Famous Passion Play pilgrimage set for 2020

Dec. 10 information meeting open to anyone interested in 11-day trip

Published: October 28, 2017

Thoma Klingler / Oberammergau 2020

Houses in the German village of Oberammergau reflect the world-famous Passion Play residents have performed every decade almost without interruption for more than 380 years.

Thoma Klingler / Oberammergau 2020

Houses in the German village of Oberammergau reflect the world-famous Passion Play residents have performed every decade almost without interruption for more than 380 years.

Arkansas Catholic is organizing a pilgrimage in 2020 for Arkansans to experience the world-famous Passion Play in Obergammergau, Germany.

The five-hour play featuring about 2,000 actors, technicians and singers is considered the most important Passion Play in the world.

Residents were spared in the 1600s when the bubonic plague was sweeping through the country and promised God that they would perform the story of Jesus’ life and death once a decade.

The 11-day pilgrimage June 9-19, 2020, will also include stops in Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Father Erik Pohlmeier, diocesan faith formation director and theological consultant for Arkansas Catholic, will serve as the pilgrimage’s spiritual adviser.

The town of Oberammergau will put on the 42nd Passion Play from May to October 2020. Townspeople have performed the play almost without interruption for more than 380 years. About 450,000 visitors are expected to visit the town in 2020.

The pilgrimage will include daily Mass and tours of various churches and shrines in the region, including Our Lady of Altötting, Germany’s premier Marian shrine, and the Shrine of Our Lady in Einsiedeln in Switzerland, the mother abbey of Subiaco Abbey. Pilgrims will also get a guided tour of Mozart’s birthplace, see places where “The Sound of Music” was filmed and learn about the Dachau concentration camp. Stops will be made in Munich, Salzburg, Einsiedeln and Lucerne.

The cost is $3,939 for each person for lodging, breakfasts, dinners and entrance fees. Airfare has not been calculated at this time. Tips, insurance, lunches and drinks also are not included. Only double occupancy rooms will be accepted at this time.

An informational meeting with Father Pohlmeier and organizers will be held at 2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 10 in Fitzgerald Hall at St. John Center in Little Rock. To register for the meeting, visit 2020pilgrimage.eventbrite.com.

A $600 deposit is required to reserve a spot. The deposit and registration form are due by Jan. 31, 2018.

To register or for more information, contact Kathy Primm at Sue Smith Vacations, (501) 771-0987 or . Details are available at suesmithvacations.com.