Pilgrimage to Italy April 11- 20, 2023

Dear Pilgrims,

Join us on this sacred and life changing pilgrimage to Italy! During our journey together we honor Padre Pio, the Capuchin Saint, and learn of his compassion and obedience to God’s truth, We visit Monte Sant’ Angelo and venerate the sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel. We honor St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi and continue to Orvieto visiting the Cathedral and learning of the miracle that led to the Feast of Corpus Christi. Our pilgrimage concludes with the Wednesday audience with Pope Francis!

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ITALY ITINERARY

Tuesday, April 11 – Day 1 |DEPART USA Today we depart from Atlanta and connect to our overnight flight to Rome aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast aloft.

Wednesday, April 12 – Day 2 | ORVIETO/ASSISI Upon arrival we journey to the hilltop village of Orvieto to visit its magnificent Cathedral and pay homage to the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena. After Mass in the Cathedral, we have some free time for lunch and to explore this quaint hilltop town, discovering the famous olive oil and wine. Our next stop is Assisi, the home of Saint Francis, the patron saint of Italy and Saint Clare, one of his early followers. Our first stop is in the lower town for a visit to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, and the Portiuncula, Francis’ Church of the Little Portion. We continue to the upper village for dinner and overnight at our Assisi hotel.

Thursday, April 13 - Day 3 | ASSISI After breakfast, included daily, we visit the Basilica of St. Francesco and pray at the tomb of St. Francis. We celebrate Mass here. We view relics and beautiful frescoes by Giotto depicting the life of Italy’s patron saint, then we begin our walking tour of the village. We stop in at the famous Temple of Minerva, a former pagan temple, now the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church in the Piazza del Comune. We visit the Basilica of Santa Chiara, the final resting place of St. Clare, where her body is preserved in the crypt and where the famous crucifix that spoke to Francis is preserved. We stop at the tomb the first Millennial, soon-to-be Saint Carlo Acuti. We continue to San Damiano, to visit the dormitory where Clare slept and the chapel where the sisters prayed. This afternoon, we can enjoy this picturesque, peaceful hillside village on our own. Dinner and overnight at our Assisi hotel.

Friday, April 14 - Day 4 | LORETO/SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO Today, we drive east towards Ancona and visit Loreto, the site of the Santa Casa or Holy House, where we celebrate Mass. Ancient tradition tells us angels carried the house of the Holy Family from Nazareth to Loreto as it was about to be destroyed by Holy Land invaders. We continue to San Giovanni Rotondo, and we enjoy a walking tour of the area associated with Saint Padre Pio. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Saturday, April 15 - Day 5 | SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDA/MONTE SANT’ANGELO We enjoy breakfast, and we start a walking tour of San Giovanni Rotondo, celebrating Mass at the tomb of Saint Padre Pio. We visit the sanctuary, the museum, and the old church. In the afternoon we visit Monte Sant’ Angelo to call for the help and protection of St. Michael Archangel. This evening we enjoy a dinner in a local restaurant with flavor and overnight at hotel.

Sunday, April 16 - Day 6 | SAN GIOVANNI/LANCIANO/SUBIACO/ROME After breakfast we drive north towards Lanciano and pray at the site of the oldest Eucharistic Miracle certified by the Church, where we celebrate Mass. After almost eight centuries the Body and the Blood still maintain all the characteristics of fresh human material. We then continue towards Rome with a short stop in Subiaco. It was here that Saint Benedict and his sister Scolastica retired at the end of the 5th Century and built five little monasteries. We visit the Monastery of St. Benedict, which dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. We visit the Sacred Cave where Benedict lived as a hermit for three years. The staircase holds the earliest portrait of St. Francis without his halo or stigmata. We continue to Rome for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Monday, April 17 - Day 7 | ROME This morning our first stop is the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wall, where we celebrate Mass. This magnificent basilica with enormous marble columns and gold mosaics, is built over the grave site of St. Paul the Apostle, after he was executed in the first century AD in Rome. Portraits of each of our Popes grace the walls of the basilica, with a ray of sunshine lighting up the portrait of Pope Francis. We then enjoy a stop at Piazza Navona and free time for lunch. We walk by the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain. and visit the Pantheon. We continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Tuesday, April 18 - Day 8 | VATICAN CITY/ROME We start our day at St. Peter’s Basilica, location of the famous sculpture “La Pieta”, and tombs of many Popes, to celebrate Mass. After, we visit the Vatican museums and marvel at the many treasures including Michelangelo’s restored frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. We have free time for lunch, before we visit St. Mary Major Basilica. We then visit St. Peter in Chains to view Michelangelo’s possibly most celebrated sculpture, the “Moses”. Finally, we visit the 16th century Church of Domine Quo Vadis. (“Lord where are you going?”) Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Wednesday, April 19 - Day 9 |VATICAN CITY/ROME This morning, after breakfast, we make our way to St. Peter’s for an audience with Pope Francis if he is in residence. After free time for lunch, we continue to the Basilica of St. John Lateran. It is here that St. Francis gained permission from Pope Innocent III for the Franciscan Order. We walk to the nearby Santa Scala, which are believed by many to be the staircase from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem, brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th century. Tonight, we enjoy our farewell dinner in a local restaurant in Trastevere, with entertainment. Overnight at our Rome hotel.

Thursday, April 20 - Day 10 | ROME/USA This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to the U.S. arriving the same day.