Day
1 New York - Paris
Embark on your pilgrimage via New York’s
JFK Airport for your overnight flight to Paris. Dinner and breakfast
are served on board.
Day 2
Paris
Upon arrival we begin our tour of Paris
by celebrating Mass at the Church of the Miraculous Medal. We will
see the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs Elysees, L’Arc
de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Church of the Sacre Coeur, and
the Church of St Vincent De Paul. Dinner and overnight.
Day
3 Paris / Excursion to Nevers
Depart by motorcoach for Nevers by way
of the picturesque Loire Valley. St Bernadette lived for 12 years as
a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers, having taken
the veil in 1867. Throughout her life she suffered from and
eventually died of asthma at the age of 35. See St Bernadette’s
incorrupt body at the convent of St Gildard, miraculously preserved
since her death in 1879. Dinner and return to the hotel in Paris.
Day 4
Paris - Lisbon - Santarem - Fatima
After breakfast, we take a short flight
to Lisbon. Once settled, we will begin with an orientation drive
through Lisbon, stopping in 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, a 750-year-old 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 5
Fatima
After breakfast, we will celebrate
morning 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 handkerchiefs 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 6
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. Onto Palancia for dinner and overnight.
Day 7
Palencia - Loyola - Lourdes
After breakfast we leave for the
beautiful city of Loyola. After celebrating Mass at the Basilica, we
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.
Days 8
& 9 Lourdes
During your stay in Lourdes you will
have a chance to 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. Join your prayers with those of pilgrims
from around the world as you pray for the sick, drink water from the
miraculous spring, and submerge yourself in the healing baths.
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 the nightly candlelight processions requested by Our
Lady. Time for private devotions before dinner and overnight.
Day 10
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 city of Nice, for a relaxing
dinner and overnight.
Day 11
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 12
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 13
Rome
After breakfast, we begin our tour of
the Eternal City. We will pass 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 (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.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 15
Rome - Dubrovnik - Medjugorje
Depart from Rome airport for a 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.
Days 16
- 18 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
climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a
thirty-foot-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 19
Medjugorje - Split - Tiberias
After English Mass we leave for the
airport for our flight to the Holy Land. We will meet our local
guide, settle into our hotel, with time to relax before dinner and
overnight in Tiberias.
Day 20
Up to Galilee
We travel up the coast heading for
Galilee visiting Caesarea and Mukhraka en route. In the afternoon we
visit the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth where we will
celebrate Mass and visit Mary's Well. On the way to our hotel in
Tiberias we stop at Cana, the village of Jesus' first miracle. Here
you may renew your wedding vows.
Day 21
The Ministry of Christ in the Galilee
This morning we remember Christ's early
ministry. There will be much to see and do: a boat ride across the
Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to see the synagogue and St Peter's
house; a visit to the Mount of the Beatitudes where the Sermon on
the Mount was given; to Tabgha to see the mosaic of the loaves and
fishes, and to the nearby Church of Peter's Primacy where Peter was
told, "feed my lambs, feed my sheep." There will be an
unforgettable Mass on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Afternoon
visit to Mount Tabor, scene of the Transfiguration.
Day 22
Samaria, Jesus in the land of the Old Testament
The Samaritan Jews near Nablus were
ostracised by the Jews of the Jerusalem-based Judean Kingdom who
would take the long way to Galilee via the Jordan Valley rather than
travel through Samaria. Jesus broke with this custom by going
through Samaria. The story of His meeting the Samaritan woman at
Jacob's well, which we will visit, is a poignant metaphor for
reconciliation and humanity. From a Samaritan village atop Mount
Gerizim, the Samaritan holy mountain, we enjoy spectacular views and
witness an ancient community whose rituals and traditions have
changed little since the time of Christ. In the Christian village of
Taybeh the local priest will welcome you and talk about the village
and its inhabitants. In this village is a church built over an
ancient stable similar to the one in which Jesus was born. Overnight
in Jerusalem.
Day 23
Introduction to Jerusalem: Mt. Olives- Kidron Valley - Mt Zion
On the first day we present an overview
of Jerusalem for a better understanding of its geography and some of
the key sites surrounding the area. This includes a dramatic view of
the Old City from the Mount of Olives. From this vantage point one
can see what makes Jerusalem a holy city to the three major
religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Around noon we drive
to the town of Beit Sahur where Shepherd's Fields is located and
which has been inhabited by Christians for hundreds of years. Lunch
has been arranged with some of the local families in their homes,
after which we visit the site that commemorates Shepherd's Fields
and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that stands upon the
site where Jesus was born.
Day 24
Jerusalem - The Passion of Jesus' last hours
At Gethsemane is the Rock of Agony
where Jesus uttered His last prayer. After having been betrayed by
Judas, Jesus was held prisoner in the palace of the High Priest
Caiaphas. From there, Jesus was taken to Judgment Hall and then led
through the city to be crucified. Today we retrace these last hours
of Jesus. As we walk along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow), through
the markets of the Old City praying the Stations of the Cross, we
reflect on the greatness of His sacrifice. We then arrive at the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Mass. In the afternoon we tour the
Cardo where one can discern the Roman layout of the city 2000 years
ago and see many buildings dating to the time of the Moslem Conquest
and Crusader era. After visiting some of the bazaars, we walk to the
Western Wall of the Second Temple and the Mosques.
Day 25
The Wilderness: Bethany - Wadi Qelt - Jericho - Qumran - Dead
Sea
The desert east of Jerusalem is rich in
Christian tradition. In the town of Bethany, home of Martha and
Mary, Lazarus was raised from the dead. Further east, just off the
Roman road that Jesus walked, is Wadi Kelt gorge, the site of the
Monastery of St George. At the oasis town of Jericho, you can visit
the excavations going on in the oldest city in the world, before
driving to the Dead Sea to see the caves at Qumran where the Dead
Sea Scrolls were hidden. On the way back there will be time for a
swim in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea.
Day 26
The Visitation
Transfer to the airport, filled with
cherished memories, for your return flight to the USA.
Your
Trip Includes:
Round trip airfare from New York / Paris / Medjugorje /
Jerusalem / New York
24 nights in 3 and 4 star hotels:
2 nights: Paris
2 nights:
Fatima
1 nights:
Palencia
3 nights:
Lourdes
1 nights:
Nice
1 nights:
Assisi
3 nights:
Rome
4 nights:
Medjugorje
3 nights:
Tiberias
4 nights:
Jerusalem
Breakfast and dinner daily
All transfers by private motor coach
Sightseeing and entrance fees
Papal Audience
Local professional Catholic guides
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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