Day 3 - 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 centuries 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 (time permitting). 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 4 - Rome   

This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour with focus on "Christian Rome" Touring we will see many  important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. Stop for a visit at three major Basilicas: 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 Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the 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. We will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus, Chapel "O'Domine Quo Vadis?" the remains of imperial tombs, 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 in Rome.

 

Day 5 - Rome -  Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave Rome, the Eternal City, for San Giovanni Rotondo. Stop in Monte Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

 

Day 6 - San Giovanni Rotondo- Monte Sant’Angelo    

After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. Six different popes, St Francis and at least four other saints have knelt in prayer at this grotto, seeking the protection of St Michael. A panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding countryside awaits you at this most celebrated shrine of early Christianity, a shrine consecrated by St Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni for devotions, reflection, and a restful overnight.

 

Day 7 - San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi    

We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass.  We then continue on to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it that this is the house in which Mary first prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived.  Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 8 - Assisi    

Visit  the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St Francis began 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. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner and retiring for the evening.

 

Day 9 - Assisi  -Orvieto - Sienna

We are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic.   Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 10 - Assisi - Medjugorje     

Early morning departure from Assisi for your flights to Medjugorje.  Upon arrival, you'll also be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver who will then take you on the 2 1/2 hour drive by private coach to the village of Medjugorje. Guide will be with your throughout your stay. Once there, you'll meet your fellow pilgrims and your spiritual leader and be introduced to your host family in whose modern and comfortable house you will be staying for the next seven nights.

 

Days 11 to 16 - Medjugorje 

Experience the beauty and peace of this simple village. During your stay in Medjugorje you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world.
 

 

Here are some of the activities you'll be sharing with our fellow pilgrims: Each morning at 10am we assemble at St James Church for the English-language Mass (Feast days and Sundays English Mass is at Noon). Follow the path up Apparition Hill where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Touch and pray before the cross that commemorates the spot where Mary first appeared to the visionaries.  

Each evening at 5pm or 6pm daylight savings time, we will join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. The apparition takes place at 5:40pm or 6:40 daylight savings time, and then stay on for Croatian Mass. Don't miss on Tuesdays and Saturdays Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and on Fridays Veneration of the Cross in the Church. Each evening during Croatian Mass, there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of the items you have with you.

 

Our guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries at their own homes provided that they are in Medjugorje during your trip, and pending their availability. We will have the opportunity to climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30' high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Visit and pray at "Blue Cross", which is a place of great healings and graces- a very special place at the base of Apparition Hill. We will visit the Oasis of Peace, which has an incredible 24-hour Adoration Chapel.  We will visit the community of Cenacolo.

 

Visit Father Jozo's parish and attend his highly inspirational talk, and receive his powerful healing blessing. When the apparitions began in 1981, Father Jozo was the pastor of St James parish, and is considered by many to be one of the highlights of any pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Of course, visit is contingent upon his schedule.

 

Day 17 - Medjugorje - USA     

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik Airport (Spilt or Sarajevo) for return flights home.

 

 

For Additional Information & Travel Tips Please Visit:

What to Know Before You Go to Italy

What to Know Before You Go to Medjugorje

 

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2008 Departure Dates & Prices
	Travel Dates			Land Only	All Inclusive
	Jun	30 - Jul 16		$4,449	$6,149
	Jul	28 - Aug 13		$4,449	$5,799
	Sep	08 - 24		$4,449	$6,149
	Sep	22 - Oct 08		$4,449	$5,849
	Oct	06 - 22		$4,449	$5,849
	Oct	20 - Nov 05		$4,449	$5,849
	Nov	10 - 26		$4,449	$5,449
2009 Departure Dates & Prices
	Travel Dates			Land Only	All Inclusive
	Feb	09 - 25		$4,449	$5,149
	Mar	09 - 25		$4,449	$5,149
	Mar	23 - Apr 08		$4,449	$5,899
	Apr	06 - 22		$4,449	$5,899
	Apr	20 - May 06		$4,449	$5,949
	May	04 - 20		$4,449	$5,949
	May	18 - Jun 03		$4,449	$6,299
	Jun	01 - Jun 17		$4,449	$6,299
	Jun	15 - Jul 01		$4,449	$6,299