A Pilgrimage to France, Spain, Portugal & Italy in the Jubilee Year Under The Spiritual Direction Of Fr. Thomas Thodukulam

Today we board our flights to Rome with meals and beverages served aloft.

Upon arrival in Rome, we are greeted by our tour escort. We transfer to the St. Paul Outside the Walls and after a short tour we celebrate Mass. We then transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

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). 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.

Today we visit St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here we will walk through the Holy Door for the Jubilee and receive our plenary indulgence. Later, we will have the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II and view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture. Free afternoon to explore and shop in Rome on our own.

This morning we transfer to the airport in Rome to take an early flight to Lourdes. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel for dinner. In the evening, we join the candlelight processional.

This day we start with mass at the Grotto of Massabielle, where our Lady appeared to Bernadette in 1858. Later we take our official group photo in front of the Basilica, followed by our guided tour of Lourdes: The sanctuary of the Basilica of St. Pius X, the world’s largest underground church. The Basilica, The Baths, where thousands of miraculous cures have taken place is the most respected shrine and sanctuary in France. Also to be visited are sites associated with the life of Saint Bernadette, like the Boly Mill – where she was born; the Locale Mill – residence of her parents; the Cachot – formerly used as a jail where she lived at the time of the Apparitions; the Chapel – where she received her first Holy Communion; and the Parish Church – containing the baptismal font where she was baptized. We will have our dinner and overnight.

Today is yours to spend in prayer, reflection, and exploration in the sacred town of Lourdes. You may choose to spend more time in the Grotto of Massabielle, participate in the Baths, and attend Mass.

After breakfast we depart Lourdes and drive over the Pyrenees to Andorra la Vella and view Romanesque churches and stone houses in the city’s quarter along with a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Meritxell. Continue on to Barcelona.

This morning we visit the most famous Holy family church, La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is an unfinished Catholic Basilica in Barcelona designed by the celebrated Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi. We enjoy a full guided tour of the Basilica before we celebrate Mass. We will then continue to Park Guell before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we depart Barcelona and travel westward toward Madrid, passing through the scenic landscapes of Spain’s heartland. As we leave the Mediterranean coast behind, the terrain transforms into rolling hills, fertile vineyards, and vast plateaus dotted with charming villages and historic castles. Along the way, we witness the changing colors of the Spanish countryside, from the golden wheat fields of Castile-La Mancha to the rugged mountains in the distance. Upon arrival in Madrid, we check into our hotel, and the evening is free to explore Spain’s vibrant capital at our leisure—perhaps strolling through Plaza Mayor, visiting the iconic Puerta del Sol, or enjoying tapas in one of the city’s bustling neighborhoods.

After breakfast, we travel to the city of Avila, a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by the best-preserved medieval walls in Europe. Here the atmosphere has changed very little since the days of St. Teresa, to whom the city is dedicated. St. Teresa, a great mystic, was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. We will view the Cathedral and visit the Convent of St. Teresa, built on the site where she was born, and the Monastery of the Incarnation, where St. Teresa lived, wrote and had many mystical experiences. Here we will celebrate Mass and have time for reflection and to visit the comprehensive museum dedicated to her life. On a hill outside the city walls, we will visit the Cuatro Postes (four columns) monument where St. Teresa, at the age of seven, was found by her father after attempting to run away with her brother to die as martyrs in the land of the Moors. After our tour and lunch, we will head for Alba de Tormes, where Saint Teresa died in 1582 and is buried. The museum of the Carmelite Convent of the Annunciation here contains her incorrupt heart and left arm. We then transfer to Fatima for overnight.

This day is dedicated to exploring Fatima, one of the most revered Marian pilgrimage sites. Our Blessed Mother appeared here to three shepherd children—Lucia Santos and her cousins, Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francisco Marto, in 1917. Explore the Chapel of the Apparitions, the heart of the sanctuary, and visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, where the tombs of the visionaries rest. Participate in prayer and reflection as we walk the Via Sacra (Stations of the Cross), a moving spiritual experience in this holy place. In the evening we join the candlelight processional.

Today we board our return flights home with memories and keepsakes that will last a lifetime.