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

Welcome to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City”. When you arrive at Rome Airport, collect your luggage and continue to the arrival hall. Here, you will be greeted by a tour escort and/or driver. Transfer to your hotel and, following check-in, you will have free time to unpack and 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 will have the opportunity to walk to St. Peter’s Square as a group, for the Rosary (optional).

This morning we will attend the Papal Audience at St. Peter’s Square or inside the Audience Hall. The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, the Pope (pending the papal schedule). (During the month of July, Papal Audiences are cancelled while the Holy Father resides in Castel Gandolfo. For tours occurring during this time, the Audience will be replaced with an excursion to Castel Gandolfo with the following itinerary: Upon arrival in Castel Gandolfo, we will visit Piazza della Libertà. Here, we will take a moment to admire the impressive facade of the Papal Palace, the Pope’s summer residence. Our visit continues with an exploration of the Papal Palace itself, including the Vatican Observatory and the breathtaking Barberini Gardens, which offer panoramic views of Lake Albano.) Next, visit the Trevi Fountain area for some free time and lunch on your own. This afternoon, visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John the Lateran, the cathedral church and seat of the Bishop of Rome. Cross the street to the very steps that lead up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus climbed on His way to trial during His Passion. Our priest will celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Enjoy dinner and an overnight in Rome.

Today, we will tour St. Peter’s Basilica, which was built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here, you will have the opportunity to view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture and pray at the tombs of Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. Next, you will visit the Vatican Museum, where you can see the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, and Sistine Chapel. After lunch, continue down the Appian Way, one of the earliest roads built in ancient Rome, to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and the Catacombs. Have dinner and a restful overnight in Rome.

After a leisurely morning, we will take a short flight from Rome to Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. They will bring you on the 2.5-hour drive to the village of Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you will enjoy dinner before retiring for the evening.

The most beautiful features of Medjugorje are its simplicity and peace. While in Medjugorje, you will have the opportunity to deepen your faith and share in the spiritual journey of pilgrims from around the world. A local guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village.

Some activities that will accompany you in your spiritual journey:

Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Holy Mass (English-speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of religious articles for pilgrims.

Climb Apparition Hill: This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross, where Our Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the apparitions. Mirjana also had public apparitions at this holy site on the second of every month. While climbing to the top of Apparition Hill, pilgrims are invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times to pray each decade of the Rosary in front of the large bronze reliefs depicting each mystery. At the top of the hill, there is a statue of Our Lady in the exact location of her first apparition. Enjoy private time for prayer in this holy place.

Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): In 1933, the Medjugorje villagers built a 30-foot high cross atop the mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. You will have the opportunity to climb this mountain and venerate that very cross. While climbing, pilgrims pray the Stations of the Cross to meditate on Jesus’ suffering, pausing fourteen times for each station at the large bronze reliefs. Take private time at the top of the mountain before the cross for prayer in this holy place.

Apparitions: Each evening at 5:00 PM (or 6:00 PM from June 1st – until September 1st), you and fellow pilgrims will join Medjugorje villagers in saying the Rosary, to celebrate Our Lady’s apparitions at 5:40 PM (6:40 PM). After the Rosary, you can stay to attend the Croatian Mass. Following the Croatian Mass, there is a Blessing of the Sick.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. In response to her call, pilgrims will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Veneration of the Cross is on Fridays inside the church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon hours. Eucharistic Adoration is one of the most memorable experiences in Medjugorje. God’s grace is so tangible that one feels as though they can touch the Holy Spirit. During the service, the outside altar is surrounded by several thousand pilgrims and locals, as everyone rests in deep prayer.

Visit the Community of Cenacolo: Pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.

Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue of the Risen Christ is located on the grounds of St. James Church. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water out of Christ’s right knee. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this statue.

* Please be advised that there will not be a spiritual director with you throughout your stay in Medjugorje. Daily Mass in English and English confessions are available at St. James Church in Medjugorje.

If you would prefer our traditional pilgrimage/tour of Medjugorje, we would recommend you consider our Tour #1 (www.206tours.com/tour1) which provides a tour escort and spiritual leader through out your stay.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik, Split, or Sarajevo 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.