It took just one trip to Rome for Mountain Butorac to be called to the metropolitan pulse of the Catholic Church. That was almost twenty years ago. Now with his wife and two daughters, he is living full time in Rome, where he started The Catholic Traveler: pilgrimage and educational tours in Europe and the Holy Land.
Combining his passions of faith and travel, his ambitions were to lead others to the places where the Church first began.
MOUNTAIN BUTORAC
The catholic traveler
'I'll take them to the churches of the city and show them relics of Christ, like the manger, and relics of the Passion, the Cross, the seven pilgrim churches of Rome that were established by St. Philp Neri. Show them things that so many people miss.â?
Yet of all the places that Mountain guides people to, there is one place that moves people the most: The Holy Stairs.
MOUNTAIN BUTORAC
The catholic traveler
'Those are the ones Jesus climbed when he was condemned to death, and so I always save that for the last day. But I've had people go up those stairs, and when we got to the top, they were like we need to go to confession, I haven't been in 20 years. I need to go to confession right now.â?
It's these moments that not only make his work so rewarding, but also allow him to reflect on how powerful the Church's history is.
MOUNTAIN BUTORAC
The catholic traveler
'It's just such a powerful experience (BREAK) To be able to thank St. Helena for bringing all these relics over from the Holy Land, so that people can come to Rome and still experience the Passion of Christ, and go up the stairs He went up. And see the relics of the cross, and the thorn from the crown of thorns. And I think that's how our faith began.â?
Since many of his closest friends are those he has met on tours, he remains involved in their lives. He has witnessed conversions to the Catholic faith, and re-conversions of people who have fallen away from the Church. On a quest to make this a possibility for those unable to travel to Rome, he uses all forms of social media to let everyone walk in the way of the saints.
At a time when globalization is making the world smaller, The Catholic Traveler is using it as a platform to spread the faith further. He himself said it best: 'to be able to do it in the peacefulness of Rome, and with the cuisine of Rome, makes a big difference.â?
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