The Glavins' European adventure

Legatus family from Wilmington took a year off to see Europe with amazing results . . .

Imagine taking time off from work, taking your kids out of school – and vacationing in Europe for a year!

While some people dream it, the Glavin family – members of Legatus’ Wilmington Chapter – did it. Intent on making it a faith-building experience, they toured Europe from July 2009 to July 2010.

Three years earlier, Maurice and Ann Glavin sold LAuren’s House, a pediatric health care company they founded in 2001. They realized that their primary business, total scope, a medical device repair company, was in the hands of a capable president. Financially and professionally, they concluded that their dream of living in Europe for a year could actually come true.

Logistics

“We had been talking about this for awhile,” Maurice explained. “We felt that the world was changing and we wanted our kids to experience other parts of the world.”

By way of background, the Glavins had not traveled extensively prior to their year in Europe. But Maurice and Ann’s combined business sense more than made up for their lack of travel experience. For starters, they established a “home base” in Vienna, Austria, by renting an apartment for the year.

“We were looking for a city located near central and eastern Europe,” said Ann, “since we thought we would venture east during the summer while the rest of Europe — France, Italy, Spain — was busy with tourists.”

They also chose Vienna for its medical care and the fact that most people spoke English. Once they settled in the Austrian capital, the Glavins traveled to a new country every few weeks. They would regularly return to their Vienna apartment to do laundry and schoolwork for the Glavin kids.

“We brought seven suitcases with us, but we strategically packed seasonal suitcases and left them at our U.S. office,” Maurice said. “We would e-mail my employees our address, and they would ship them to us.”

Glavin boys in the Dead Sea, Israel

They decided to take their three boys Eamon, Seamus and Pearse — now 16, 14 and 10 respectively — out of school and homeschool them for the year. The Glavins used U.S.-based tutors to follow the boys’ progress.

“We did a homeschooling project where Eamon built a website about our trip, including all the video work,” said Maurice.

The Glavins also kept statistics about their trip. During their 53 weeks in Europe, the family visited 26 countries and 85 cities, took 61 trains and 38 planes, stayed in 46 hotels and 11 apartments, visited 30 major museums, ate at 22 Hard Rock Cafes, and shipped 32 boxes home.

The year-long experience often had the Glavins in fairly tight quarters, which helped them solidify their relationships in new ways.

“We were fairly close before leaving for Europe,” Maurice explained. “But what changed was the boys’ relationships with each other. They had to work together. We would send two of them out together to buy the groceries in another language and negotiate all the cultural differences.”

Goal-oriented travel

Vatican City

The Glavin boys were also able to appreciate their parents’ strengths in a new way. Ann, a natural organizer, was completely in charge of logistics like arranging train and plane travel. Maurice did everything else, especially things that required perseverance. Serious dental issues emerged during their time in Berlin and Amsterdam.

“I’m not afraid to keep going until I find something,” said Maurice. During one dental emergency, he refused to give up until he found an appropriate dentist. “It was very formative for the kids to see us solving problems abroad. In the U.S. everything is easier.”

The Glavins had established a list of goals for the year. For example, they went to the Louvre in Paris and saw the Mona Lisa. The family went to the 2009 World Track Championships in Berlin and watched Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt break 100- and 200-meter world records.

But what the Glavin family didn’t expect was how large a role their Catholic faith would play on the trip.

“On my family’s trip abroad, what I learned was that our Catholic faith is universal,” said 14-year-old Seamus. “No matter where you went, the Mass had the same basic structure. I knew when you would go to Communion, when the priest was reading the Bible, and when to sit and stand.”

Ann agrees. “I think we all became better Catholics because we learned more about our Catholic heritage by visiting so many religious places — shrines, churches, cathedrals,” she said. “We also learned that there are great resources available, especially via the Internet. For instance, we would go online and get the Mass readings for the week.We could research saints popular to an area or find out about religious traditions.”

The Glavins enjoy Lourdes, France

The Glavins visited Fatima on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and they went to Lourdes. They attended a three hour Easter vigil Mass in Greece which began at 11 p.m. The family witnessed the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany, and saw the Shroud of Turin during a special showing. They saw Pope Benedict XVI five times.

“We bumped into former Legate Andreas Widmer in St. Peter’s Square, whom we recognized because of a speech he gave at a Legatus Summit,” Maurice recalled. “He was in Rome to train new Swiss Guards and invited us to a behind-the-scenes tour including barracks, armaments and training areas.”

Best of all, the Glavins went to Israel on Legatus’ 2009 Holy Land pilgrimage with scholar and author Steve Ray. Pearse, who was eight at the time, received his first Holy Communion in Capernaum. Ann and Maurice renewed their wedding vows in Cana. They walked the Way of the Cross and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“The Glavins are very clever folks with a wonderful family culture,” said Ray. “They are adventurous people. It was like they had formed a club, and they were all very proud to be a part of this club. They were always together and always excited.”

A priest who accompanied the pilgrimage worked with Pearse every day in preparation for his first Communion. He had the boy stand in front of the group to answer tough questions about the sacrament.

“It was good for Pearse, but it was also really good for the group to better understand what the Eucharist is,” Ray said.

During their year-long trip, the Glavins said they discovered that decent people exist everywhere.

“We learned that everyone in the world values children,” Ann said. “No matter where we went with the boys, people smiled when they saw them and went out of their way to help us when we needed assistance.We also learned that no matter what religion a person believes in, there are common elements throughout like respect for others, love of family, love of God, and a pride in their faith that they want to share with others.”

For the Glavin boys, the best moments were in discovering new things about the world.

“My favorite moment was arriving in a city not knowing what awaited me,” said Pearse. “Then, when I got out the next day, I learned more than I ever imagined about the place.”

In a word, priceless!

Sabrina Arena Ferrisi is a Legatus Magazine staff writer.

Learn more about the Glavins’ adventures at WeAreHereAndYouAreNot.com