Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon landing at Lisbon Portela Airport, head to baggage claim and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Board the bus and begin a panoramic sightseeing tour of Lisbon. We will stop at St. Jerome’s Monastery, built to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for guiding Vasco da Gama on his voyage that linked Europe and Asia. Continue to drive by the Belem Quarter, which contains the iconic entryway to the Lisbon harbor, the Belem Tower. This important historic structure has many beautiful sculptures, such as depictions of St. Vincent and Our Lady of Safe Homecoming. The next stop is St. Anthony’s Church, built upon the site of Saint’s birth; it is here that we will celebrate Mass. Although the patron Saint of lost things is known as St. Anthony of Padua (Italy), he was born in Lisbon, Portugal. This Church is built upon St. Anthony’s birth site and is also where Saint John Paul II visited in 1982. After Mass, we will drive to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we will travel north to the old city of Santarem. We will attend Mass at the Church of St. Stephen, which holds a 13th-century Eucharistic Miracle. Continue to Fatima and visit the Hamlet of Aljustrel, the home of the three shepherd children. Visit the Parish Church and Fatima Parish Cemetery. Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today will be a memorable experience as you pray and meditate upon one of Our Blessed Mother’s apparition sites. Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children: Lucia (age 10), Jacinta (age 7), and Francisco (age 9). These apparitions occurred monthly from May until October of 1917. Historically, as the entire world was in turmoil, Our Lady’s most prominent message was to pray for world peace. The destruction of the world at that point in history was also mentioned by Our Lady, particularly in her second secret to the children. Our profoundly reflective day begins with a visit to the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. This simple yet modern chapel is where the Virgin Mary first appeared on May 13, 1917. Next, you will see the stunning neoclassical church, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. This Sacred space contains the tombs of Blessed Francisco, Blessed Jacinta, and Sister Lucia. View the monument that commemorates the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the square. In honor of Our Lady’s requests to pray the Rosary, the Basilica also features fifteen altars each dedicated to a mystery of the Rosary. Visit the Museum with the “Fatima: Light and Peace” exhibition. Continue with a visit to the Holy Trinity Basilica. After free time for lunch, we will experience Christ’s unconditional love by participating in the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra. The “Sacred Way” marks the path taken by the shepherd children of Fatima to their first apparition with Our Lady. It is composed of fifteen small chapels commemorating the Passion of Our Lord. The fifteenth station, the Resurrection, can be found close to the Chapel of Calvary, dedicated to St. Stephen, King of Hungary. Ending the day with a visit to Valinhos, the site of Our Lady’s August 1917 apparition and the first and third apparition of the Angel. Your night will conclude with private devotions and a candlelight procession, as requested by Our Lady in 1917. Enjoy dinner and a comfortable night’s rest in Fatima.

This pilgrimage is designed for those who would like to spend more time in Fatima for prayer and reflection. Spend the day in Fatima at your leisure. Dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast, transfer to Lisbon airport for short flight to Toulouse. Upon arriving in Toulouse airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrivals hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Embark on a scenic drive to Lourdes. Check in to your hotel and relax or explore before dinner. Following dinner, you will have free time to pray the Rosary and to attend the candlelight procession (April – October only). During these processions, pilgrims join in praying the Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel for an overnight.

Over the next three days, you will stay in a small town in the Pyrenees Mountains. During your time in Lourdes, you will pray and meditate at the site of Our Lady’s apparitions. Our Lady first appeared to Bernadette in 1858 and announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception” near the Grotto of Massabielle. During the first two apparitions, little Bernadette prayed the Rosary with Our Lady and left without exchanging words. During the following apparitions, Our Lady emphasized God’s love for us and the necessity of performing acts of penance for sinners. Throughout your time in Lourdes, you will have the opportunity to attend Mass at the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette. Watch a video presentation that explains the story of Lourdes. Wash your hands, wash your face, and drink the water of the miraculous spring. Finish with a short prayer: “Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St. Bernadette, pray for us. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Experience Christ’s unconditional love as you meditate upon the “life-size” Stations of the Cross that overlook the Grotto of Massabielle. In Lourdes, you will walk in and meditate upon the footsteps of St. Bernadette. Your group will have the opportunity to see Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. Each evening, following dinner, you can attend the candlelight procession and pray the Rosary before a restful overnight.

Morning departure from Lourdes to the airport to board your flight(s) to Rome. Upon arrival at Rome airport, collect your luggage in the baggage claim area and continue to the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by a tour escort and/or driver. You will make your way to the bus and transfer to your hotel. Following check-in, you will have free time to unpack, relax, or explore Rome on your own. Your tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later in the afternoon, your group will meet in the hotel lobby for a “Meet and Greet” with your fellow pilgrims and depart for Mass. Following Mass, you will attend a welcome dinner. After dinner, you can walk to St. Peter’s Square as a group for the Rosary (optional).

After a nice breakfast at your hotel, your first sightseeing day in Rome starts. The tour begins with the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square! The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, The Pope (pending the papal schedule). Following the Audience, there will be free time for lunch, shopping, or to mail a postcard from the Vatican Post Office. This afternoon, you will visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome: The Basilica of St. John the Lateran. This Basilica houses the relics of Peter and Paul. It is where the Pope was installed as Bishop of Rome and where he officiates as the Bishop of Rome. Next, we will cross the street to visit the Holy Staircase. Tradition states that this Staircase is from Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. It was brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th Century. If time permits, you may climb the steps on your knees while meditating on Christ’s agonizing Passion. Proceed to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This Basilica contains a relic from the Manger of the Infant Jesus. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight.

This morning, you will enjoy an early breakfast before making your way to the largest Church in Christendom: St. Peter’s Basilica. This Basilica was built on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, was martyred. Here, you can view Michelangelo’s Pieta. This stunning marble sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding Christ after His crucifixion, death, and removal from the cross before being placed in the tomb. Proceed to the Vatican Museum, where you will see the most impressive edifices, galleries, and awe-inspiring relics. Observe the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel, and the restored mural of the Last Judgment. The final stop on your Vatican tour is at the tomb of Saint John Paul II. After, head to the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), where you may enjoy some free time on your own for lunch. Continue on your short journey down the Appian Way, the earliest road of Ancient Rome. This road leads to the Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Drusus, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, and the catacombs of St. Callixtus. The day concludes with a visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Originally founded by Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century, this Basilica is the burial place of Saint Paul the Apostle. We will make our way to a local restaurant for dinner. Following dinner, feel free to explore the streets of Rome or return to the hotel for the evening.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, your group will leave by motor coach and transfer to Rome Fiumicino airport for your return flight(s) home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.