A Pilgrimage to Italy & Medjugorje with Fr. Joe Kim
October 13 Day 1: Depart USA: Flights to Rome: Today we board our overnight flights to Rome with snacks and beverages served aloft.
October 14 Day 2: Arrive Rome: Upon arrival we are greeted by our Holy Land Travel Center Representative who will accompany us throughout our tour. We then transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Rome (Dinner)
October 15 Day 3: Rome: Papal Audience & Major Basilicas: After breakfast, the group will attend one of the highlights of the trip, the Papal Audience. In the afternoon, we visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the oldest basilica of the Western World. We then visit the Holy Stairs, believed to be those that led to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, and the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest and most important shrines in the world dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 16 Day 4: Vatican Museum and Walking Tour: 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. Next, we begin our walking tour of Rome where we will view the famous Colosseum’s Exterior – the largest ancient amphitheater in the world and the site of countless gladiator games. Continue to the Roman forum, the administrative capital of the Empire and the site of some of the most famous speeches in history by the likes of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, and Cicero. We continue walking to marvel at the sight of the illuminated Trevi Fountain before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 17 Day 5: Rome – Monte Cassino – San Giovanni Rotondo: This morning, you will board the bus and enjoy the scenic route to the Abbey of Monte Cassino, the principal monastery of the Benedictine Order, founded by St. Benedict around 530 A.D. Continue on to San Giovanni Rotondo, where St. Pio of Pietrelcina (St. Padre Pio) lived for many decades and where thousands of people have flocked to be closer to this great saint and Our Lord. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Overnight: San Giovanni Rotondo (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 18 Day 6: San Giovanni Rotondo – Monte Sant’ Angelo: Visit the Old Church of Our Lady of Grace and see the confessional from where St. Pio spent an innumerable number of hours listening to confessions. Next, you will board the bus and travel along the beautiful Gargano Peninsula to the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel. Return for dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo. *Candlelight Procession – Between May and October, attend the weekly candlelight procession at the Sanctuary of St. Pio after dinner, at 9:00 pm.
Overnight: San Giovanni Rotondo (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 19 Day 7: San Giovanni Rotondo – Lanciano – Loreto – Assisi: After breakfast, we leave for Assisi. On the way, we stop in Lanciano for private Mass at the Church of St. Longinus- the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in the eighth century. At the time of the miracle, there was a Basilian monk, who struggled with the belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. During the time of Mass, the monk, with doubt in his voice, said the words of consecration, and the bread and wine transformed into physical flesh and blood. Leave for the Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. Tradition holds that this is the house in which Mary first prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived, before it was transported several times by angels, to its current location. End the day in Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare, with dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Overnight: Assisi (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 20 Day 8: Assisi: Tour of the Basilica of St. Francis, where you will see the tomb of St. Francis, and have the opportunity to view a series of frescoes depicting his life, along with a few of the saint’s possessions. Next, you will visit the Santuario Della Spogliazione where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ tomb is, the first millennial to be declared Blessed. Continue the tour by walking through this picturesque town, where St. Francis and St. Clare both followed God’s call to rebuild his church. Enjoy some free time – for additional prayer, shopping, and lunch. After lunch, board the bus, which will take you outside of the walls of Assisi, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This Basilica is made up of two structures, both of which you will visit. The first structure is the “Porziuncola” and the second is the “Capella del Transito” which is the place where St. Francis died. Return to the hotel for dinner and a restful overnight.
Overnight: Assisi (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 21 Day 9: Assisi – Orvieto – Bolsena – Rome: This morning, you will ride through the beautiful Umbrian mountains to Orvieto. This incredible town sits on a volcanic high rock formation. Here we visit one of the most beautiful and renowned Cathedrals in Italy. Because of its strategic location, its Christian history officially started in 1004, but Orvieto was built over preexisting Etruscan-era cave tunnels dating back 2,500 years, which some historians believe Christians used to celebrate Mass when Christianity was forbidden. Next, we visit the nearby town of Bolsena and the Cathedral housing the corporeal of the Miracle of the Eucharist which took place in 1262. Here we celebrate Mass. Continue to Assisi, the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare. Upon arriving, check in to your hotel. Dinner and overnight. Retire to your room for a restful night’s sleep. Transfer to Rome for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 22 Day 10: Flights to Medjugorje: We take our flights to Medjugorje. Upon arrival to Dubrovnik (or Split) International Airport, your group will meet with your guide and driver and your pilgrimage journey to Medjugorje begins. After short border formalities, between the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, group will arrive in Medjugorje. Check in to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Overnight: Medjugorje (Dinner)
October 23 Day 11: Medjugorje: After breakfast on your first morning in Medjugorje, your local guide will begin introductions starting with a walk from your hotel to the Church St. James. You will arrive just before your first English language mass at 10:00 am. While in Medjugorje, we will join thousands of pilgrims from all over the world celebrating daily mass at St. James Church, visiting Bijakovici Village, Apparition Hill (also known as Podbrdo, where Our Lady first appeared), and gathering at 6PM each evening together to pray the rosary. All three Mysteries will be prayed during the evening program. Today we will attend Veneration of the Cross which is held on Fridays. After the Holy Mass, there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of any religious items or souvenirs that you have with you. Every pilgrim in Medjugorje will have time for private devotions, shopping, or simply enjoying your own “freedom of prayer.” We will enjoy dinner each night at our hotel.
Overnight: Medjugorje (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 24 Day 12: Medjugorje: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. For this, you will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays; In the afternoon we transfer to Mt. Krizevac. In 1933, the villagers built a 30 foot high cross atop a mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. Your group will have the opportunity to climb this mountain and venerate that very cross. While climbing, your group is invited to pray the Stations of the Cross (to meditate on Jesus’ suffering Road to Calvary), pausing fifteen times for each Station.
Overnight: Medjugorje (Breakfast, Dinner)
October 25 Day 13: Dubrovnik & Flights Home: Today we transfer to Dubrovnik or Split. Time permitting, we will take a short orientation tour before boarding our return flights home with memories that will last a lifetime.