Our pilgrimage begins today as we depart by private motorcoach to Montreal. Upon arrival, we’ll make a visit to the Notre Dame Basilica, dedicated in 1829. We’ll spend the remainder of the day touring Old Montréal, an area bespeckled with historical attributes dating from 1642 and filled with cafes, museums, and entertainment. Dinner. Overnight Montréal.

Following breakfast, we visit Mount Royal for a panoramic view of the city on our way to spend our morning at St. Joseph’s Oratory, the world’s largest shrine dedicated to St. Joseph. One of the world’s most-visited shrines and holding over 10,000 worshipers, with its dome reaching up to 97 meters, it is second only in height to St. Peter’s in Rome. We’ll visit the original chapel, the Votive chapel, the crypt, and view relics of St. André Bessette. Following lunch break at the oratory, we visit the Basilica Marie Reine du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World), which serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Montréal, the third largest church in Québec, after St. Joseph’s Oratory and St. Anne de Beaupré. Following our visit, we’re off to the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum and the Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours. This 300-yearold chapel and museum gives us insight into the life of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys and the early settlers of Montréal. We’ll visit the many exhibition rooms which lead you from the stone crypt to the very top of the tower for a spectacular view of Old Montréal and the Old Port. Dinner. Overnight Montréal.

We’ll depart after breakfast for Kahnawake to visit the St. Francis Xavier Mission and the tomb of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. This historic mission houses artifacts dating from the 17th to 20th centuries. Other items of interest include a replica of the World Trade Center fashioned by Mohawk iron-workers and the legendary Deerfield Bell. We continue to Shawinigan and enjoy lunch, listening to local musicians who gather in the area (date/weather permitting) in our free time. We then visit the Pilgrim house “La Madone” at Our Lady of the Cape Shrine, Canada’s National Shrine to Our Blessed Mother. Standing on the shore of the St. Lawrence River and welcoming half a million pilgrims a year, it is the oldest church kept in its integrity in Canada. We’ll enjoy the beautiful gardens with an oasis of greenery that inspire peace and tranquility. Next, we continue towards Québec City, the cradle of French culture in North America. Overnight Québec City.

We enjoy breakfast and morning Mass before embarking on a tour of Old Québec City, where we’ll learn more about the role of our Catholic faith in the history of Québec. We’ll visit the Basilica Cathedral Notre-Dame de Québec, home to the only Holy Door in North America, as well as the crypt, the François de Laval Center, the Ursuline Monastery and the Marie de l’Incarnation Center, the Augustine Monastery, and the Catherine de Saint-Augustine Center. In the afternoon, we’ll take a guided tour of Château Frontenac, the grand historic hotel overlooking the St. Lawrence River, exploring its rich history and architectural splendor. We’ll gather for dinner in charming Québec. Overnight Québec City.

Following breakfast, we’re off to visit Montmorency Falls Park, where waterfalls are 272 feet high (100 feet higher than Niagara Falls), where we’ll admire the views. We then proceed to the Albert Gilles Copper Museum of Art, where we’ll learn about the art and historical prevalence of embossing copper. Following our visit at the museum, we proceed to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré which welcomes over a million visitors a year. We break for lunch and then learn about the fascinating history of the shrine through its mosaics, stained-glass windows, stone and wood sculptures, as well as its numerous chapels. We’ll also visit the St. Anne museum with free time to explore the grounds. Following Mass, we return to Old Québec City for our farewell dinner. Overnight Québec City.

We’ll enjoy breakfast and Mass this morning before our return bus ride to New York.