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A Prayer For Travelers

O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

'Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, 'Peace to this house! ' And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him' (Lk 10, 5-6).

Catholic Prayers for Safe Travel (Full List & Guide)

Catholicism is one of the oldest and most widespread religions in the world. With millions of followers across the globe, it is no surprise that there are many Catholic prayers for safe travel.

These prayers are intended to provide comfort and protection to those who are embarking on a journey, whether it be by car, plane, or any other means of transportation.

The Catholic Church has a long tradition of praying for protection during travel. Many of these prayers have been passed down through generations and are still recited today.

The prayers are meant to invoke the protection of God and his angels, asking for safe passage and protection from harm.

Some of the most popular Catholic prayers for safe travel include the Prayer for Safe Travel, the Prayer for a Safe Journey, and the Prayer to St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.

These prayers can be recited by anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, and are a powerful way to bring peace and comfort during times of uncertainty.

Popular Catholic Prayers For Safe Travel

When it comes to traveling, many Catholics turn to prayer for protection and guidance.

Here are some of the most popular Catholic prayers for safe travel:

The Traveler’s Prayer

The Traveler’s Prayer, also known as Psalm 121, is a popular prayer among Catholics. It is a prayer for protection and guidance during a journey. The prayer asks God to watch over the traveler and keep them safe from harm.

Here is the prayer:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Prayer to St. Christopher

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. Catholics often pray to him for protection during a journey.

Here is a prayer to St. Christopher:

Dear Saint Christopher, protect me today in all my travels along the road’s way. Give your warning sign if danger is near so that I may stop while the path is clear. Be at my window and direct me through when the vision blurs From out of the blue. Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace. Amen.

Guardian Angel Prayer For Travel

Catholics believe that every person has a guardian angel who watches over them. The Guardian Angel Prayer For Travel is a prayer for protection during a journey.

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

These are just a few of the many Catholic prayers for safe travel. Catholics believe that prayer can bring comfort and protection during a journey, and many turn to these prayers for guidance and support.

How to Pray for Safe Travel

Praying for safe travel is a common practice among Catholics, and it can bring comfort and reassurance to those embarking on a journey.

Here are some tips on how to pray for safe travel:

1. Start with a Grateful Heart

Begin your prayer by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to travel and for the blessings in your life. This can help you focus on the positive aspects of the journey and set the tone for a peaceful and safe trip.

2. Ask for Protection

Ask God to protect you and your fellow travelers from harm and accidents. You can also ask for protection against any negative energies or influences that may come your way.

3. Pray for Guidance

Ask for guidance and direction as you travel, both physically and spiritually. Pray for wisdom to make good decisions and for discernment to avoid any dangers or pitfalls.

4. Seek Comfort and Peace

Pray for comfort and peace during your journey, especially during times of stress or uncertainty. Ask for the grace to remain calm and centered, and for the strength to overcome any challenges that may arise.

5. Close with Faith and Trust

End your prayer with a statement of faith and trust in God’s plan for your journey. Express confidence in His protection and guidance, and thank Him for His love and care.

Remember that there is no one “right” way to pray for safe travel. The most important thing is to approach your prayer with sincerity and an open heart, trusting that God will hear and answer your request.

Incorporating Travel Prayers into Your Journey

Incorporating travel prayers into your journey can help ease your worries and provide comfort during your travels. Here are some tips for incorporating travel prayers into your journey:

1. Research and Choose the Right Prayer

There are many Catholic prayers for safe travels. Research and choose the prayer that resonates with you the most. Some popular prayers include the Guardian Angel Prayer, the St. Christopher Prayer, and the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.

2. Print or Write the Prayer

Once you have chosen the prayer, print or write it down on a small piece of paper. You can also save it on your phone or tablet for easy access.

3. Say the Prayer Before and During Your Journey

Before you embark on your journey, say the prayer and ask for protection and guidance. You can also say the prayer during your journey, especially during moments of turbulence or anxiety.

4. Share the Prayer with Your Travel Companions

If you are traveling with others, share the prayer with them. You can say the prayer together before your journey or during moments of stress or worry.

5. Trust in the Power of Prayer

Remember that prayer is a powerful tool for comfort and protection. Trust in the power of prayer and have faith that you will be guided and protected during your travels.

Incorporating travel prayers into your journey can bring peace and comfort during moments of stress and anxiety.

Choose the right prayer, say it before and during your journey, share it with your travel companions, and trust in the power of prayer.

Prayers for Others’ Safe Travel

It’s not just yourself that you want to keep safe while traveling, but also your loved ones and friends.

Here are some Catholic prayers that you can say for others’ safe travel:

Prayer for Family and Friends: “Lord, please watch over (name of person/people) as they travel. Keep them safe from harm and bring them back to us soon. Amen.” This simple prayer can be said for anyone you care about who is traveling.
Prayer for a Spouse: “Dear God, please protect my spouse (name) as they travel. Keep them safe from harm and bring them back to me soon. Amen.” This prayer is a great way to show your love and concern for your significant other while they are away.
Prayer for Children: “Heavenly Father, please watch over my children (names) as they travel. Keep them safe from harm and bring them back to me soon. Amen.” As a parent, it’s natural to worry about your children’s safety while they are away from you. This prayer can help ease your mind and remind you that God is watching over them.
Prayer for a Group: “Lord, please protect all members of (name of group) as they travel. Keep them safe from harm and bring them back to us soon. Amen.” This prayer can be said for any group of people who are traveling together, such as a sports team or a church group.
Prayer for Military Personnel: “Dear God, please watch over our military personnel as they travel to serve our country. Keep them safe from harm and bring them back to us soon. Amen.” This prayer is a great way to show your support and gratitude for the men and women who serve in the military.

Remember, these prayers are just a few examples of what you can say for others’ safe travel. Feel free to personalize them or come up with your own prayers that are meaningful to you.

Understanding Travel Prayers in Catholicism

Catholicism is a religion that places great importance on prayer. Catholics pray for various reasons, and one of them is for safe travel.

Traveling can be dangerous, and it is important to seek divine protection when embarking on a journey.

Travel prayers in Catholicism are prayers that are said before, during, and after a journey. These prayers are meant to invoke divine protection and guidance for the traveler.

They are also meant to give the traveler peace of mind and comfort during the journey.

Catholic travel prayers can be said by individuals or groups of people. They can be said in private or in public, and they can be said in any language. The most important thing is that the prayer comes from the heart and is sincere.

There are many different travel prayers in Catholicism, and they can be found in prayer books, online, or taught by family members or priests.

Some of the most common travel prayers include the Guardian Angel Prayer, the St. Christopher Prayer, and the Prayer for Safe Travel.

Catholics believe that prayer is a powerful tool that can bring about change and protection. By praying for safe travel, Catholics believe that they are inviting God’s protection and guidance on their journey.

The Importance of Safe Travel Prayers

For many Catholics, traveling is an essential part of their daily lives, whether it’s for business, leisure, or pilgrimage.

However, traveling can also be dangerous, and accidents can happen unexpectedly. That’s why many Catholics turn to prayer for protection during their travels.

Safe travel prayers are an essential part of Catholic tradition, and they are believed to provide spiritual protection to travelers.

These prayers ask for God’s guidance, protection, and mercy to keep travelers safe from harm. They are a way to acknowledge God’s presence in all aspects of life, including travel.

Prayer is a powerful tool that can provide comfort, strength, and guidance during difficult times. Safe travel prayers are no exception.

They can help travelers feel more at ease during their journey and provide a sense of security knowing that they are under God’s protection.

Moreover, safe travel prayers can help travelers remain mindful of their surroundings and make wise decisions.

By asking for God’s guidance, travelers can be more aware of potential dangers and avoid risky situations.

Safe travel prayers can also help travelers stay patient and calm during unexpected delays or difficulties.

In conclusion, safe travel prayers are an essential aspect of Catholic tradition and can provide spiritual protection to travelers.

They can help travelers feel more at ease during their journey, stay mindful of their surroundings, and make wise decisions.

By asking for God’s guidance, travelers can be assured that they are under God’s protection, no matter where their journey takes them.

Conclusion: Embracing the Journey with Faith

In conclusion, Catholic prayers for safe travels are an essential part of the faith for many Catholics.

These prayers provide comfort and peace of mind and serve as a reminder of the presence of God during journeys.

By offering prayers for safe travels, Catholics seek divine intervention and protection during their journeys.

Through these prayers, Catholics can embrace the journey with faith and trust in God’s protection.

By acknowledging the risks involved in traveling and asking for God’s guidance, Catholics can approach their journeys with confidence and peace of mind.

Whether traveling around the world or taking a short trip, Catholic prayers for safe travels can help individuals stay grounded in their faith and trust in God’s protection.

By offering these prayers, individuals can embrace the journey with faith and find comfort in the knowledge that God is with them every step of the way.

Overall, Catholic prayers for safe travels are a powerful reminder of the importance of faith and spirituality in everyday life.

By embracing these prayers and seeking divine protection during their journeys, Catholics can stay connected to their faith and find peace in the midst of uncertainty.

Catholic Prayer: Book of Blessings: Blessing of Travelers

Prayer categories (1).

James, Apostle " href="/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?id=207"> James, Apostle
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Description:

617 The practice of having special prayers to ask for God's protection upon travelers, a custom often mentioned in the Bible, should be respected. The order of blessing presented in this chapter provides a model for such prayers, in order that this devout practice will continue to be observed. This order may be used especially in the case of those who leave their country or home, even if only temporarily, to seek employment or for others who travel, for example, on holiday. 618 The present order may be used by a priest, a deacon, or a lay minister. While maintaining the structure and chief elements of the rite, the minister should adapt the celebration to the circumstances of the place and the people involved. 619 If just one traveler is to be blessed or a small group, the shorter rite provided in nos. 635-638 may be used.

I. ORDER OF BLESSING INTRODUCTORY RITES 620 When the community has gathered, the minister says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All make the sign of the cross and reply: Amen. 621 A minister who is a priest or deacon greets those present in the following or other suitable words, taken mainly from sacred Scripture. May the Lord, the dawn from on high who breaks upon us to guide our feet into the way of peace, be with you all. All make the following or some other suitable reply. And also with you. 622 A lay minister greets those present in the following words. May the Lord turn his face toward us and guide our feet into the way of peace, now and for ever. R. Amen. 623 In the following or similar words, the minister prepares those present for the blessing. Let us entrust those who are leaving to the hands of the Lord. Let us pray that he will give them a prosperous journey and that as they travel they will praise him in all his creatures; that they will experience God's own goodness in the hospitality they receive and bring the Good News of salvation to all those they meet; that they will be courteous toward all; that they will greet the poor and afflicted with kindness and know how to comfort and help them. READING OF THE WORD OF GOD 624 A reader, another person present, or the minister reads a text of sacred Scripture. Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the holy gospel according to Luke: 3:3-6 Make straight the path of the Lord. John the Baptist went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” 625 Or: Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the book of Deuteronomy: 6:4-9 Take to heart these words at home and abroad. "Hear, 0 Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates." 626 Or: Genesis 12:1-9--Go forth to a land I will show you. Genesis 28:10-16--I am with you, I will protect you wherever you go. Tobit 5:17-22--May God in heaven protect you on the way and bring you back safe and sound. Luke 24:13-35--Jesus approached and began to walk with them. John 14:1-11--I am the way, the truth, and the life. 627 As circumstances suggest, one of the following responsorial psalms may be sung or said, or some other suitable song. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. R. Psalm 25:5-6, 9-10, 12-13 R. (v. 4) Teach me your ways, 0 Lord. Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 R. (see v. 11) He has put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. 628 As circumstances suggest, the minister may give those present a brief explanation of the biblical text, so that they may understand through faith the meaning of the celebration. INTERCESSIONS 629 As circumstances suggest, the prayer of blessing may be preceded by the intercessions. The minister introduces them and an assisting minister or one of those present announces the intentions. From the following intentions those best suited to the occasion may be used or adapted, or other intentions that apply to the particular circumstances may be composed. The intentions are followed immediately by the prayer of blessing, no. 631. The minister says: God is the beginning and the end of every road we take. In confidence we call upon him, saying: R. Lord, watch over our every step. Or: R. Lord, hear our prayer. Assisting minister: Father all-holy, you gave us your only Son as our way to you; make us follow without faltering wherever he may lead. (For this we pray:) R. Assisting minister: At every moment and in every place you are near to those who serve you; keep our brothers and sisters in your fatherly care, so that they will find that you are with them on their journey, even as they hope to live with you in heaven. (For this we pray:) R. Assisting minister: Of old you made yourself the guide and the way for your people as they wandered in the desert; be our protector as we set out on this journey, so that we may return home safely. (For this we pray:) R. Assisting minister: You made hospitality to strangers one of the signs of your coming kingdom; grant that all those who are homeless may find a permanent place to live. (For this we pray:) R. 630 When there are no intercessions, the minister, before the prayer of blessing and using the following or other similar words, invites those present to ask for God's help. Lord, teach us your ways: Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy. Minister: Lord, send help from your sanctuary: Lord, have mercy. R. Minister: Lord, be our tower of strength: Lord, have mercy. R. Minister: Lord, save your servants, for they hope in you: Lord, have mercy. R. As circumstances suggest, all may then pray for a moment in silence before the prayer of blessing. PRAYER OF BLESSING 631 A minister who is a priest or deacon says the prayer of blessing with hands outstretched; a lay minister says the prayer with hands joined. A minister who is not going to accompany the travelers says the following prayer. All-powerful and merciful God, you led the children of Israel on dry land, parting the waters of the sea; you guided the Magi to your Son by a star. Help these our brothers and sisters and give them a safe journey. Under your protection let them reach their destination and come at last to the eternal haven of salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. 632 A minister who is to accompany the travelers says the following prayer. All-powerful and ever-living God, when Abraham left his own land and departed from his own people, you kept him safe all through his journey. Protect us, who also are your servants: walk by our side to help us; be our companion and our strength on the road and our refuge in every adversity. Lead us, O Lord, so that we will reach our destination in safety and happily return to our homes. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. CONCLUDING RITE 633 A minister who is a priest or deacon concludes the rite by saying: May the Lord remain constantly at your (our) side and in his mercy guide your (our) journey in ways that are pleasing to him. We ask this though Christ our Lord. R. Amen. Then he blesses all present. And may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. R. Amen. 634 A lay minister invokes God's blessing on the travelers and all present by signing himself or herself with the sign of the cross and saying: May almighty God bless us and hear our prayers for a safe journey. R. Amen. II. SHORTER RITE 635 The minister says: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All reply: Who made heaven and earth. 636 One of those present or the minister reads a text of sacred Scripture, for example: Tobit 4:19a At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him to make all your paths straight and to grant success to all your endeavors and plans. John 14:6 Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 637 Then the minister says the prayer of blessing. All-powerful and ever-living God, when Abraham left his own land and departed from his own people, you kept him safe all through his journey. Protect us, who also are your servants: walk by our side to help us; be our companion and our strength on the road and our refuge in every adversity. Lead us, O Lord, so that we will reach our destination in safety and happily return to our homes. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. 638 Or: May God bless you with every heavenly blessing and give you a safe journey; wherever life leads you, may you may find him there to protect you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

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Catholic prayer for safe travels

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Traveling always involves risk, whether it is traveling around the world, or even getting out of your bed in the morning!

Here is a short prayer for safe travels, adapted from the Roman Breviary .

O God, Who made the children of Israel to walk with dry feet through midst of the sea and Who opened unto the three wise men by the guiding of a star the way that led unto You, grant us good speed and safe travels that Your holy Angel may be with us and that we may happily come to our destination and in the end unto the haven of eternal salvation.

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A Prayer For Travelers

Prayer for Travelers

“Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him”(Lk 10,5-6).

Saint Andrew Novena Prayer

Travel Prayer Tips (10 Prayers For Safe Travel & Flight)

A prayer for safe travel allows us to talk to God and it can give us peace of mind. There’s something about sharing our thoughts with God that puts us at ease.

If you feel anxious and stressed, or if you’re worried about your health, family, and safety, read through our travel prayer tips and find the right prayer that fits your need. If you can come up with a prayer of your own it’s even better, however, we’ve provided several options to help get you talking to God, including a catholic prayer for travel.

We all know that travelling can wear us out. It’s exhausting! Prayers for travelling should include praise for God, confession of our shortfalls (in this case our worry regarding flying), and it will usually include blessings for ourselves and others.

God loves to listen to our prayers, but don’t just focus on yourself. Thank God for the opportunity to fly as well – because so people actually receive the opportunity to fly!

Safe Travel and Flights: Why Prayer Can Help

Have you ever traveled an felt anxiety? Have you ever experienced stress? Have you ever become sick after traveling?

If you’re honest with yourself, you probably answered “yes” to all of these questions. Traveling, especially flying, can be stressful and even if you aren’t frightened of flying there are so many other aspects of travel that are stressful.

Stress, anxiety, and health concerns are always a factor in traveling. There are so many hoops to jump through just to board a plane. There is traffic in getting to and from the airport. Then there are security checks – nobody likes long lines and people going through their bags.

Once you get to the gate there are more lines and possibly weather delays. By the time you board the plane you are worn out!

Onboard the plane you may be sitting next to someone who is ill. Airlines always mentioned that they provide very clean air, however, with so many people sitting in close proximity, there are bound to be many germs in the air.

How can prayer help?

Prayer allows us to talk directly to God. It allows us to share our thoughts, praises, and fears with Him and He doesn’t judge us.

Often, our prayers help us because we acknowledge our inadequacies and ask for help. Understanding our struggles also helps us realize all the wonderful things God is doing in our lives (things are rarely as bad as we think).

People with strong faith pray every day. We thank God in good and bad times and we ask for wisdom. Our prayers can help when we travel because we acknowledge the challenges that come with travel and we can prepare for them (also ready my article on Example Blessing Prayers ).

Why keep all the stress and anxiety inside, when God is ready to take it from us!

Travel Prayer Tips

Thank God First

If you are praying for safe travel always start your prayer with “thanks”! God is active in our lives whether we acknowledge Him or not, but He loves to hear our praise (through prayer, singing, or other areas of worship).

Starting a prayer with “thanks” also helps set the tone for the prayer. A prayer is give-and-take, so we shouldn’t only come to God when we want something (although you can pray about anything, anytime).

>> read my article about the ACTS prayer method

Explain Your Situation (Confess Your Shortcomings)

If we are praying for health, safety, and stress during travel we are telling God that we can’t do it alone. We need His help and it’s important to tell God that we need Him. God is always there for us and willing to listen and to help!

If you know your family with experience challenges during travel, tell God your worries and He will provide.

Ask For Guidance

Once you’ve shared your shortcomings, ask for guidance. God will provide guidance even if you don’t hear Him. You will see His work in you and He can make your trip more enjoyable.

Knowing that God is beside you during travel will put your mind and body at ease, not to mention it will help relax others on your flight.

Focus On Others

It’s often the case in prayers that we focus on ourselves. After all, who doesn’t want to talk about themselves.

Once we begin thinking about others, we often stop worrying about what we are experiencing. In your prayer it’s helpful to ask God to provide perspective and to provide you with the opportunity to help others.

It’s helpful for us and helpful to other travelers.

Thank God Again

Lastly, always end a prayer for travel with additional “thanks” to God. The fact that you are traveling is a blessing from God because so few people are able to visit other places.

Thank God for your opportunities even though you might feel anxiety about traveling.

10 Best Prayers For Traveling (Safety, Protection, Anxiety, Catholic)

1. travel prayer for flight.

Dear Father,

Thank you for blessing us with another beautiful day. We are lucky to travel and experience Your amazing creation. Today I will appreciate the vast sky which you’ve created. I will also appreciate the creativity that You provided us to create a airplane that travels through the sky.

We use your creation to explore the world and visit family who are far away.

I am hesitant to fly and I pray that you bless this flight as we travel. Be with the pilots and be with the passengers. Keep us calm and safe and allow us to arrive to our destination safely.

Allow me to remain calm and to focus on others during the flight. I can be an inspiration to others during a time that is usually stressful for all.

In Your Name,

>> also read: Graduation Scriptures To Celebrate

2. Prayer For A Safe Flight

I come before You to humbly ask you to watch over the passengers on this flight. I have the opportunity to travel today and so many people in this world will never have the chance to travel. You have blessed my life!

I pray that you watch over this aircraft and keep it mechanically sound during out flight. Be with the mechanics who work on the plane and give them extra attention to detail as the maintain the aircraft.

Be with the pilots and provide them with the wisdom to make the correct decisions onboard the aircraft.

Lastly, be with the passengers and flight attendants. Give us peace while on board and give us patience. Protect our health.

Thank You for Your guidance,

3. Travel Prayer For Anxiety

As I prepare to travel I come before you to share the anxiety that I feel. You know everything and understand how I feel.

I ask that You put my mind at ease and trust You to reach my destination. Like so many others, I always feel uneasy about flying. I know there are experienced pilots who are well-trained. I also know that You are always watching over us.

Give me peace of mind on this flight and provide me with the confidence to trust that I will reach my destination safely. If I put my trust in You, I have no need to fear.

4. Travel Prayer For Family

Father in Heaven,

I come before You to say thank you. You have blessed me with a beautiful family and our situation has allowed us to travel. You have given us so many reasons to be grateful.

Today we will travel as a family. I pray that you watch over all of us. Not only us but everyone on the plane.

Provide my children with peace and patience onboard because I know it will not be easy for them to remain seated for so long. Give the flight attendants patience with my family as well.

If it is your will allow the flight to depart on schedule and provide us with wonderful weather. Whether or not we have good weather or depart on time, I know You will help us reach our destination safely. Rather than a stressful day of traveling, give our family the perspective to enjoy this day of travel.

5. Travel Prayer For Children

Today my children will travel. I thank you for providing opportunities for them to see the world. I have taught them to walk with You and I have taught them to trust you.

Be with my children as they travel and be with the others on their flight. Give them patience and allow them to relax during their flight (read my article about table topic discussions for families ).

Be with the mechanics and pilots as they prepare and fly the plane. Give them the wisdom to make sound decisions on behalf of their passengers.

6. Travel Prayer For Pets

I come before You today to say “thank you” for all you have done for me and my family. This includes my pet who I love dearly.

You are well aware the struggles that so many people have when flying. There is stress and anxiety that most of us experience and we come to You to ask for peace.

My pet cannot understand the concept of travel and I am not able to communicate with them. Be with my pet and give them peace during the flight. They might be in a crate or they may be kept in a bag. Allow them to rest in whatever method they are on the plane.

7. Catholic Prayer For Safe Travel

Saint Christopher is known as the Patron Saint of travelers and this prayer is to God, through St. Christopher. The prayer has a rhyming scheme that asks God for protection along the way. It’s versatile, so it can be used for air travel, or for travel by land. It’s a beautiful prayer to remember for every trip you take.

8. Travel Prayer For Stress

You’ve blessed me and You have given me the opportunity to travel today. With You there should never be a fear of flying, however, I still struggle with the stress of flying.

Whether it’s the traffic to get to the airport or the security lines, traveling always becomes stressful. Even when I am aware of it, it is hard to remain calm.

I ask that You watch over me and remind me to relax. Traveling is an exciting time and there is no reason to make it stressful. Help me concentrate on You and cast my worries on You.

Allow me to focus on others who might be experiencing stress. With You by myside I can help others and make their traveling experience better. After all, I am not the only one who experiences stress while traveling. Thank You for always being with me!

9. Travel Prayer For Health

Today I will travel and I am thankful that you will be with me during this long day. Traveling by air is not an enjoyable experience and all so often we become sick after being so close to others on an aircraft.

I pray to you to ask for protection during my flight. Allow those around me to be of good health and allow the aircraft to be free of germs.

Protect me and my family and keep us free from stress and anxiety that may increase our chance of becoming sick.

10. Travel Prayer For COVID

Thank You for always watching over my family. You’ve provided us with abundance and blessed us with good health.

Recently, times have been challenging for those of us who travel. The COVID virus has affected nearly every part of our lives and has restricted work, travel, even visiting the grocery store.

As I travel today, be with me and protect me from becoming sick. All-to-often travelers become sick because we come into contact with so many people (also read: Prayers For Adult Children ).

Provide me with a strong immune system and remind me to be careful about what I touch and how I interact with others. In addition to my health, protect others on the flight from acquiring COVID.

Are you ready to travel? Get started on the right foot with a simple travel prayer that will put your faith in God and put your mind at ease.

Our travel prayer tips will help you focus on what God expects and what you really should focus on when you’re traveling. Worrying promotes worry and it doesn’t help a situation like flying because we don’t have control of the situation.

When we step on an airplane, we put our trust in the pilots and mechanics that take care of the aircraft. More importantly, we are putting out trust in God who allows us to reach our destination.

It doesn’t matter whether your travel is by air, land, or for work or vacation. Prayers for travelling help us share our struggles with God and allows us to focus on what’s really important – Him and others.

A simple prayer for safe travel also helps us enjoy the trip more. Who wants to feel stress and anxiety, or worry about becoming ill. Say a prayer for flying and rest assured that God is in control!

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Prayer to St. Christopher while Traveling

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Dear Saint Christopher, protect me today in all my travels along the road’s way. Give your warning sign if danger is near so that I may stop while the path is clear. Be at my window and direct me through when the vision blurs From out of the blue. Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace.

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Catholic readings, daily reflections, bible verse of the day, healing prayer, morning prayer, saint of the day, prayer for safe travel, translate to your language.

The Prayer for Safe Travel serves as a sincere plea or hopeful message uttered by individuals before starting a journey.

It serves as a means to request protection, guidance, and a secure arrival at the intended destination. People from diverse faiths and backgrounds often recite or speak this prayer, underscoring the significance of seeking divine help and blessings during travels.

Whether it’s a brief road trip, an extended flight, or any expedition, the Prayer for Safe Travel resonates as a common wish for a safe and smooth passage, offering a sense of solace and confidence.

Prayer for Safe Travel is a spiritual plea for protection and well-being during a journey.

Whether embarking on a short road trip or a long-distance flight, it is common for individuals to ask for divine guidance to ensure a safe arrival at their destination.

This prayer is rooted in the belief that God’s love and grace can safeguard travelers from harm and misfortune, and it expresses gratitude for the opportunity to experience the beauty of the world while being shielded from any danger.

For those seeking comfort and reassurance while on the move, this prayer is a powerful source of solace and hope.

Oh Lord, our divine Father, whose magnificence spreads across the entirety of existence, and whose essence we encounter wherever we may be.

Safeguard those who are on a journey; encircle them with your affectionate guidance; shield them from any harm; and deliver them safely to their final destination; in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

A Prayer for a Friend to Travel Safely

Dear God, I pray for the safe travels of my friends. I beseech you, who have sent your angels to guide us, to grant them a journey free of any disturbances or obstacles, and to ensure their safe arrival at their intended destination.

Please protect them from harm and alleviate any anxieties that may arise, so that they may have a peaceful and stress-free trip.

May their minds be in harmony, with a shared goal of returning home safely. I make this plea in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour. Amen.

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Prayer For Safe Travel {4 Examples}

June 26, 2022

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In one way or another, we cannot avoid travelling. We may use different means of transport depending on where we are headed. It is important to always put all our plans of travel unto the able hands of God and ask for safe journey mercies.

What You'll Learn Today

Before Travelling

Prayer for protection, prayer for drivers, prayer for passengers, 4x prayer for safe travel.

Merciful savior, behold the journey ahead of us before you. Once more we consecrate ourselves to You, our journey and everyone we will be traveling with. We surrender the driver and passengers together with ourselves to You, that you will be with us as we prepare for travel. Your protection and mercy are wealth enough for us. In your mercy guide and protect us at all times, before, during and after the journey. We cast ourselves at your feet, thanking you for all the travels we have made, and you have protected us in all. As we prepare for yet another journey, be with us. Send our guardian Angels to walk with us at all times. Cover us with your most Precious Blood, the paths, our possessions, our fellow passengers, the people driving us and everything else, cover with your most precious blood. In our going in and coming out, from start to finish protect us and we will be forever grateful. In Jesus Name. Amen.

O Lord, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, we cover our whole journey and ourselves with Your most Precious Blood. Protect everyone and everything that will be present during the journey. Shield us from evil happenings. Be our guide and strength. Go before us and be our driver. Just like in the Bible, the book of Proverbs 3:23, protect the paths we will use. Lord you fill each and every place with your presence. Be present on this journey. Help us reach our destination and bring us back home safely and in good health. Watch over the paths. We ask for protection against accidents, bad weather, blocked pathways, rough roads and reckless drivers. Lord we ask that you prevent us from accidents. Go before us and protect us. Many at times we see reports about accidents. Some are fatal and there is loss of lives. Others are minor and people get minor injuries and destruction of property. We refuse any form of accident caused by the evil one during our travel. Release your angels upon all vehicles on the road to guide and protect us. We pray that the weather will be accommodative as we embark on our journey. We know that of late the weather has not been great and it is very risky to travel during such times. It is inevitable that we travel during this time and that’s why we need you to give us a good weather for travelling as we go and even as we come back, because You alone have the power to keep the weather calm. Lord protect us from people who may block roads in order to carry out evil acts. Protect us from blocked roads by natural causes thereby causing us not to proceed to our destination. Protect us from carjackers and all people who plan evil on others. Be with us everywhere we go and all the time. Almighty God protect us from rough and bad roads. Many accidents may occur where the road is not smooth. We ask that you will smoothen all the paths we are going to use and that you will be with us and protect us. Help us so that no tire or mechanical issues occur due to any rough road. We also pray that you protect us from reckless drivers. We may have a responsible driver driving us, but we don’t know about other drivers using the same road as us. We ask you to always protect us from such encounters. Lord, we also pray for other people travelling using different means of transport, give them journey mercies. It may be on foot, by air, by water on land using different means which have been made by the human hand. We are not perfect but in all we do, we get you involved so that everything can be perfect. Therefore perfect all the modes of transport and keep all travelers safe so that they will reach their destinations safely. All glory and honor will be yours, forever and ever. Amen.

All powerful and merciful Father, we put all the drivers into your hands most especially our driver. Make them careful and watchful so that they may not cause death or pain through any neglect. Help them to enjoy the beauty of your creation and be thoughtful about other people at all times. Go ahead of them, be with them in all their operations. Hold their hands and be present as they take the wheel. Go ahead of them and help them be able to determine when and where to take breaks so that they don’t push themselves too hard. We pray that you give them the grace to be less destructed and more cautious on the road. Help them to navigate the jam packed roads with care. We pray that they will be adequately prepared, have sharp eyes, be alert and have steady hands during their driving. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, protect all the passengers who are travelling, that no harm may come to them. Be with them on their journey and bring them home in peace. Protect the properties that they are in possession of as well. Put your Angels ahead of them to watch over them as they are travelling. Luke 4:10 . We pray that you keep them calm so that they would not be anxious or worried over any happenings during their journey. Give everyone good health and lift their spirits. We declare that they will make it to where they need to go safely and that they will be able to make it to their loved ones. These and all our petitions we ask through our Mother Mary. Amen.

Even after having a safe journey, there is need to always say a prayer after travelling. We should always thank God for the journey mercies and not take it as a normal thing. Just because we have always gone and come back safely, doesn’t mean that it will always be the case.

So let’s always remember to say thank you for life, health , our safety and that of our loved ones. Thank you Lord – as simple as that.

Prayers to Saint Christopher

Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. Christopher was a well-built man who came about a hermit who guided travelers to safe points to cross a dangerous river. Christopher took the place of the hermit but instead of guiding travelers to safe places, he would carry them across the river. He once carried a small child who later revealed himself as Christ and baptized Christopher.

The Motorists Prayer

grant me o lord a steady hand and watchful eye. that no one shall be hurt as i pass by. thou gavest life, i pray no act of mine may take away or mar that gift of thine. shelter those, dear lord, who bear my company from the evils of fire and all calamity. teach me to use my car for others need; nor miss through love of undue speed the beauty of the world; that thus i may with joy and courtesy go on my way. st. christopher, holy patron saint of travelers, protect me. and lead me safely to my destiny..

Keep the blessings of our Lord and Saint Christopher with you when you travel.

Prayer to Saint Christopher

Dear Saint, you have inherited

a beautiful name Christopher as a result of a wonderful legend that while carrying people across a raging stream you also carried the Child Jesus. Teach us to be true Christbearers to those who do not know Him. Protect all drivers who often transport those who bear Christ within them. Amen.

This prayer card and necklace will be the perfect devotional to take with you as you travel.

A Driver's Prayer

Dear Lord, before I take my place today behind the wheel, please let me come with humble heart before Thy throne to kneel and pray that I am fit to drive each busy thoroughfare, and that I keep a watchful eye, lest some small child be there.

And keep me thinking constantly about the Golden Rule, when driving past the playground zones or by some busy school. Then when I stop to give someone his right to cross the street, let me by brother's keeper be and spare a life that's sweet.

Please make me feel this car I drive, You gave me to enjoy, and that its purpose is to serve mankind not to destroy.

This prayer card serves as a beautiful daily reminder to pray before you drive.

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Lenten family devotions and prayers, why is saint sebastian the patron saint of athletes, saint juan diego: humility and faith to inspire and guide millennials, who was saint cecilia, the patron saint of music , purgatory and indulgences, catholic traditions for all saints day, the story of st. jude thaddeus, what is the purpose of the rosary in catholic life.

Please st. Christopher help me to drive with confidence, and take away any anxiety. Please grant me courage and protection. Thank you.

Please St. Christopher, always keep my son and all those around him safe while he is on his motorcycle, or driving his vehicle. Please keep my family and loved ones safe in travel and please let us not hurt others.

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St. Christopher

Prayer for safe travel to st christopher.

O Glorious St. Christopher you have inherited a beautiful name, Christ-bearer, as a result of the wonderful legend that while carrying people across a raging stream you also carried the Child Jesus. Teach us to be true Christ-bearers to those who do not know Him. Protect all of us that travel both near and far and petition Jesus to be with us always.

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St Christopher pls grant my family Canadian Visa, that we shall be in Canada on or before this time next year

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An LGBTQ+ friendly Easter vigil turned into momentary chaos when a prominent Episcopal bishop tore the collar off a female reverend who drew a momentary blank during the eucharistic prayer which was emceed by a drag queen.

Bishop Alan M. Gates is under fire for his caught-on-camera moment when he yanked the clerical collar from Rev. Tamara Tucker’s neck during the Great Vigil of Easter at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on March 30.

Tucker is the priest and lead organizer of The Crossing, an emerging church worship community committed to radical welcome and a safe space for all, including the LGBTQ community.

The reverend was in the middle of instructing the congregation about the proper procedure of offering communion when she lost her train of thought.

Tucker’s gaffe was blamed on a recent absence of hers and led to Gates’ failed attempt at humor during the most sacred, intimate sacrament in many Christian churches.

Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts Bishop Alan M. Gates takes the clerical collar from Rev. Tamara Tucker during a easter vigil last month in Boston.

“Very simply, we’re going to allow somebody to take their own piece of bread, the small piece of bread, and you will say to the person taking the bread,” Tucker says before pausing.

“Wait what is it, I’ve been gone for a while.”

“The Body of Christ,” Tucker exclaims.

The momentary pause drew laughter from everyone around the reverend including Gates.

The reverend was in the middle of instructing the congregation about the proper procedure of offering communion when she lost her train of thought.

“It’s very simple, the Body of Christ, that’s it, that’s all you got to do,” Tucker explains.

“And then when they take the cup, you’ll pass it to them the Love of Christ, or the Blood of Christ, whichever is more comfortable to you.”

“Can we do that? If I can do that after three months, I think we can.”

Without saying a word, Gates walks up to Tucker and yanks the white, plastic insert out of the reverend’s collar, to her dismay but the enjoyment of the rest of the church.

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After a brief moment of thought, Gates returned the collar to Tucker telling her “just kidding,” and placing his hand on her shoulder.

People inside the cathedral didn’t see Gates’ actions on the altar as funny and even called out the bishop’s actions for revealing the misogyny that had plagued the church in the past.

“It was just really sad that an occasion that is supposed to be joyous had to be marked by the specter of long-term misogyny that is pretty essential to Christianity, even in a church that feels like it has advanced past that,” Rev. Rita Powell, the chaplain for the Harvard Episcopal Community, who attended the service told the Boston Globe.

Tucker is the priest and lead organizer of The Crossing, an emerging church worship community committed to radical welcome and a safe space for all, including the LGBTQ community.

”I know Bishop Gates didn’t think of it that way in his intention,” Powell said calling him a “good man.”

The representative for the diocese of which the cathedral is a member said the bishop’s actions came during a “light-hearted context of a non-traditional service, but it was ill-considered.”

“His sincere desire is to make apology and repair, and that is what he’s now working to do,” Tracy J. Sukraw, a spokesperson for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. told the newspaper.

Gates said he misused his authority, failed to extend episcopal grace, and transgressed personal space and boundaries.

Gates addressed the incident and apologized for his “misguided mischief,” two weeks after the vigil.

“Near the conclusion of the eucharistic prayer, at the altar, Rev. Tamra had a moment – familiar to every worship leader – in which she blanked on the next line,” the Bishop said in a statement shared by the Diocese.

“In an instant of altogether misguided mischief, I reached out and removed Rev. Tamra’s clerical collar. It was a devastating and demeaning act, which I regret with all my heart.”

Gates apologized to both Tucker and her worship community for disrespecting their pastor.

“By my action I misused my authority, failed to extend episcopal grace, and transgressed personal space and boundaries. I am deeply sorry.

“I extend my remorse and apology to the Rev. Tamra Tucker; to the Crossing community; to the Cathedral community; to other communities present; to ecumenical companions who had joined us at the Vigil; and to those in the wider church and community whom I have hurt.”

Tucker hadn’t responded to the newspaper’s request for comment, saying she wasn’t ready to address it.

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Letter to Congress Regarding FY 2025 Migration-Related Funding Requests (April 25, 2024)

Migrants, Refugees & Travelers

Office/Committee

Year published.

April 25, 2024

Dear Senator/Representative:

As Congress begins its work on Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations, several policy committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be engaging lawmakers on appropriations matters under their purview, expressing views on funding that supports the poor, migrants and refugees, foreign assistance, environmental protection, access to healthcare, housing, and nutrition, and other programs that help individuals and families to live with dignity. Together, these views represent the wide breadth of concern of the bishops in the budget and appropriations process. Today, I write on behalf of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration to request your support for our funding priorities related to agencies and programs that are crucial for the wellbeing of immigrants, refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children, survivors of torture, victims of human trafficking, and others. We ask that you consider the following requests when developing your FY 2025 funding proposals. In addition, we continue to be concerned about certain FY 2024 supplemental funding needs not yet addressed by Congress. [1]

A. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) plays a vital role in the U.S. immigration system, and the agency is faced with a record number of cases—over 3.4 million currently in its backlog, over 1.1 million of which are asylum cases. [2] The Administration’s total request of $981 million for EOIR includes a proposal to add 25 new immigration judge teams, consistent with longstanding need and our recommendations over the last several years. We urge Congress to support an expansion of EOIR’s capacity in FY 2025 to better ensure timely adjudication of cases and facilitate due process for noncitizens in proceedings.

Legal Access Programs : In addition to EOIR’s backlog reduction efforts, we strongly support increased funding for Legal Access Programs, which includes the Legal Orientation Program, the Legal Orientation Program for Custodians of Unaccompanied Children, and the Recognition and Accreditation (R&A) Program. Collectively, these programs not only provide crucial legal information to those with immigration court cases but also help streamline proceedings, making them more efficient and cost-effective, as well as fair. [3] Of noncitizens whose cases were started between FY 2011 and FY 2019 and granted relief, almost 93% were represented, whereas only 18% of all those denied relief during that period were represented. [4] Thus, we also commend the Administration’s request of $150 million for a new grant program to facilitate access to legal representation and encourage Congress to support this initiative. We also strongly support increased funding for the implementation of specialized juvenile dockets within EOIR to improve proceedings for children.

Recognition and Accreditation (R&A) Program : EOIR’s R&A Program has operated since 1958 to increase the number of qualified immigration legal representatives available to serve low-income immigrants, especially where there is a shortage of immigration attorneys. This program has struggled in recent years to maintain sufficient personnel and resources to process new and renewal applications for recognition of organizations and accreditation of representatives. There have been significant backlogs, leaving applicants waiting more than a year for adjudication because the program is underfunded and understaffed. [5] The backlogs have only been reduced due to temporary reassignments; permanent resource allocation is necessary to support this essential program. Therefore, we ask that $3.5 million specifically be appropriated to EOIR for the purpose of increasing R&A staffing and improving the program’s operations.

Victims of Trafficking Programs : We affirm the Administration’s request of $95 million to support grants through the Office of Justice Programs that promote comprehensive and specialized services for human trafficking victims.

B. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

The Catholic Church acknowledges the right of countries to maintain their borders and the responsibility of governments to protect the people within their borders, consistent with the common good. At the same time, we believe that right and responsibility should be exercised in a manner that is consistent with the moral obligation to protect the humanitarian needs of migrants and refugees. More prosperous nations have a greater obligation to accommodate those needs, [6] and they can do so in a manner that does not jeopardize the safety or wellbeing of their citizens. Whether in the context of appropriations or otherwise, we continue to urge Congress to reject measures that “further restrict access to asylum, curtail due process for noncitizens, and create authorities inconsistent with the United States’ obligations under international law. Such measures target the symptoms of underlying challenges through an ineffective deterrence-centered approach instead of addressing the challenges themselves.” [7]

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Operations and Support : We appreciate the Administration’s FY 2025 request of $255 million in discretionary funding for USCIS Operations and Support. The increased humanitarian workload of the agency can no longer be supported by what has historically been a fee-funded operating model, and funding shortfalls have burdened the agency for several years. [8] Sharply increasing fees paid by employment- and family-based immigrants is not the solution. [9] Direct appropriations from Congress is necessary for a just, accessible, and functioning legal immigration system, as well as to facilitate refugee resettlement, asylum, and other humanitarian pathways, all of which depend in large part on an adequately staffed and modernized USCIS. Given the need, we ask that you appropriate at least $432 million, the Senate’s FY 2024 proposal.

Citizenship and Integration Grant Program : Pope Francis has reminded us that “immigrants, if they are helped to integrate, are a blessing, a source of enrichment and new gift that encourages a society to grow.” [10] Consistent with this reality, we urge Congress to fund the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, especially toward the end of increasing the capacity of organizations to provide citizenship services to underserved communities.

Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP) : We support an enforcement system that defaults to community-based alternatives to detention (ATD), particularly programs that leverage case management and direct service provision by qualified nonprofit organizations. While accounting for the minority who pose genuine risks to public safety or national security, nearly all people navigating their immigration cases should be able to do so in a noncustodial setting with their families, not behind bars in immigration detention. We appreciate the additional $15 million appropriated in FY 2024 for the Case Management Pilot Program overseen by the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. We support the Administration’s request of $15 million to continue this program in FY 2025. We also urge robust oversight and continued efforts to ensure that community-based service providers can refer individuals into such programming to promote stabilization and help noncitizens to navigate the complex legal requirements imposed on them and comply with their immigration proceedings.

Religious Worker Visas : We appreciate that the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 extended the Non-Minister Special Immigrant Religious Worker Visa Program until September of this year, and we ask that Congress permanently reauthorize this small but important program in FY 2025 appropriations. In addition, we ask Congress to address the unsustainable backlog for the employment-based, fourth preference (EB-4) immigrant visa category as part of the appropriations process. Over the last decade, there has been a sharp increase in the number of applicants for special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) status. These vulnerable children and foreign-born religious workers both depend on the EB-4 visa category. Given this increased number of SIJ applicants and an unexpected change made by the Department of State in 2023, [11] the wait time for an EB-4 visa has increased drastically for most nationalities, now far longer for this category than any other employment-based \ category. [12] Therefore, we ask that Congress exempt SIJ applicants from the EB-4 visa category through the FY 2025 appropriations bill, freeing up these visas for religious workers and the other employment-based immigrants who depend on them. [13]

C. Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS)

1. Health and Human Services’ Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA)

* Includes emergency supplemental funding of $1.775 billion.

Resettlement Services : The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) oversees several programs for populations authorized by Congress to receive services. These include: integration services for refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant visa beneficiaries who have assisted the U.S. military or humanitarian missions, and Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees; special programs for survivors of human trafficking and survivors of torture in the United States; and care, placement, and post-release services for unaccompanied children. ORR plays a key role in facilitating resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). In order to leverage USRAP in place of temporary relief “as a more durable and equitable mechanism for humanitarian protection,” [14] programmatic investments must be made. However, investments in programs for ORR-eligible populations do not solely benefit the recipients of those services. As Pope Francis reminds us and history teaches us, “the contribution of migrants and refugees has been fundamental to the social and economic growth of our societies,” and “this contribution could be all the greater were it optimized and supported by carefully developed programs and initiatives.” [15] A recent study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that refugees and asylees had a positive net fiscal impact, totaling $123.8 billion for federal and state governments, from 2005–2019. Recognizing the increased arrival of eligible populations, especially Cuban and Haitian entrants, we urge Congress to appropriate no less than the full amount requested by the Administration, inclusive of the emergency funding.

Anti-Trafficking in Persons : The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) provides critical services to trafficking victims that facilitate recovery and self-sufficiency. In addition to foreign nationals, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents impacted by human trafficking are also served through the Domestic Victims of Human Trafficking (DVHT) Program with funding from the REA account. The USCCB has long advocated for robust support of OTIP and its programs, given the grave injustice suffered by human trafficking victims and the duty of a just society to assist them with recovery and reintegration.

Survivors of Torture (SOT) : The SOT Program supports nonprofit organizations that provide holistic, trauma-informed services to torture survivors and their families. In FY 2024, community-based providers in 24 states were funded to provide these services, and a majority of those served are not eligible for other ORR programs. [16]

Unaccompanied Children : ORR funds a range of services for unaccompanied children, including legal and post-release services (PRS) for those children placed with a vetted sponsor in the United States. We strongly support ORR’s goal of making legal representation and PRS available to every child discharged from its care. The USCCB has long supported the creation of a contingency fund that can be used to serve the range of populations for which ORR is responsible, accounting for emergencies and unexpected increases in need. Since 2013, we have witnessed a series of sudden increases in the number of children entering the care of HHS, requiring ORR to divert resources away from other populations and programs. Therefore, we greatly appreciate Congress’ support for contingency funding to promote the wellbeing of these children in FY 2023 and FY 2024, and we urge Congress to retain authorization for such contingency funding in FY 2025. We also affirm the Administration’s request for vulnerable children with special immigrant juvenile status placed in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program to access the same benefits as refugees.

2. Department of Labor

International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) : ILAB works with governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations around the world to strengthen laws, enforcement, policies, and social programs to support our shared goal of ending child labor and forced labor generally. We urge robust support for this agency to help counter the global scourge of human trafficking.

Wage and Hour Division (WHD) : Similar to ILAB, the Wage and Hour Division works domestically to address child labor exploitation. While the Labor Department has observed a 69% increase in children being illegally employed since 2018, [17] WHD has been severely underfunded and understaffed for many years, [18] allowing far too many cases of child labor exploitation to go unchecked. Consistent with recent recommendations we provided on enhancing protections for noncitizen children released from federal care, [19] we ask that you appropriate no less than $350 million for the Division’s operations.

D. State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS)

**Includes emergency supplemental funding of $1.535 billion. ***Includes emergency supplemental funding of $931 million.

Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) : Funding from the MRA account is administered by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) to help families fleeing life-threatening situations. It supports three solutions for refugees: (1) voluntary repatriation back to their country of origin when possible; (2) integration into a host country; and (3) third-country resettlement when the first two solutions are not viable, including through USRAP. Given the record number of forcibly displaced persons around the world, [20] it is crucial that the United States remain a leader in international humanitarian protection to reduce forced migration, including irregular migration to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) : Funding from the ERMA account allows the United States to respond quickly and effectively to unanticipated crises with an emphasis on supporting regional stability. We strongly urge that ERMA be replenished to the historical norm of $100 million to ensure the United States can take timely action that saves lives and reduces forced displacement.

International Disaster Assistance (IDA) : Funding appropriated through IDA is administered by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). By helping to meet people’s basic needs in the wake of tragedies, IDA-funded programs allow people to avoid the necessity of fleeing their home countries in search of safety and security.

Lautenberg Amendment : We urge that the so-called Lautenberg Amendment, which has facilitated the protection and resettlement of persecuted religious minorities since 1990, including many Ukrainians, be extended permanently through the FY 2025 appropriations bill.

E. Protection of Life

We strongly hold that the protection of unborn lives cannot be separated from any work that aims at ensuring justice and flourishing for every human being. The U.S. bishops remain gravely concerned about continued efforts to expand taxpayer funding of abortion, which would occur if the Hyde Amendment or any of the other life-saving appropriations riders were to be removed from the annual appropriations bills. It is vital that the Hyde Amendment and all related life-saving appropriations riders remain in place during the 118th Congress and beyond. The USCCB will oppose any bill that expands taxpayer funding of abortion, including any appropriations bill.

It is the mission of the Catholic Church to bring to the present times the teachings of Jesus Christ, which remind us that all are created in God’s image and every human person deserves to be treated with respect in accordance with his or her inherent dignity. The work of the USCCB on behalf of and in solidarity with newcomers is part of our ongoing effort to live out this teaching. The USCCB stands ready to work with our nation’s leaders to protect vulnerable and marginalized people, promote human life and dignity, and advance the common good. Thank you for considering our requests.

Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz Bishop of El Paso Chairman, USCCB Committee on Migration

[1] See generally USCCB Letter to Congressional Leadership on FY 2024 Supplemental and Anomalies Requests (Sept. 11, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/resources/USCCB%20Letter%20to%20Congressional%20Leadership%20FY24%20Supplemental%20and%20Anomolies%20Requests.pdf .

[2] TRAC, Immigration Court Backlog , https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/backlog/ (last accessed April 9, 2024); TRAC, Immigration Court Asylum Backlog , https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/asylumbl/ (last accessed April 9, 2024). The backlog has increased every year since at least 2012, when the total number of cases stood at about 325,000.

[3] See Migration Policy Institute, At the Breaking Point: Rethinking the U.S. Immigration Court System 29–30 (July 2023), https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-courts-report-2023_final.pdf .

[4] Id. at 29.

[5] Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., Policy Brief: The Severely Under-Resourced R&A Program is An Essential Tool to Meet growing Needs for Affordable Immigration Legal Services (Sept. 2021), https://www.cliniclegal.org/resources/federal-administrative-advocacy/policy-brief-severely-under-resourced-ra-program .

[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2241.

[7] USCCB Letter on Senate Amendment to H.R. 815 (Feb. 6, 2024), https://www.usccb.org/resources/ USCCB%20Letter%20 on%20Senate%20Amendment%20to%20H.R.%20815.pdf .

[8] National Immigration Forum, Remaking USCIS: Supplementing a Fee-Funded Agency (April 8, 2022), https://immigrationforum. org/article/remaking-uscis-supplementing-a-fee-funded-agency/ .

[9] See generally Joint Comments on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements (Mar. 10, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/about/general-counsel/ rulemaking/upload/23-0315%20COMMENT_Fee%20Schedule.pdf .

[10] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti , no. 135 (Oct. 3, 2020), https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html .

[11] Department of State, Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) Announcement , https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/ News/visas-news/employment-based-fourth-preference-eb4-announcement.html (last updated Mar. 28, 2023).

[12] See Department of State, Visa Bulletin for April 2024 (Mar. 4, 2024), https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-for-april-2024.html .

[13] See generally USCCB Letter to Congress on the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act (July 12, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/resources/USCCB%20Letter%20on%20PVIYA.pdf ; see also Interfaith Letter on Policy Change Impacting EB-4 Visas (May 25, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/resources/Interfaith%20Letter%20on%20Policy%20 Change%20Impacting%20 EB-4%20Visas.pdf .

[14] Written Testimony of William Canny on “Living Up to America’s Promise: The Need to Bolster the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” at 7 (Mar. 22, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/resources/Written%20Testimony%20-%20Bill%20Canny%20%20Senate %20Judiciary%20Immigration%20Subcommittee%20Hearing%20-%202-22-23.pdf .

[15] Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Sept. 25, 2022), https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/20220509-world-migrants-day-2022.html .

[16] Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Fiscal Year 2025 Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees 82 , https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/olab/fy-2025-congressional-justification.pdf .

[17] Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services Announce New Efforts to Combat Exploitative Child Labor (Feb. 27, 2023), https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20230227 .

[18] See, e.g., Economic Policy Institute, Record-low Number of Federal Wage and Hour Investigations of Farms in 2022 (Aug. 22, 2023), https://www.epi.org/publication/record-low-farm-investigations/ (finding that the WHD’s 2022 budget was roughly similar to its budget in 2006 (after adjusting for inflation), and the number of WHD investigators in 2022 was just 810, hovering near its record low).

[19] See generally USCCB Letter to Congress on Recommendations for Enhancing Protections for Unaccompanied Noncitizen Children Released from Federal Care (Nov. 9, 2023), https://www.usccb.org/resources/USCCB%20Letter%20with%20UC%20 Recommendations.pdf .

[20] Emma Farge, Global Level of Forced Displacement Climbs to Record 110 Million, UN Says , Reuters (June 13, 2023), https://www.reuters.com/world/global-level-forced-displacement-climbs-record-110-mln-un-2023-06-14/ .

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VLADIMIR SOLOVIEV prophet of Russia’s conversion

Vladimir Soloviev, à l'âge de vingt ans.

T HE conversion of Russia will not be the work of man, no matter how gifted he may be, but that of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, because this is God’s wish, which he revealed to the world in 1917. The life and works of Vladimir Soloviev are a perfect illustration of this truth of Fatima. He whom our Father regards as « the greatest Russian genius of the 19th century », was in his own way a prophet of the “ conversion ” of his beloved Country, announcing the necessity of her returning to the bosom of the Roman Church. « Rome or chaos », such was his catchphrase, Rome whose anagram is not a matter of chance, but a providential sign, a definition: ROMA , AMOR . Led by this incomparable guide, we would like « to anticipate in our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers this consecration, this long-awaited conversion, which must mark the beginning of a time of sacred peace throughout the world, the beginning of the universal reign of the Most Blessed and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and through Her, of God’s Kingdom » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 23).

A PERSONAL CONVERSION

Through the example of his life, Soloviev recalls the indispensable means of this immense work: self-renunciation, personal and collective sacrifice, in Russian the podwig , the only way in which the Church, nations, saints and heroes can become the instruments of God’s designs. If he managed to surpass his master Dostoyevsky by his « truly universal Catholicism and far superior mystical vision », this was not without without a conversion of mind and heart on his part.

Our Father summarises the principal stages of his life as follows: « Born of an honourable Muscovite family, of part Kievian ancestry, Vladimir Soloviev began, in a world where only Germany counted, by being a victim of all the poisons of the West. He himself relates how he was a zealous materialist at the age of thirteen, had read Renan’s Life of Jesus at fifteen, and had become an evolutionist and therefore (!) an atheist and a nihilist at eighteen, in « It was Spinoza and then Schopenhauer who pulled him out of this bottomless void. Whereupon in 1872 a mysterious encounter with “  Wisdom  ” suddenly shook him out of the scientific naturalism in which he had been vegetating and made him aware, as he says, of invisible Beauty, the “  Sophia tou théou  ”, the daughter of God. He thus became the fervent witness of Wisdom’s indwelling in the world and of Her desire for total incarnation and universal queenship. His quest for wisdom, scientific, aesthetic and mystical, had commenced. He was nineteen years old. The quest would never end for this new style Russian pilgrim ; it would be of an unparalleled fruitfulness despite its touching brevity. He died of exhaustion in 1900, at the age ! » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 35)

We will limit ourselves in this article to his prophetic insights on the Union of the Churches. In his Lessons on Theandry (1878) – he was then twenty-five ! – our philosopher applies himself to contemplating the Wisdom of God at work in history, perfectly incarnated in Jesus and His virginal Mother, as well as in the Church as she awaits her eschatological transfiguration. The most serious sin, throughout this history, has been that of schism. Who is responsible for this vast Vladimir Soloviev began by throwing all responsibility for it on the Catholic Church, so much so that he provided the inspiration for Dostoyevsky’s famous “ myth of the Grand Inquisitor ” in The Brothers Karamazov . But, at the beginning of the 1880’s, through studying the question more closely, he understood that the sin of schism was in fact that of the East. This was a stroke of genius on his part for which our Father commends him greatly:

« I must beg pardon of my master Msgr. Jean Rupp, of Solzhenitsyn, Volkoff and so many others, but it seems obvious to to me, as it did to Soloviev in the end, that the schism of Moscow in setting itself up as the third Rome was the beginning of all the ills suffered by these admirable Christian peoples of European Russia . And I must say so because this rupture still weighs heavily on the world of today and because it is precisely of this rupture that Our Lady of Fatima speaks when She foretells “  the conversion of Russia  ”. (English CRC, December 1982, p. 24)

Let us follow Soloviev in his commendable mystical conversion which has opened up a path of light for his people, allowing a spring of grace and mercy to gush forth.

AN EVANGELICAL DISCOURSE

In 1881, Soloviev published a long article, still very antipapist, entitled Spiritual power in Russia . There the pope was presented as Antichrist institutionalised ! Our theorist placed all his hope in the regenerative mission of Holy Russia and in the Tsar who was to be her « divine figure, religious guide and animating wisdom ». But were the Russian people still capable of accomplishing such One particular event was to shake Soloviev’s patriotic faith. On March 1, 1881, Alexander II was assassinated by revolutionaries. A few days later, Soloviev gave a Discourse in which he recommended that his successor, Alexander III, show mercy to the regicides. Certainly not as a matter of weakness or abdication before the Revolution, even less out of the spirit of non-violence that a certain Tolstoy was already preaching, but « as an example of Russian piety », that famous podwig « which lies at the heart of the Russian people’s evangelical soul, of which the tsar is the living icon ». Alas, Soloviev was not understood... This was a painful stage in his life, the first step he had taken beyond his master Dostoyevsky.

The following year, he published another article entitled “  Schism in the Russian people and society  ”. Delving deep into the past, he accused Metropolitan Nikon of having broken, at the time of Peter the Great, the communion, the Sobornost , so beloved of the Russian people, by excommunicating Raskol, the fierce guardian of traditional popular religion... Ever since then, the Orthodox hierarchy, enslaved to the imperial power, had proved powerless to govern and sanctify Orthodoxy. It was nothing now but a shrunken, secularized “ local Church ” which, if it were to be restored and revived, would need to open itself up to “ the universal Church ”.

In the spring of 1882, Soloviev was powerfully affected by an unusual dream. In his dream he met a high-ranking Catholic ecclesiastic and entreated him to give him his blessing. The priest refused, so Soloviev insisted, declaring, « The separation of the Churches is the most disastrous thing possible. » Finally, the ecclesiastic agreed to give him his blessing.

This premonitory dream was to awaken in Vladimir Soloviev a burning desire for reconciliation with Catholicism, and to stimulate him to write a series of articles to be published every month in his friend Aksakov’s slavophile newspaper Rouss and then to be collected together in a work with the resonant title: The Great Controversy and Christian Politics . One particular maxim constantly reappeared under the Russian writer’s pen:

« FIRST AND FOREMOST WE MUST WORK TO RESTORE THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH, AND TO MAKE THE FIRE OF LOVE BURN IN THE HEART OF CHRIST’S SPOUSE . »

By an irony of fate, the term “ Controversy ”, which for Soloviev referred to the conflict between Rome and the East, was going to give place to a bitter controversy between himself and his Orthodox and slavophile friends.

A MARVELLOUS AND ADORABLE WISDOM

T HE world’s beauty appeared to Soloviev as a living figure, a real existence, changing and yet immortal. He saw her and held her as the queen of his spiritual universe under her venerable name of Sancta Sophia . At the end of his life, in 1898, he celebrated the Three Encounters he had had with this Beauty which for him was Wisdom.

“ Three times in his life he had been overwhelmed by the radiant visit of Wisdom who appeared to him in the form of an absolutely heavenly female being, dazzling him and enlightening him profoundly. Not without reason certain authors think that all his religious and even philosophical works derive from this illumination. ”

And let us immediately point out, in order to acclimatize the Western reader who is highly likely to be disconcerted by these accounts, that trustworthy interpreters of Soloviev have attributed a marian character to these visions. For them, the whole of the Philosopher’s work derives from the AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA . “ It is a marvellous perspective ”, adds Msgr. Rupp. “ Wisdom is closely allied to the Immaculate who is its seat. ” ( Le message ecclésial de Soloviev , p. 340)...

What I am going to say next will perhaps surprise my reader. Nothing is more biblical than this vision, and I am astonished at the astonishment of theologians and their impatient criticisms. This Sophia was already well known, hymned and even boldly adored by the scribes of the Old Testament under this very name of Wisdom. Far from being “ pantheist ”, this idea, this vision touches the essence of created beings, and is clearly poles apart from the Platonic idea and far more profound than Aristotle’s substance; it lies at the very heart of being, there where nothing exists except relationship to God, the term of a will and a wisdom that are infinite, there where exists a pure reflection, a fragment of the image of God’s beauty.

George de Nantes , A mysticism for our time , French CRC no. 133, p. 7.

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

In January 1883, he fired the opening shots with an open letter to Aksakov: « As I reflected on the means of curing this interior disease (of Christianity), I became convinced that the origin of all these evils lies in the general weakening of the earthly organisation of the visible Church, following her division into two disunited parts. » He demonstrated that, in order to establish herself on earth and to endure throughout history, the Christian religion had need of a higher authority, and he explained that it was therefore essential to restore « the union of all Christian and ecclesiastical forces under the standard and under the power of one central ecclesiastical authority ».

On February 19, Soloviev gave a talk in homage to his master Dostoyevsky. It was almost a panegyric of the Roman Church ! He declared his ardent hope for the reconciliation of the two Churches, for the two parts of the universal Church which should never have been separated and whose centre lay in... Rome . As a result of this speech, he saw himself banned from speaking in public. The newspapers made no mention of his speech. For the first time, and it would not be the last, Soloviev was the victim of the censure of Constantin Petrowitch Pobiedonostev, Russia’s Grand Inquisitor and the Tsar’s adviser on religious matters. Pobiedonostev championed a sacral conception of political power, akin to that of the French legitimists of the time, but he was fiercely Orthodox, and any opening towards the Catholic religion was pitilessly censured.

Soloviev responded to this censure with a smile. So his speech had been described as « infantile chattering » ? « If we are not converted », he said to his friends, « and become like little children again, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. » He went on: « When I was a pretentious little boy [teaching German philosophy: Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche], people listened with great respect to my “ truly infantile ” prattling. And now it is fitting that the only way I can attain the perfection of humility is by everyone ! »

At the same time, he wrote to Aksakov: « It is necessary to defend Catholicism against the false accusations being brought against it... Consequently, in advocating a reconciliation with Catholicism, I assume that Catholicism is not in principle erroneous, for one cannot be reconciled with error . » Now there we have a true ecumenism ! The life of Soloviev, writes our Father, « was ».

To the charge of “ papism ” levelled against him, Soloviev responded in March 1883 with an admirable profession of faith, already Catholic:

« It seems to to me that you concentrate only on “ papism ” whereas I focus first and foremost on the great, holy and eternal Rome, a fundamental and integral part of the universal Church. I believe in this Rome, I bow before it, I love it with all my heart, and with all the strength of my soul I desire its rehabilitation for the unity and integrality of the universal Church. And may I be accursed as a parricide should I ever utter one word of condemnation against the Holy Church of Rome . »

THE REALISATION OF THE DREAM

In May 1883, on the occasion of the coronation of the Emperor Alexander III, the Moscow press complained that too many concessions were being made to restore diplomatic relations with the Vatican broken in 1866, but Soloviev protested: such an agreement was necessary, were it only to improve relations with the Catholics of Poland. The Pope was represented at the ceremony by his special envoy Msgr. Vincenzo Vanutelli. Had not Alexander III written to Leo XIII shortly beforehand: « Never has unity between all Churches and all States been so necessary, in order to realise the wish expressed by Your Holiness of seeing the peoples abandoning the disastrous errors responsible for the social malaise and returning to the holy laws of the Gospel... »

A few days after the ceremony, Soloviev was crossing Moscow in a hired car. Suddenly, he recognized the route he had followed in his dream the previous year. Soon he came to a stop in front of a house from which a Catholic prelate was just leaving: it was Msgr. Vanutelli in person... There was the same hesitation of this latter to give his blessing to a schismatic, and the same entreaties of Soloviev, who finally !

In the summer of 1883, our author wrote two articles on The Catholic Question . According to Soloviev, it was for Russia to take the first step towards the Catholic Church. Imagine !

His articles were not of the sort to leave his readers indifferent. On the Orthodox side, there was an increasing irritation, while on the Catholic side, surprise soon gave way to enthusiasm. The news crossed the borders, spreading to Poland and even to Croatia, where Msgr. Strossmayer was finally seeing his desires realised. The jurisdiction of his diocese of Djakovo extended into Bosnia and Serbia, that is into Orthodox territory. Endowed with a superior intelligence and animated by great apostolic zeal, this Croatian bishop keenly felt the need for a true, intelligent and benevolent ecumenism. He wrote in 1883 to one of his friends, Father Martynov:

« In my opinion, the principal task of the Catholic Church and of the Holy See this century is to draw as closely as possible to the Slav nation, principally the Russian nation . By winning it over to the divine unity of the Catholic Church, we would at the same time win over everyone in the world who still possess a positive faith. »

Bishop Strossmayer and the cathedral of Djakovo

IN THE RADIANCE OF THE IMMACULATE

In the summer of 1883, Soloviev wrote five long letters to a Russian Uniate priest on the subject of The Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary . At the same time he translated Petrarch’s “ Praise and prayer to the Most Blessed Virgin ”, wherein he contemplated Her “ clothed in the Sun, crowned with stars... Her glance radiating infinity ! ” It is highly significant that Soloviev was simultaneously attracted by the mystery of the Catholic Church and the mystery of the Immaculate Virgin. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was the first Catholic dogma which he embraced, and his favourite painting was the Immaculate Conception by Murillo.

In The Foundations of the Spiritual Life (1884), he exalted the « All Holy and Immaculate » Virgin Mary. In Russia and the Church Universal (1889), he would praise Pope Pius IX for having quoted, in support of his dogmatic definition, the Old Testament texts referring to Wisdom, the “  Sophia  ” of his personal intuitions:

« If, by the substantial Wisdom of God, we were exclusively meant to understand the Person of Jesus Christ, how could we apply to the Blessed Virgin all those texts in the Wisdom books which speak of this Wisdom ? However, this application, which has existed from the very earliest times in the offices of both the Latin and Greek Churches, has today received doctrinal confirmation in the bull of Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin. » (quoted by Msgr. Rupp, Le message ecclésial de Soloviev, p. 338)

In September 1883, when the sixth chapter of The Great Controversy was published, a rumour spread through Moscow that Soloviev had “ passed over ” to Catholicism, but there was no truth in it. Moreover, curious though this may seem to us, he was not looking “ to pass over to Catholicism ”, but only to open Orthodoxy up to the universality of the Roman Church.

His seventh and final chapter aroused a lively debate, one that is ever topical. The question turned on the attitude of the Byzantine Greeks in conflict with the Crusaders of the West. Soloviev wrote: « On the day that Constantinople fell, seeing the Turkish armies poised to attack, the final spontaneously expressed cry of the Greeks was, “ Better Islamic slavery than any agreement with the Latins. ” I do not mention this as a reproach to the unfortunate Greeks. If, in this cry of implacable hatred, there was nothing Christian, then neither has there been anything especially Christian in all the formal and artificial attempts to reunite the Churches… »

Aksakov, his Orthodox pride deeply irritated by this remark, retorted: « What does he mean, nothing Christian ? May the Greeks be blessed a hundred times over for having preferred a foreign yoke and bodily torture to the abandonment of the purity of their faith in Christ and for having thus preserved us from the distortions of papism at the precise moment [ the beginning of the 13th century ! ] when it had reached the height of its deformity. May they win eternal glory for this ! »

Nonetheless, Soloviev continued his search for truth, surmounting every obstacle. His article “  Nine Questions to Father Ivantsov-Platonov  ” published in December 1883, created a deep stir even in the West. Here he put nine questions to his former master in Orthodoxy on those points of controversy which set the Church of the East against the Church of Rome. Here is the setting:

« How is it that the countries of the East are separated from the Roman Church ? Did the latter proclaim an heretical proposition ? One would be hard pushed to maintain this, for the addition of the Filioque to the Creed, which is put forward to justify the separation, does not have the character of a heresy. Furthermore, it is absurd to say that the Roman Church is in a state of schism with regard to the Eastern Churches. Thus, the latter’s separation from the former has no basis. Let us acknowledge this and, putting aside all human viewpoints, let us work towards Unity or rather let us work so that Unity, which already has a virtual existence, may become a reality. »

THE THREAD OF AN ANCIENT TRADITION

During 1884, the Russian philosopher studied Catholic dogmatics. He read the works of Perrone, the theologian of Gregory XVI and Pius IX, as well as the texts of the Councils. He was particularly interested in Popes Gregory VII and Innocent III, whom he read in the original text.

At the same time he had a great enthusiasm for the Croatian priest George Krijanich who « had come from Zagreb to Moscow in the 17th century to spread the ideal of the Holy Kingdom of God, Roman Catholic and panslavic, gathering together under the sceptre of the tsars and the crook of the Pope all the Slav peoples who would thereby be freed and protected from the twofold burden pressing them on both sides like a vice, the Germanic powers and the Turks. Thus the Croats would work to free themselves from Austrian control and at the same time they would assist the Serbs, their Orthodox brothers, to shake off Moslem domination.

« To realise this grand design, capable at one blow of powerfully advancing the Kingdom of God on earth, Krijanich came to Moscow and preached on the subject of Russia’s reconciliation with Rome . This should not be difficult, he said, because the Russians had only fallen into schism through ignorance and not through heresy or malice. He himself was already preaching that everyone should recognise their own individual faults, be they unconscious or involuntary, and the need for expiation. God’s blessings would follow as a result, immense and eternal blessings. Sergius Mikhailovich Soloviev, our great man’s father, a historian and the author of a monumental history of Russia, admired Krijanich as “ the first of the Slavophiles ” and also, in his eyes, “ the most paradoxical ”, so alien did Catholicism then appear to the Russian consciousness. » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 32)

Soloviev intended to prove the contrary. And it was just at this time that he entered into friendly relations with the Croatian Bishop Strossmayer, thereby resuming the thread of an ancient tradition, one which was apparently marginal but which in reality was pregnant with a splendid future. Early in December 1885, Soloviev for the first time received a letter from the Croatian bishop. He replied to him on December 8, “  the blessed Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin  ”:

« On the reunion of the Churches », he wrote, « depends the fate of Russia, the Slavs and the whole world. We Russian Orthodox, and indeed the whole of the East, are incapable of achieving anything before we have expiated the ecclesiastical sin of schism and rendered papal authority its due . » And he ended with these words: « My heart burns with joy at the thought that I have a guide like you. May God long preserve your precious leadership for the good of the Church and the Slav people. » In his pastoral letter of January 1886, the bishop of Djakovo quoted large extracts from this letter.

Encouraged by such support, in 1886 Soloviev undertook a study on Dogmatic development and the question of the reunion of the Churches , which provoked the fury of Orthodoxy. However, at a conference given at the ecclesiastical Academy of Saint Petersburg, Soloviev attempted to justify himself: « I can assure you that I will never pass over to Latinism. » He thereby sought to register his attachment to the Eastern rite. No question for him of adopting the Latin rite ! After that, he set out on a journey to Europe.

FIRST STAY IN ZAGREB (1886)

At the beginning of July, he was the guest of the honourable Canon Racki, President of the Yugoslav Academy of Zagreb, founded by Msgr. Strossmayer, and a personal friend of the latter. Every morning the Orthodox Soloviev assisted at the Catholic Mass with great enthusiasm. He made the sign of the cross in the Catholic manner, but prayed in the Greek manner, crossing his arms on his chest. He willingly admitted to his host – and this was not due to any desire to please on his part – that Croatian Catholics, like the Ukrainians, were more religious than his Orthodox compatriots !

Following an article published in the Croatian journal Katolicki List , Soloviev for the first time encountered opposition from a Catholic priest.

During his stay in Zagreb, he also published a letter in the Russian newspaper Novoie Vremia , wherein he refuted the widespread opinion in Russia that the Croats were the instruments of the Austro-Hungarian government’s attempt to Latinize the Eastern Slavs.

In August, he joined Msgr. Strossmayer in the Styrian Alps, and spent ten marvellous days with him. These two minds were truly made to get along. The mutual admiration they felt for one another reinforced their spiritual friendship. But Soloviev continued to receive Holy Communion at the hands of the Orthodox priest of the Serb parish of Zagreb... Rising above the inevitable criticisms, he then wrote a letter to Msgr. Strossmayer, summarising their initial conversations:

« The reunion of the Churches would be advantageous to both sides . Rome would gain a devout people enthusiastic for the religious idea, she would gain a faithful and powerful defender. Russia for her part, she who through the will of God holds in her hands the destinies of the East, would not only rid herself of the involuntary sin of schism but, what is more, she would thereby become free to fulfil her great universal mission of uniting around herself all the Slav nations and of founding a new and truly Christian civilisation, a civilisation uniting the characteristics of the one truth and of religious liberty in the supreme principle of charity, encompassing everything in its unity and distributing to everyone the plenitude of the one unique good. »

Such was his transcription of the well known Catholic principle: « In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas : unity in essentials, liberty in matters of doubt, and in all things charity . Such must be the Charter of Catholic ecumenism under the crook of the one Shepherd. From the start of this crisis, such has been the invitation we have made to our bishops and to our brothers. Today, it is also the will of the Holy Father », wrote our Father in his editorial for September 1978, dedicated to John Paul I, another Saint Pius X without knowing it (English CRC no. 102, p. 6).

When he informed his friends of Soloviev’s letter, Msgr. Strossmayer presented its author as « a candid and truly holy soul ».

Msgr. Strossmayer and Soloviev had agreed to meet again in Rome for the jubilee pilgrimage of 1888. The Croatian bishop decided to pave the way in Rome by writing to Leo XIII’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Rampolla. He presented his Russian friend as « toto corde et animo catholicus ». The Pope at first took a personal interest in the affair: « Here is a sheep », he said, « who will soon be clearing the gate of the sheepfold. » But curiously, there was to be no follow-up. It seems that Leo XIII failed to appreciate Soloviev’s genius... However, things were different in France, where an unassuming and ardent rural parish priest latched on to everything that his apostolic zeal could extract from the lightning advances made by the Russian thinker ( see inset , p. 19).

Soloviev returned to Russia at the beginning of October 1886, rather discouraged by the criticisms directed against him on all sides: there were the Orthodox, some of whom had accused him of bringing Orthodoxy into disrepute abroad... and certain Catholics, like Fr. Guettée in France, a modernist priest with little to commend him, whom he had met in Paris in 1876 and who had recently published an article of rare violence against him !

THE “ RETURN OF THE DISSIDENTS ”

June 18, 1887: a young Capuchin, Leopold Mandic, from Herzeg Novi in Bosnia, under the jurisdiction of Msgr. Strossmayer, and studying at the friary in Padua, heard the voice of God inviting him to pray for and promote the return of the Orthodox to the bosom of the one Church of Christ. « The goal of my life , he would later say, must be the return of the Eastern dissidents to Catholic unity; I must therefore employ all my energies, as far as my littleness allows, to co-operate in such a task through the sacrifice of my life . » Fifty years later, he would still remember this grace: « June 18, for the record: 1887-1937. Today, I offered the Holy Sacrifice for the Eastern dissidents, for their return to Catholic unity . » Thus the Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate united, in this one same “ ecumenical ” work, the ardent heart of a young Capuchin destined for the altars, the apostolic wisdom of a bishop and the brilliant intuitions of a great thinker.

In January 1887, from the Monastery of Saint Sergius where he had celebrated Christmas, Soloviev wrote an article in which he provided philosophic justification for the three Catholic dogmas which the Orthodox reject, namely the Filioque, the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility . Here is a « basis for working towards the reunion of the Churches », he explained. A few months later, he published in Zagreb (on account of the censure directed against him in Russia) his book The History and Future of Theocracy .

There he retraced the vast movement of history towards the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Universal Theocracy, the successor of Jewish Theocracy, cannot be conceived, he explained, without an integrally Christian politics, and he concluded with a splendid anthem to Christ Pantocrator receiving from His Father all power on earth and in Heaven and acting through His emissaries, the Apostles and their successors. Soloviev always believed in the privileged vocation of Russia within the Catholic community of Christian nations, even if he stigmatized what he called “ the sin of Russia ”, which was to oppress and hate all those it dominated, in particular Polish Catholics, Greek Uniates, Ruthenians and Jews !

Like a true prophet, he was vigorous in preaching repentance to his people . In order that they might be faithful to their vocation within the great Slav family, Soloviev asked them to give up their inordinate ambitions, to return to a truer and more Christian conception of their destiny, and to accomplish this within the only international organization which could direct its course, Catholicism, that is to say Roman universalism.

« One of my theses is that the cause of the Reunion of the Churches in Russia demands a podwig (sacrifice) even heavier to bear than that which, already demanding great self-denial, was needed to ensure Russia’s receptivity to Western culture, an event truly disagreeable to the national sentiment of our ancestors .

« Well ! this sacrifice consists in drawing closer to Rome and it must be attained at all costs. In this lies the remedy for the Russian sin . »

It goes without saying that Soloviev earned himself new enemies with his book. It cost him great personal suffering, but he could not fail the Truth, which he contemplated with ever greater clarity... What greatness of soul this universal genius possessed !

SAINT VLADIMIR AND THE CHRISTIAN STATE

1888 marked the ninth centenary of the baptism of Saint Vladimir, the first prince of Kiev, whose kingdom after his conversion became « the model of Christian States, with evangelical morals », writes our Father (English CRC, December 1982, p. 23). Soloviev used the occasion to give a conference in Moscow, where he reaffirmed that Russia’s destiny was to turn towards Rome, as King Vladimir had ! However, having hardened itself in its schism, the Muscovite hierarchy was no longer animated by the spirit of St. Vladimir. Hence the fury of the Orthodox hierarchs !

At the same time, Msgr. Strossmayer had gone to Rome for the Jubilee. In vain did he wait for Soloviev there. The latter, fearing perhaps that he had made a definitive break with the Orthodox world which he dreamed on the contrary of winning for the Union, had given up the idea of making this journey. It must also be said that Vatican diplomacy hardly inspired more confidence in him. Leo XIII was revealing himself less and less slavophile, reserving his favours for the Germany of old Bismarck and the young William II ! Msgr. Strossmayer lamented this in a letter to Fr. Martynov: « The Pope is acting against the Slavs. The Roman prelates are like people insane and think only of temporal power ! »

What a difference between Leo XIII and his successor, St. Pius X, who was, in the words of Msgr. Rupp and our Father, the greatest slavophile pope of our times !

Early in May 1888, Soloviev was on a visit to Paris. To explain his thinking to the French public, he gave a conference on the Russian Idea , « the true national idea eternally fixed in the design of God », who longs to spread His light over the whole world. However, Soloviev remained lucid about his own Church: « If the unity of the universal Church founded by Christ only exists among us in a latent state, it is because the official institution represented by our ecclesiastical government and our theological school is not a living part of the universal Church. »

In passing, he described the destruction of the Greek-Uniate Church by the Orthodox as a « veritable national sin weighing on Russia and paralysing her moral strength ». That is still the case today...

In July, Kiev celebrated the feast of the baptism of St. Vladimir. From Zagreb Msgr. Strossmayer sent a telegram in which he exalted Russia’s future role in the manner of his friend Soloviev. Scandal ! His remarks were universally reported by the press. Cardinal Rampolla informed the Croatian bishop that Leo XIII was seriously displeased ! The bishop of Djakovo also earned himself the bitter reproaches of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, which is more understandable given the rivalry existing between the two Empires.

In the summer of 1887, Soloviev published in the Universe , the newspaper of Louis Veuillot, three articles on St. Vladimir and the Christian State which caused a great stir. Then he journeyed to Croatia where he remained for one whole month with Msgr. Strossmayer. This meeting was rather sad, for the two friends were increasingly aware that their attempt to reunite the Churches would not succeed, at least in their lifetime.

It was in Djakovo that Soloviev finished the immense prologue to his magisterial book, Russia and the Church Universal , in which one can already glimpse signs of the discouragement that would overwhelm the thinker in the latter part of his life. We know from Fatima that the work of the conversion of Russia, something humanly impossible, has been entrusted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary who has a particular love for this Nation such as to inspire jealousy in others. But this only makes it all the more extraordinary that our prophet should have traced out the course of this conversion, like a true Precursor !

« RUSSIA AND THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL »

Soloviev does not hesitate to delve deep, extremely deep, into the past. To realise its designs in the world, divine Wisdom wished to become incarnate, and the Verb to take flesh like our own. As that was not enough, He also wished to unite to Himself a social and historical body, one that could reach the universality of mankind and communicate to all men His own divine Life. In this magnificent perspective, Soloviev compares the formation of that Body through which God wishes to be united with humanity to that effected in the womb of the Virgin Mary at the time of the Incarnation, and to that which operates every day in the Eucharistic mystery... What was needed for this work was a solid foundation, a Rock:

« This bedrock has been found », he writes, « it is Rome. It is only on the Rock [of Peter and his successors] that the Church is founded. This is not an opinion, it is an imposing historical reality . »

It is also an evangelical truth: « You are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my Church . » Here Soloviev addresses the Protestants who seek to outbid each other in their attacks against the Primacy of Peter by quoting Jesus’ own words to His Apostle when he was obstructing the Master’s path: « Get behind me, Satan ! » Soloviev’s response once again shows the clarity of his intelligence and his perfect knowledge of Catholic dogma:

« There is only one way of harmonising these texts which the inspired Evangelist did not juxtapose without reason. Simon Peter, as supreme pastor and doctor of the universal Church , assisted by God and speaking for all, is, in this capacity, the unshakeable foundation of the House of God and the holder of the keys of the heavenly Kingdom. The same Simon Peter, as a private person, speaking and acting through his own natural forces and an understanding that is purely human , can say and do things that are unworthy, scandalous and even satanic. But personal defects and sins are passing, whereas the social function of the ecclesiastical monarch is permanent. “ Satan ” and the scandal have disappeared, but Peter has remained. »

Soloviev’s doctrine agrees with that of Vatican Council I and with that of our Father who, at the same time as he makes us venerate Peter’s magisterium, magnificently illustrated by Blessed Pius IX, St. Pius X and John Paul I, accuses John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II of being instruments of “ Satan ” for the ruin of the Church.

However, Christ wished that it should be around Peter that the unity of faith and charity should be formed: « Since the unity of the faith does not presently exist in the totality of believers, seeing that not all of them are unanimous in matters of religion, it must lie in the legal authority of a single head, an authority assured by divine assistance and the trust of all the faithful . This is the ROCK on which Christ founded His Church and against which the gates of hell will never prevail. »

Why did this ROCK settle in Rome, and not in Jerusalem, Constantinople or Moscow ? Here we have a further brilliant response from Soloviev: historically Rome represented the order, civilization and terrestrial Empire that would best allow the Church to become the universal spiritual Empire desired by Christ. In a mystical view of the history of Salvation – we would say divine “ orthodromy ” – Soloviev shows how God, wishing to extend salvation to the whole world, decided one day that His Kingdom should leave Israel for Rome, so that the capital of the pagan Empire should become “ the conjoint instrument ” of His designs:

« The universal monarchy was to stay put; the centre of unity was not to move. But central power itself, its character, its source and its sanction were to be renewed... Instead of an Empire of Might, there was to be a Church of Love. » One thinks of Constantine’s conversion and his imposition throughout the Roman Empire of laws favouring Christianity, and of Theodosius declaring the Christian religion the religion of State. What decisive support for the Gospel ! The remarkable Roman civilization, already the heir of Greece, was put at the service of the Cross of Christ !

Soloviev had some wonderful expressions to describe this, as for example the following: « Jesus unthroned Caesar... By unthroning the false and impious absolutism of the pagan Caesars, Jesus confirmed and immortalised the universal monarchy of Rome and gave it its true theocratic foundation . »

« Let us not think », comments our Father, « that our theosophist loses his way in a contemplation of evangelical love and freedom. Fully aware of the frailty and shortcomings of humanity, he declares that it is essential, for its effective salvation, that supreme divine power be joined to the firmest social structure, to the virile principle , and not as formerly to the female principle of a virginal flesh for the Incarnation. This firm principle is the imperial monarchical institution which is Rome and Caesar. Converted, elevated and unabolished, the Power of Rome continues in the Pope for the service of the universal community.

« It is only this divino-human pontifical paternity that is capable of forming the basis of the universal fraternity of the peoples, not only through its spiritual influence but also through its authority and its supranational organization. In this monarchy, sacred but popular, the Pope, the Universal Emperor, clearly remains the servant of the servants of God and is, for that very reason, the sovereign Head of the Nations. Opposed to any kind of papolatry, antagonistic to all the encroachments of papism, and quite capable of denouncing such a Pope as Satan, Soloviev raised an imperishable monument to the glory of Rome and pointed out – him, a member of the Orthodox Church – the path of the world’s salvation, which lay in one place only, in the universal Christian order of a restored Roman Catholic Church ... » (French CRC no. 131, July 1978, p. 6)

In his lifetime, Soloviev ran up against a wall of hostility and incomprehension: « I am not so naive », he said, « to seek to convince minds whose private interests are greater than their desire for religious truth. In presenting the general evidence for the permanent primacy of Peter as the basis of the universal Church, I have simply wanted to assist those who are opposed to this truth, not because of their interests and passions, but merely because of their unwitting errors and hereditary prejudices. »

The final period of his life might seem to some like a decline and a renunciation of his prophetic insights, but our Father writes: « Soloviev was too great a mind to be discouraged or to modify his ideas in accordance with the fluctuations of his worldly success. What is certainly true is that his bitter experiences gave him a better knowledge of the Evil that was at work in the world, throwing up formidable obstacles to God’s designs and going so far as to erect a kind of caricature of them. This he denounced as the power of the Antichrist, the Prince of this world, announced in the Scriptures. » (French CRC no. 132, August 1978, p. 12)

At the beginning of the 1890’s, relations between Soloviev and the Orthodox Church deteriorated. « Given the papaphobia reigning among us , he wrote to a friend, sometimes revealing its underhand character and at other times its stupidity, and always in any event unchristian, I considered and I continue to consider that it is necessary to draw people’s attention to the Rock of the Church laid by Christ Himself and to its positive significance . »

As he persisted in his criticisms, even going so far as to compare the Greco-Russian Church with « the Synagogue », the Orthodox hierarchy, in the person of Pobiedonostev, the Holy Synod’s prosecutor, employed the ultimate weapon at its disposal: it deprived him of the sacraments. One day in 1894, being seriously ill, Soloviev asked to receive the sacraments. His Orthodox confessor refused to give him absolution unless he renounced his Catholic views. Soloviev refused to yield, preferring to forego confession and Holy Communion.

AN AUTHENTIC CONVERSION

The moment had come. On February 18, 1896, he went to see Fr. Nicholas Alexeyevich Tolstoy, a Catholic priest of the Eastern rite exercising his ministry in Moscow. This priest, a former officer, owed him his vocation, his formation (Soloviev having been his teacher) and his conversion to Catholicism. That February 18 was the feast day of Pope St. Leo so dear to Soloviev. Before Mass, he read on his knees the Tridentine symbol of the faith containing the Filioque and a formula declaring that the Church of Rome must be regarded as the head of all the particular Churches. Then he received the Body of Christ at the hands of the Catholic priest.

On the following day, Fr. Tolstoy was denounced and arrested. He managed to escape and to reach Rome first, then France. It was only in 1910 that he would give an account in the Universe of the authentic conversion of Soloviev, and in 1917 that the two witnesses present at the scene would confirm the celebrated Russian’s profession of the Catholic faith. Nevertheless, this conversion was disputed not only by the Orthodox but also by Catholics imbued with a false ecumenism like Msgr. d’Herbigny of sinister memory. But in this matter the facts are indubitable. His entry into the Catholic Church did not, however, in Soloviev’s mind, exclude him from what he called « the true and authentic Eastern or Greco-Russian Church ». Never did he embrace the Latin rite. After the exile of Fr. Tolstoy, as there were no longer any Catholic priests in Moscow apart from those belonging to the Latin rite, Soloviev decided to refrain from receiving the sacraments...

In 1897, a census of the whole of Russia was carried out in which a question was asked about religion. « I am both Catholic and Orthodox; let the police work that out ! » Soloviev answered.

« Self-important people from Rome and Moscow declared themselves scandalized », writes our Father. « The hour had not yet come for the podwig , for self-renunciation and reconciliation in truth and justice ( pravda ), and for the restoration of the wholly divine unity of communion in love ( sobornost ). Msgr. Rupp thinks that we achieved it with Vatican II. Alas, no ! I hope for and expect it to come with Vatican III... but only after the trial, after conversion and expiation... and after Our Lady’s humble requests have been met. » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 36)

Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

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Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

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Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

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On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

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Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

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Prayer for Safe Travel
Today is Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Prayer for Safe Travel serves as a sincere plea or hopeful message uttered by individuals before starting a journey. It serves as a means to request protection, guidance, and a secure arrival at the intended destination. People from diverse faiths and backgrounds often recite or speak this prayer ...
Prayer For Safe Travel {4 Examples}
Prayer for Protection. O Lord, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, we cover our whole journey and ourselves with Your most Precious Blood. Protect everyone and everything that will be present during the journey. Shield us from evil happenings. Be our guide and strength. Go before us and be our driver.
Prayer for Travelers
Catholic Prayers: Prayer for Travelers. Recommended Book: First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians - Kindle Edition (get Kindle app for phone) (paid link) O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all ...
Prayers to Saint Christopher
The beauty of the world; that thus I may. With joy and courtesy go on my way. St. Christopher, holy patron saint of travelers, Protect me. And lead me safely to my destiny. Keep the blessings of our Lord and Saint Christopher with you when you travel. Prayer to Saint Christopher. Dear Saint, you have inherited. a beautiful name Christopher.
Prayer for Travelers
Hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy servants. Bless their journeyings. Thou Who art everywhere present, shower everywhere upon them the effects of Thy mercy; so that, insured by Thy protection against all dangers, they may return to offer Thee their thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer For Safe Travel to St Christopher
Prayer For Safe Travel to St Christopher. O Glorious St. Christopher. you have inherited a beautiful name, Christ-bearer, as a result of the wonderful legend. that while carrying people across. a raging stream you also carried the Child Jesus. Teach us to be true Christ-bearers. to those who do not know Him.
Tefilat Haderech: Text of the Traveler's Prayer
Save us from every enemy and ambush, from robbers and wild beasts on the trip, and from all kinds of punishments that rage and come to the world. May You confer blessing upon the work of our hands and grant me grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us, and bestow upon us abundant kindness and hearken to the voice ...
Pentecost Sunday
R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. or: R. Alleluia. Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O LORD! the earth is full of your creatures;
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Gates addressed the incident and apologized for his "misguided mischief," two weeks after the vigil. The Catholic Church St. Paul "It's very simple, the Body of Christ, that's it, that ...
Letter to Congress Regarding FY 2025 Migration-Related Funding Requests
April 25, 2024. Dear Senator/Representative: As Congress begins its work on Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations, several policy committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be engaging lawmakers on appropriations matters under their purview, expressing views on funding that supports the poor, migrants and refugees, foreign assistance, environmental protection, access to ...
Elektrostal
In 1938, it was granted town status. [citation needed]Administrative and municipal status. Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as Elektrostal City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, Elektrostal City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Elektrostal Urban Okrug.
Vladimir Soloviev, prophet of Russia's conversion
Vladimir Soloviev, aged twenty. T HE conversion of Russia will not be the work of man, no matter how gifted he may be, but that of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, because this is God's wish, which he revealed to the world in 1917. The life and works of Vladimir Soloviev are a perfect illustration of this ...
Elektrostal to Moscow
Drive • 1h 3m. Drive from Elektrostal to Moscow 58.6 km. RUB 450 - RUB 700. Quickest way to get there Cheapest option Distance between.
Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets
The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is . Journey Duration.

A Prayer For Travelers

Catholic Prayers for Safe Travel (Full List & Guide)

Popular Catholic Prayers For Safe Travel

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Prayer to St. Christopher

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How to Pray for Safe Travel

1. Start with a Grateful Heart

2. Ask for Protection

3. Pray for Guidance

4. Seek Comfort and Peace

5. Close with Faith and Trust

Incorporating Travel Prayers into Your Journey

1. Research and Choose the Right Prayer

2. Print or Write the Prayer

3. Say the Prayer Before and During Your Journey

4. Share the Prayer with Your Travel Companions

5. Trust in the Power of Prayer

Prayers for Others’ Safe Travel

Understanding Travel Prayers in Catholicism

The Importance of Safe Travel Prayers

Conclusion: Embracing the Journey with Faith

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