Day
1 New York - Lisbon
Our pilgrimage begins as we leave New
York’s JFK Airport for an overnight flight to Lisbon. Dinner and
breakfast are served on board.
Day 2
Lisbon - Santarem - Fatima
After an orientation drive through
Lisbon, we drive to the town of Santarem, one of the oldest cities
in the world. We will walk through its narrow streets to the Church
of St Stephen, containing the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle.
See the 750-year-old Holy Miracle of Santarem, a relic of the
Bleeding Host. Stolen by a woman in payment to a sorcerer,
the host began to emit a brilliant beam of light and then to bleed.
In the early afternoon, we drive to nearby Fatima, the place where
the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917 to three simple shepherd
children and exhorted mankind to pray for world peace. After
settling into your hotel, you may participate in a candlelight
procession or relax. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3
& 4 Fatima
After breakfast, we will celebrate Mass
at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. Touring Fatima, we see the
Basilica, the site of Francesco's and Jacinta's graves, the Hamlet
of Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, the site of
Our Lady's appearance after the children's return from prison.
Follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra (Sacred Way)
culminating in the Chapel of Calvary which overlooks all of Fatima.
Join pilgrims from around the world in an evening candlelight
procession to pray the rosary. Don’t forget your white
handkerchief for the Adeus farewell, when thousands of pilgrims wave
a loving farewell to the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. Dinner
and overnight in Fatima.
Day 5
Fatima - Coimbra
- Salamanca - Palencia
After breakfast we depart by motorcoach
to the city of Coimbra. Here you will see the incorrupt body of St
Isabel and the Carmelite cloister where Sister Lucia still lives. We
will drive into Spain to the ancient university town of Salamanca.
An orientation drive through this lovely city includes the
16th-century Plateresque buildings, the Roman-style Cathedral with
its altar depicting 53 scenes from Christ’s life, the Convent of
the Holy Spirit, the House of the Dead from 1515, and Monterrey
Palace. On to Palancia for dinner and overnight.
Day 6 Palencia
- Loyola - Lourdes
After breakfast we leave for the
beautiful city of Loyola. After celebrating Mass at the Basilica,
enjoy a short tour of the birthplace of St Ignatius de Loyola, the
founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. We cross into France,
traveling to the great pilgrimage center of Lourdes. Dinner and
overnight.
Day 7
& 8 Lourdes
During your stay in Lourdes you may
celebrate daily Mass at the Grotto, enjoy a video presentation
telling the story of Lourdes, and walk in the footsteps of St
Bernadette. See Boly Mill where St Bernadette was born and the
"Cachot," an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s
impoverished family lived. Pray for the sick, drink water from the
miraculous spring, submerge yourself in the healing baths, and
experience Christ’s love as you walk the life-sized Stations of
the Cross overlooking the holy grotto. Kneel in the chapel built on
the very rock of the grotto, attend the blessing of the sick, and
participate in nightly candlelight processions requested by Our
Lady. Time for private devotions before dinner and overnight.
Day 9 Lourdes
- Sete - Nice
After breakfast, we drive southeast to
the French Riviera with a stop in Sete located on the pristine
shoreline of France's beautiful Mediterranean coast. Our travels end
today with our arrival in the glamorous French city of Nice, for a
relaxing dinner and overnight.
Days 10 Nice
- Siena - Assisi
Depart from Nice for Siena, the
birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and Italy’s
loveliest medieval city. Here we will stroll the Piazza del Campo,
one of Italy's finest squares, celebrate Mass at the Cathedral, and
visit the Basilica of St Francis, containing the miraculous
consecrated hosts that have remained intact since 1730. View the
incorrupt head of St Catherine, the mystical bride of Christ, at St
Dominic’s Basilica. Later we drive through the Umbria region to
the pilgrimage center of Assisi, where St Francis tended the poor
and sick and founded the Franciscan order. Dinner and overnight at
our hotel.
Day 11 Assisi
- Rome
After breakfast, we celebrate Mass at
the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St
Francis which still retains something of the atmosphere of the early
1200s, the period of his ministry. Contained within the huge
13th-century Basilica are many of the saint's possessions and a
series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the
crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild
His church. It was in St Mary of the Angels Basilica, where St
Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel,
Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for
prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town.
After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman
temple, we go to the Church of St Clare to see the saint's incorrupt
body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the
teachings of St Francis by living a life of poverty and humility.
This afternoon we drive to Rome for dinner and overnight.
Day 12
Rome
Begin our day with Mass at St Peter's
Basilica, the largest church in the world. This morning we will tour
St Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, a shrine containing a relic from the manger of the infant
Jesus. We will tour the Catacombs of St Callixtus where the early
Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. You will see the
Cathedral of Rome and the Holy Stairs. Free afternoon. Dinner and
overnight.
Day 13
Rome (Papal
Audience at the Vatican)
After breakfast we go to Vatican City
to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His
Holiness, John Paul II. Visit St Peter’s Basilica, built on the
site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument
to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come
from around the world, St Peter's Basilica is the grandest of the
world's churches. View such historical treasures as a piece of the
true cross, the lance that pierced Christ’s side, numerous papal
tombs, Michelangelo’s restored mural of the Last Judgment on the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his Pieta, and the four mighty piers
supporting the magnificent dome. In the afternoon take time to visit
the Vatican Garden, Library and Museum to see awe-inspring relics
and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith.
In the afternoon we will drive past the Colosseum, the Roman Forum
and then explore St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains
of St Paul under its main altar. We will also visit the Church of St
Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo's incomparable statue of Moses.
Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 14
Rome - USA
Depart Rome for our return flight to
the USA. We fondly say, Arrivederci Roma!.
Optional:
4 extra nights in Medjugorje /
$799
Includes:
4 nights, round-trip flight, meals, transfers, and guide
Day 14 Rome - Split - Medjugorje
Depart from Rome airport for the
one-hour flight to Dubrovnik. After being greeted by our tour guide
and driver, we travel for 2 1/2 hours by motor coach to the sleepy
village of Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you will be introduced to the
families in whose modern, comfortable homes we will be staying.
Breakfast and dinner served daily
Day
15 to 17 Medjugorje
Every
morning at 10 we assemble at St James Church for the
English-language Mass. Your guides will accompany you throughout the
week as you follow the same path up Apparition Hill on which the
young visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Contemplate the
inspired artistry of the bronze plaques depicting each mystery of
the rosary as you climb. Touch and pray before the cross which
commemorates the spot where Mary appeared to the visionaries. At 6
pm you will be welcome each evening to join the villagers and
pilgrims to pray the rosary. Be present in the church when the
apparitions occur and then stay for the Croatian Mass and the
Blessing of the Sick. Your guide will arrange a meeting with the
visionaries in their own homes. You will have a chance to see and
climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30’
high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Contingent upon
his schedule, you may visit Father Jozo's parish to attend his holy
preaching. In 1981, when the apparitions began, Father Jozo was the
pastor of St James parish, and is considered by many to be the
highlight of a pilgrimage to Medjugorje
Day 18 Medjugorje - Split - Rome
After
English Mass we leave for Split airport for our one-hour flight to
Rome. Transfer to hotel and overnight
Day 19 Rome - USA
Transfer
to the airport for your return flight to the USA.
Your
Trip Includes:
Round trip flights: New York / Lisbon / Rome / New York
12 nights in 3- & 4-star hotels:
3 nights: Fatima, Portugal
1 night: Palencia, Spain
3 nights: Lourdes, France
1 night: Nice, France
1 night: Assisi, Italy
3 nights: Rome, Italy
Breakfast and dinner daily
All transfers by private motor coach
Sightseeing and entrance fees
Papal Audience
Local guides and tour escorts
Luggage handling and hotel taxes
Mass daily
Flight bag and portfolio of travel documents
Not
included: Lunch. Airport tax of $85. Travel
insurance at $99. Tips to guides and drivers ($5 per day).
Items of personal nature.
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