Pilgrimage to Italy & Portugal

Today we embark on our pilgrimage with an overnight flight from Phoenix to Rome. Enjoy meals and refreshments served on the plane.

Upon arrival in Rome, we will gather our bags, board our bus, and transfer to our hotel for check in. In the evening, we will enjoy a welcome dinner for our pilgrimage. Overnight in Rome.

In the morning, we will head to Saint Peter’s Square for the Papal general audience with Pope Francis (subject to the Pope’s schedule). Afterward, we will have a private Mass nearby. After lunch on your own, we’ll embark on a tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. At St. Peter’s Basilica we will walk through the final Holy Door. This door is one of three entrances into St. Peter’s Basilica, which along with the other Holy Doors usually remains closed, but when it is opened imparts an indulgence to those who walk through it. Tonight, we enjoy our farewell dinner. Overnight in Rome.

Today we will visit and have an opportunity to walk through the Holy Doors at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. The Holy
Doors of Rome’s four major papal basilicas are opened only during times of jubilee, symbolize passing into the presence of God by way of our Lord Jesus, who called himself the “gate.” Those who walk through them are granted a plenary indulgence for the removal of temporal punishment for their sins. At the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran we also will have the opportunity to climb the Lateran Steps and attend Mass. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

After breakfast, we will embark on a historic tour of Ancient Rome. We will stroll along cobblestone streets, lined with majestic stone pines, and visit the Colosseum, a grand amphitheater of the ancient
world. Passing by the Roman Forum, we will witness the ruins of ancient government buildings. We’ll finish the day visiting the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, a resting place of several popes from the 2nd to 4th centuries. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Today we depart Rome and make our way to the hill town of Orvieto where St. Thomas Aquinas taught and where the Eucharistic Miracle took place in 1263. Ascend by funicular to the Cathedral and its wonderful Fresco Cycle by Signorelli including “The Last Judgment.” After Mass here, there will be time for lunch at one of the many cafés and restaurants. We will have some leisure time before we board the bus and depart for Assisi. Upon arrival in Assisi, we will check in to the hotel then walk into town and watch as Assisi is illuminated by oil lamps, for the feast of St. Francis, burning consecrated oil brought
from a different Italian town each year. Overnight in Assisi.

After breakfast, we will visit the quaint hilltop birthplace of St. Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, when St. Francis began his ministry. We begin with Mass at Chiesa Nuova, built in 1615 on the site of the birthplace of St. Francis. Next, we will proceed to the Church of St. Clare to see the Saint’s body and pray for her intercession. St. Clare was the foundress of the Order of Poor Clare’s. Then on to the basilica of St. Francis where we will pray over his tomb. The remainder of the day has been set aside for you to visit Assisi as you wish. Overnight in Assisi.

Today we make our way north to the cradle of the Renaissance. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli are all buried. We see the Cathedral of Santa Maria
del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery of St. John. Next, we depart for the airport in Florence to boars our short flight to Lisbon, Portugal. Overnight Lisbon.

Today we begin with a tour of Lisbon. We’ll visit the Tagus River. Visit to visit the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Monument. Next, we will visit the birthplace of St. Anthony of Padua in Lisbon and further north we’ll visit St. Stephen’s Church in Santarem and adore the miracle of the “Bleeding Host.” Evening arrival into Fátima. Tonight, we’ll all head to the shrine for the candlelight procession. Overnight in Fatima.

After breakfast we will enjoy Mass at the Capelinha built over the holm oak tree where Our Lady appeared five times to the three shepherd children Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. We’ll tour the Basilica and Shrine. This afternoon, we’ll walk together the Way of the Cross, which takes us through Aljustrel, Valinhos, and the Loca do Cabeço. We’ll visit Aljustrel where the angel of Portugal appeared, and Valinhos where Our Lady appeared in August of 1917. Tonight, we’ll all head to the shrine for the candlelight procession. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.

Our schedule today includes an optional day trip to the Atlantic Coast, its beaches, and the markets of Nazaré. We’ll visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré, located high on a hilltop. The Sanctuary memorializes a miracle which occurred in 1182, when a horseman who was about to be carried off the hilltop to his death cried out to the Virgin Mary, through whose intercession he was spared. We will travel to the medieval town of Batalha including its mighty church and the Abbey of Alcobaça. Founded in 1152, the church and monastery are the earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Portugal. We will return to Fatima for dinner, then head to the Shrine for the candlelight Rosary procession. Overnight stay in Fátima, Portugal. B, D.

With a renewed sense of pilgrimage and an invigorated love of our Catholic faith, we will board our plane
for our flight home.