A pilgrimage to
Beautiful Italy
& Fatima, Portugal
June 16-27, 2011
Our pilgrimage will visit some of the holiest and most beautiful sites in Italy . We will begin with two nights in San Giovanni Rotondo; the holy town of St. Padre Pio, the magnificent mystic of the 20th century. From there we will visit Mont Sant'Angelo where St. Michael the Archangel appeared in the 4th century. Then we will travel to the Marian city of Pompei where we will stay for the following two nights with a stop en-route at the Abbey of Montecasino (burialplace of St. Benedict) and the Shrine of St. Filomena in Mugnano del Cardinale. In Pompei we will visit the The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary and the ancient ruins and take an excursion to the Shrine of St. Andrew the Apostle on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast. We will then make our way to Rome, the Eternal City; the physical heart of the Catholic Church, with the highlight of our visit being an Audience with Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI ( if available). From Rome we will travel to Portugal's capital city of Lisbon and on to the great Marian Shrine of Fatima for the last two evenings of our pilgrimage.
Highlights
- San Giovanni Rotondo; the vibrant town of Padre Pio
- The Cave of St. Michael the Archangel
- St. Benedict's Abbey of Monte Casino
- Rosary Basilica of Pompeii and ancient ruins- The magnificent Amalfi Coast
- A visit to St. Andrews, Amalfi
- The Sanctuary of St. Filomena, marvelous wonder worker
- An audience with Pope Benedict XVI on St. Peter's Square at Vatican City (pending)
- The unforgettably beautiful four Major Churches of Rome
- Michelangelo's Pieta
- Catacombs (secret underground burial and worship places of early Christians)
- Holy Staircase (Scala Santa) on which Christ ascended to meet Pilate
- Three nights in the village of the great Marian Shrine of Fatima, Portugal
Tour itinerary
Day 1 - Evening departure from Newark (NJ) Liberty Airport on-board an overnight flight to Lisbon, Portugal.Day 2 - Morning arrival in Lisbon with a connection onto a flight bound for Rome, Italy. Mid-day arrival in Rome from where we will set out eastwards for San Giovanni Rotondo, home of the famous friar, St. Padre Pio.Evening arrival and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Day 3 - Morning at the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, home of Padre Pio for 50 years until his death in 1968. Afternoon excursion to Mont Sant’Angelo on Puglia’s beautiful Gargano Peninsula, the site of four visitations of St. Michael the Archangel, beginning in 490. Among the most ancient Christian shrine in Europe, it is said to have been consecrated by St. Michael himself who specified it as a place where prayers would be answered. Late afternoon return to San Giovanni for overnight.
Day 4 - Morning departure for Pompeii stopping en-route in Mugnano del Cardinale to visit the Shrine of St. Philomena, the powerful 4th Century virgin martyr. Afternoon arrival in Pompeii to check-in at our hotel near the beautiful Basilica of Our Lady of Pompeii founded by Blessed Bartolo Longo, “Apostle of the Rosary” and “Father of orphans”. Visit the basilica and the famous ruins of Old Pompeii, destroyed and partially buried during the two day eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Day 5 - Enjoy a day excursion along the exquisite Amalfi coast. Upon arrival in the picturesque town of Amalfi, visit the Cathedral of St. Andrew, wherein are the relics of this great Apostle. Enjoy time at leisure in Amalfi. Late afternoon return and overnight in Pompei.
Day 6 - Morning departure for Rome, stopping en-route at the famous Abbey of Montecassino, founded in 529 by St. Benedict, the “Patriarch of Western Monasticism”. Here he organized a group of monks into a single monastic community and wrote his beautiful Rule that was to affect monasticism in the West for centuries to come. Upon a late afternoon arrival in Rome, drive along the ancient Appian Way to visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the tomb of the Apostle. Also visit the Catacombs (the maze of underground tunnels where the early Christians worshiped and buried their dead during the persecutions). Early evening arrival and check-in for three nights at Hotel Michelangelo near the Vatican.
Day 7 - This morning set out for Vatican City State, a walled enclave within Rome; the smallest state in the world and residence of the popes since the 14th century. Pass through the arms of Bernini’s monumental colonnade and enter onto St. Peter’s Square to gather with pilgrims from all over the world for a Papal Audience with Pope Benedict XVI, who meets with faithful here almost every Wednesday morning, offering words of gratitude and inspiration (pending) . Afternoon free to explore St. Peter's at leisure. Among the holiest sites of Christendom, it is built over the burial site of its namesake; Saint Peter the Apostle, the first Bishop of Rome. You may also want to walk to the historical heart of Rome to see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain (remember “Three Coins in a Fountain”). Or
you may want to visit the Vatican Museums (a group of magnificent galleries filled with relics and art treasures given to the Vatican over the centuries) and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's famous “Last Judgment”.Day 8 - Today enjoy a tour of Christian Rome. First visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran (original home of the popes); the oldest of Rome’s major basilicas. Within the main altar of this basilica is the wooden altar on which St. Peter offered Mass while in Rome. Next, visit the Church of Scalla Santa, built to enclose the staircase that Christ walked up to meet Pontius Pilate. Pass by the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Coliseum to visit another major basilica of Rome; St. Mary Major, one of the first shrines dedicated to Our Lady. Within its Crypt is the relic of the cradle of Our Lord.
Day 9 - Mid-morning departure from Rome Airport on-board a flight to Lisbon, Portugal. Upon arrival, transfer to Fatima. Mid-afternoon arrival and check-in at Casa Dominicanas in Fatima for the next three nights. All are welcome to attend the evening Rosary & candlelight procession at the Fatima Sanctuary.
Day 10 - Set out for the holy grounds of the Fatima Sanctuary where the Blessed Mother appeared over a holm oak tree to three shepherd children; Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francisco Marto and their cousin, Lucia Santos, from May to October of 1917. When describing the visions, 10 year old Lucia, the oldest of the children, said that the young woman identified herself as the “Lady of the Rosary” and appeared “brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water”. Her message was a reiteration of the Gospel; prayer, repentance, sacrifice and reparation. She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily for peace and an end to the war. See the chapel built over the apparition spot and the Rosary Basilica, dominating the sanctuary square, wherein are the tombs of Jacinta and Francisco, who died shortly after the visions, and Lucia, whose mission on earth to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart came to a close in 2005, at the age of 98. Afternoon excursion through the scenic countryside of central Portugal to the rugged Atlantic Coast passing by terraced olive groves, ancient villages and castles looming in the distant dating back to time centuries ago when these lands were won back from the Moors by the first king of Portugal. Our first stop is at the Dominican Monastery of Batalha, a 14th Cnt. masterpiece of Gothic and Manueline architecture, built to thank the Virgin Mary for victory over the Spaniards, fulfilling a vow of King Joao I. Next, drive to the fishing village of Nazare with it’s tiny chapel at the edge of one of Europe’s steepest cliffs, built to commemorate a miracle in 1181. Early evening return to Fatima.
Day 11- Morning walking tour to the nearby hamlet of Aljustrel where the shepherd children lived. Take the path of the shepherds as we by pass by olive groves and the little Shrine of Valinhos marking the Aug. 1917 apparition. See the Cabeco where the children were visited twice in 1916 by a heavenly figure in white, who identified himself as the Guardian Angel of Portugal, and taught them prayers in preparation for the events of the following year. In Aljustrel, visit the children's humble homes and another place of angelic apparition. Tme in the afternoon at leisure. Evening Farewell dinner.
Day 12- Morning departure on board a flight from Lisbon to Newark. Afternoon arrival at Newark.
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Tour details
Dates: June 16-27, 2011
Cost: $3695.00
Includes:
R/T air from Newark on TAP Air Portugal
All airport taxes and fuel surcharges
Land travel by luxury coach
Very good 3 & 4 * hotel accommodations
Breakfast & dinner daily
Guided touring (as on itinerary)
Entrance fees - Daily Mass
Cost is based on dbl. Room occ.
<for single room occupancy add $595>