelers will discover the warmth and loving hospitality of Transylvanian Unitarian families during a home stay in a Unitarian village and experience rural village life. You can read the entire itinerary here.
UU Festival Choir 2011 European Concert Tour
By popular request the UU Partner Church Council is organizing an August 2011 musical pilgrimage to Transylvania & Budapest to explore and experience the historic roots of Unitarianism, and connect with our co-religionists through the universal language of music. Beth Norton, Director of Music at First Parish Concord, MA has agreed to direct the assembled choir. Singers in the Festival Choir will be expected to arrive in Transylvania having learned their parts. Music will be sent out well in advance of our departure. Learning CDs/MP3s will be made available. We will spend the first days of the tour at a beautiful Carpathian Mt retreat getting to know each other, seeing the local sights and rehearsing for the subsequent concerts. Along the way we will visit historic Unitarian sites and places of a more general interest. You can read the entire itinerary here.
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