Rome in the Jubilee Year
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Pilgrimage Overview
Join Fr. Gabriel Garica on a pilgrimage to Rome in the Jubilee Year!
DAY 1
Depart USA
Today we board our overnight flights to Rome with meals served onboard.
DAY 2
Arrive Rome
Welcome to Rome, also known as, “The Eternal City”. Upon arrival at Rome airport, collect our luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrivals Hall, where we will be greeted by our tour manager. We will make our way to the bus, and we will drive to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate Mass. Enjoy time at leisure for lunch – Continue to the hotel, time permitting we will enjoy a panoramic tour of the Imperial Rome monuments, with stop at the Colosseum. Check in at the hotel, dinner and overnight
DAY 3
Rome
We transfer to the Vatican City to join pilgrims from around the world for an audience with His Holiness the Pope (subject to the Holy Father’s schedule and health). After lunch at a local restaurant (included) we will enjoy a walking tour through the imposing baroque squares, fountains, and churches of Rome. We will start from Castel Sant’Angelo, then we cross the river Tiber and reach Navona Square with the famous Bernini’s fountain of the Four Rivers. Continue to the Pantheon and the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where we can celebrate Mass- Balance of the afternoon at our leisure. Dinner is on our own tonight. Return to the hotel for overnight
DAY 4
Rome
Today we tour the Vatican Museums, where we will marvel at the sight of the incredible collections of art, we will see the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, and Sistine Chapel. After we continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here, we will have the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II and view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture. Break for lunch. In the afternoon we continue our guided tour to visit the Major Basilicas. -The ceiling of the Basilica of St. Mary Major is said to be decorated with gold that Columbus brought back from the new world. This basilica, the largest in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Mother, is part of the day’s “Christian Rome” tour, and has beautiful Biblical mosaics, a marble floor, bell tower and one of the oldest shrines (containing a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus) dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. We will also visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran which is the oldest of the major basilicas and ranks first as the actual “parish church” of the Pope (Bishop of Rome). There we will learn about the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs). Tradition has it that these steps, said to be the staircase leading once to the praetorium of Pilate at Jerusalem, are sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ during his Passion. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5
Jubilee
Today we will start the Jubilee Procession and enter the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica. Here we will celebrate Mass. Then we will enjoy the guided tour of the Basilica and Vatican Scavi, the necropolis underneath the Basilica, where the tomb of St. Peter is located. Free afternoon at leisure for shopping or to discover the Eternal City on our own. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 6
Napoli
We board our bus and enjoy the scenic route to Monte Cassino. During the bus ride, our tour escort will share interesting information regarding the spiritual, historical, and cultural aspects of Italy. Monte Cassino, the principal monastery of the Benedictine Order, was founded by Saint Benedict around 530 A.D. We tour the monastery. There will be an opportunity to visit the gift shop before we board the bus to continue towards Naples, where we will arrive in the early afternoon. Check in at the hotel. This afternoon, with our guide, we will enjoy a panoramic tour of Naples. We will visit the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore to see the Presepe Nativity Scene. Next, we visit the Duomo to see the Chapel of St. Januarius (San Gennaro) the city’s main patron saint. The best-known miracle, still ongoing, relates to the saint’s blood – two vials contain San Gennaro’s coagulated blood, which liquefies each year thrice. On September 19, the saint’s feast day, the archbishop of Naples presides over a Mass and ritual marking the liquefaction. After the blood liquefies, the bishop places the vials on the altar for eight days so the faithful can venerate the relics. A 21-gun salute sounds off from the 13th-century Castel Nuovo near the port. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 7
Pompei
After breakfast, we set out for Pompei. There we will go on an archaeological journey through the ancient city. Buried under a layer of ashes and lapilli by a sudden eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D, after 1700 years, the excavations have brought to light Pompei, a town whose daily light of Imperial Age has been petrified, as if under a spell. Furthermore, visiting the “frozen city”, we will see houses, shops, temples, squares, streets and understand the way of living of the ancient Romans. After we break for lunch, we will celebrate Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine before heading to San Giovanni Rotondo. Check in at the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY 8
San Giovanni Rotondo
Following breakfast at the hotel, we will tour Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the hospital founded by Padre Pio and return to Santa Maria delle Grazie, to visit the church and confessional where Padre Pio committed himself to hours of listening to Confession as he was incredibly devoted to the sacrament. It was said that he could read souls, and pilgrims have long been known to leave tiny papers with intentions near his confessional. At this shrine, we will also see the incorrupt body of this great saint, along with his living quarters. Next, we will board the bus to travel along the beautiful area known as the Gargano Peninsula to Monte Sant’Angelo (grotto of St Michael) where St Michael is said to have appeared in the years 490, 492 & 493. Mass will be celebrated in the grotto this day. Lunch and free time in this charming and quaint area prior to returning to the hotel. This evening, as scheduling allows, we attend the weekly 9:00pm candlelight procession at the Sanctuary of Padre Pio following dinner at the hotel.
DAY 9
Assisi
We depart the hotel early this day following breakfast. On the way, we stop in the town of Lanciano to visit the Church of St Longinus, the site of what many believe is the greatest Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. In the 8th century, a monk offering mass was said to be plagued by doubts regarding transubstantiation. At pronouncing the words of consecration, the host was miraculously changed into flesh and the wine into blood. Since that time, countless pilgrims have visited to behold the monstrance which contains the miracle. After Mass and time at leisure for lunch, Continue towards Loreto (approx. two hours’ drive). Where upon arrival we will visit the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy House. Inside of the Basilica is a conserved part of the House of Joseph and Mary in Nazareth- Our last destination is Assisi.
DAY 10
Assisi
After Breakfast, our walking guided tour departs from Santa Chiara Church that honors St. Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare Sisters. This Saint followed the teachings of St. Francis very closely by also living a life of poverty and humility. By walk we reach the Santuario Della Spogliazione where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ tomb is placed. Carlo is the first millennial to be declared Blessed who loved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. From there, we will continue a walking tour through this picturesque town, including the birthplace of St. Francis, and finally we will visit St. Francis Basilica. In the upper basilica, we will marvel at the site of the great frescoes from Giotto, which describes the life of St Francis, in the lower basilica we visit the tomb of St. Francis. We will also visit today San Damiano & the Porziuncola.
DAY 11
Castel Gandolfo
We take a scenic drive to the Tuscan city of Siena. (2 hrs. drive) This medieval city is the birthplace of St. Catherine “Doctor of the Church”, and the Apostle of Italy, St. Bernardine. Visit of the Basilica of St. Catherine (which is also known as the Basilica of St. Domenico). St. Catherine passed a large part of her life inside the walls of this Basilica which today houses relics of the Saint. After, visit the Shrine of St. Catherine, which occupies the site of her family home. Enjoy your walking tour through the Siena including a visit to its Cathedral (Duomo di Siena). Conclude at one of Italy’s finest squares, the Piazza Del Campo, where we will be given free time to spend at leisure. There are several restaurants surrounding the square to have lunch, as well as shops for gifts and souvenirs- In the afternoon we drive to Castel Gandolfo, a hilly village located on a lake, few miles south of Rome, where the popes used to spend their summer vacation. Here we will enjoy farewell dinner and overnight.
DAY 12
Return Home
Today we board our return flights home with memories and keepsakes that will last a lifetime!
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 4-5 Star Hotels
- Roundtrip Flights
- Excursions per itinerary
- 10 Nights Accommodation
- Meals per itinerary
- Professional Catholic Tour Guide
- Spiritual Directors
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Passport and Visas (Refer to the section below for Passports or Visas help)
- Gratuities
TRAVEL INSURANCE
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