Rome, Lisbon, Santarem, Fatima, Salamanca, Alba de Tormes, Burgos, Loyola, Lourdes
YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from New York (special Add-on Airfares from all US gateways) ALL AIRPORT TAXES & FUEL SURCHARGES! 14 nights at centrally located first class hotels as follows: (or similar)
3 nights: Hotel Cicerone or Quirinale, Rome
1 night: Marques de Pombal or Hotel Mundial, Lisbon, Portugal
2 nights: Santa Maria Jardim, Fatima, Portugal
1 night: Hotel Abba Fonseca, Salamanca, Spain
1 night: Hotel Abba, Burgos, Spain
6 nights: Hotel Moderne, Lourdes, France Transfers as per itinerary Breakfast and Dinner daily
Wine with dinners Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach Assistance of a professional local Catholic guide(s) Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary Catholic Priest available for Spiritual Direction Mass daily & Spiritual activities Luggage handling (1 piece per person) Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents
Day 1 - Depart USA
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 - Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. Your tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.
Day 3 - Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs; the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar; the Appian Way, the oldest road from Roman times; the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; the ancient Baths of Caracalla; Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella; and the catacombs of St. Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 4 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centu-ries as tributes of faith. We'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom 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 is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican. Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.
Day 5 - Rome - Lisbon
Depart for Rome Airport for our short flight to Lisbon. Arrive in Lisbon. This afternoon we will enjoy a tour of Lisbon. Sightseeing tour will include a visit of the Cathedral, St. Jerome’s Monastery, Saint Anthony's Church, Belem Quarter: Belem Tower, 25 April Bridge, Discoveries Monument. Our drive will also take us through the Basilica of the Star, Rossio Square, Commerce square and Marquee of Pomba Square.
Dinner and overnight in Lisbon.
Day 6 - Lisbon - Santarem - Fatima
After breakfast depart Lisbon for Santarem, where one of the oldest cities in the world is located. We will walk through its narrow streets to the Church of St. Stephen, containing the oldest recorded Eucharistic Miracle. This miracle has been on continuous display since 1269. We then contin-ue on to Fatima, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917 to three simple shepherd children and exhorted mankind to pray for world peace. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.
Day 7 - Fatima
Six times, from May 13 to Oct 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in the diocese of Leiria. A new church has been constructed, however just as beautiful, an older church was constructed here in 1928 and millions of pilgrims visit each year. Fatima is one of the most visited holy places for Catholics from around the world. The atmosphere of intense spirituality and the importance of Fatima have been attested to by the visits of two Popes: Paul VI and John Paul II. Touring Fatima, see the Little Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica, the site of Francesco 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 (The Sacred Way) culminating in the Chapel of Calvary, which overlooks all of Fatima. Join pilgrims from around the world in an evening candle-light procession to pray the rosary. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.
Day 8 - Fatima - Salamanca Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning departure towards the city of Salamanca. Salamanca is the most graceful city in Spain. For four centuries it was the seat of one of the most prestigious universities in the world and, despite losing this reputation in the XVII Century, it has kept the unmistakable atmosphere of a seat of learning. It is a small place, and it is given a gorgeous harmony by the golden sandstone from which almost the entire city seems to be constructed. The city’s architectural sights seem endless: two cathedrals, one Gothic, the other Romanesque, vie for attention with Renaissance palaces and gems of Plateresque decoration. The Plaza Mayor is the finest in Spain; and the surviving university buildings are tremendous throughout, all of them distinguished by the same warm stone. Today we will visit this impressive and beautiful city: The grand Plaza Mayor is the hub of Salmantine life, the vast Baroque church of La Clerecía, the Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), named after the rows of carved scallop shells symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago which decorate its façade, the University, the cathedrals, the Roman Bridge, San Marcos and San Martin churches, etc. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Salamanca.
Day 9 - Salamanca - Alba de Tormes - Ávila - Burgos After breakfast in the hotel we will depart towards the village of Alba de Tormes. In Alba we will visit and celebrate Mass at the Carmelite Monastery, where Saint Teresa died in 1582 and is buried. In the little museum of the Carmelite Monastery we will be able to see the incorrupt heart and left arm of the Saint. Later on we will continue our journey to Ávila. Two things distinguish Ávila: its eleventh-century walls, two perfectly preserved kilometers of which surround the old town, and the mystic writer Santa Teresa, who was born here and whose shrines are a major focus of religious pilgrimage. Ávila’s atmosphere has changed very little since the days of Santa Teresa, the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church, to whom the city is dedicated: the Cathedral, started in the XII Century but never finished and built in three different styles: Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance; San Vicente church, the Incarnation Convent, where St. Therese became a nun and home to the most comprehensive museum dedicated to her life ; La Santa Monastery, built on the site of the house where she was born, San José Convent, the first monastery founded by the Saint, etc. After the visit departure to the city of Burgos, the historic capital of Old Castile. After dinner explore Burgos (on your own), and admire the magnificent limestone Cathedral. Overnight in Burgos.
Day 10 - Burgos - Loyola - Lourdes After breakfast depart Burgos, heading for Lourdes, France. En route stop in Loyola, the birthplace of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Here, we'll see the 17th Century Basilica dedicated to St Ignatius. Behind the sanctuary is the family home of St. Ignatius, which we'll visit during our stop. The most venerated place in this building is the room where Ignatius at age 30, was brought following his serious wounding at the Battle of Pamplona. Later we motor through the Pyrenees Mountains into Lourdes. Here, standing between the spectacular mountain-river, Gave de Pau, stands picturesque Lourdes, the birthplace of St Bernadette to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858 near the Grotto of Massabielle. Settle into your hotel, explore before dinner, followed by a candlelight procession (every evening from Apr through Oct) before retiring for the evening.
Days 11 thru 15 - Lourdes
This pilgrimage was designed for those who would like to spend more time in Lourdes, to pray and reflect. During your 6 nights stay in Lourdes you will have time to pray with your fellow pilgrims and pilgrims from around the world, to attend Mass at the Grotto, watch 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 or 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, in obedience to the request of the "Immaculate Conception." Evenings are free for optional Blessed Sacrament Procession before dinner. Your role in the universal church will have new meaning as you join the candlelight procession and group rosary. (candle light procession and group rosary April through October only)
On one of the free days you may want to take advantage of some of the optional tours (Biarritz, Val D'Aran or Betherram) available through our local agent at a minimal additional cost.
* The last 3 days your trip in Lourdes is meant to provide you with time for a personal retreat. As such, this time in Lourdes is not designed to be a “tour”, but rather to provide you with time to pray, reflect, and explore on your own as you feel called. Please note that there will not be a Spiritual Director with you during the last 3 days, however Daily Mass in English, are available at the Basilica in Lourdes . This time in Lourdes you will have full discretion over how your time is spent, in order to have the fullest spiritual experience possible.
Day 16 - Lourdes - USA Early morning departure Lourdes for your homebound flights.
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Travel Dates
Land Only (no airfare)
*Air & Land
# of Pilgrims
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