11 Day Poland and Rome
*** DAILY MASSES INCLUDED ***
Day 1- Depart the U.S.A for Warsaw Poland. Dinner and breakfast will be served aloft.
Day 2- Warsaw Upon arrival in Warsaw Airport you will be greeted by your tour escort. After a warm welcome to Poland, you will be escorted to your transportation. We begin our pilgrimage with Mass at St. James Church, where St. Faustina went when she arrived in Warsaw (time permitting). Dinner and overnight in Warsaw.
Day 3- Warsaw After breakfast, we visit all the landmarks of Warsaw: Old Town, Market Square, the Barbican, the Warsaw Ghetto monument, and the magnificently restored Royal Castle (Exterior Visit). Drive along the Royal route to Lazienki Park for a stroll along its gardens, seeing the Chopin monument and Palace on the water. Continue to visit and celebrate Mass at 39 Zytnia Street where Faustina entered the convent before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 4- Warsaw - Niepokalanow - Swinice Warckie – Czestochowa After breakfast, we travel toNiepokalanow where we will see a Franciscan Monastery founded by St. Maximillian Kolbe. We continue to Swince Warckie to visit the parish church St. Casimir where St. Faustina was baptized Helen Kowalska. We arrive in Czestochowa, the home of the greatest pilgrimage shrine in Poland - Our Lady of Czestochowa. We enjoy dinner at our hotel and overnight.
Day 5- Czestochowa - Auschwitz – Zakopane We begin our day with Mass at Jasna Gora Monastery where the picture of the Black Madonna is located. We will have time to explore this most important places (Guided tour included) of religious worship. The tradition of pilgrimage to the monastery that goes back to the 14th-century and Pope John Paul II frequently visited throughout his life. We will have time to venerate the priceless treasures contained within, including the Miraculous Icon. We continue on to Zakopane, with a stop along the way to visit the Auschwitz the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz (Tour included) where millions were killed during World War II including St. Maximillian Kolbe who starved after volunteering his life for that of a fellow prisoner. Continue to Zakopane for dinner and overnight.
Day 6- Zakopane - Wadowice – Krakow This morning you will have an opportunity to enjoy a short walk on one of John Paul II's favorite walking trails in Zakopane, Start your visit as you make our way to the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Fatima, a chapel constructed in 1999 in gratitude for Pope John Paul II’s survival of an assassination attempt. Celebrate Mass at Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. We continue our tour with a cable car ride to the heights of Mt. Gobuwlka for a stunning view of the Tatras Mountains and the town of Zakopane. On your visit to Zakopane you will sense the love of nature that Pope John Paul II enjoyed here, and his passion for partaking in scenic hikes through the mountains. Free time for shopping at Krupowki Street in the local bazaar. Lunch on your own. On to Krakow and en route will stop by Wadowice to visit the birthplace of Pope John Paul II and his childhood home which is now a museum and the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary where he was baptized. Continue to Krakow for a dinner and overnight
Day 7- Krakow After breakfast, we will visit the Wawel hill to tour the Cathedral, Coronation Chapel and the Royal Chambers where a superb collection of Arras tapestries are on view. Continue to explore Krakow’s Market Square and hear the silver trumpet of the bugler - Hejnal from St. Mary's Tower we visit the church where we can pray before the extraordinary Wit Stwosz altar. The surroundings of the square have remained unchanged for almost 700 years and contain buildings of historic value, such as the Town Hall Tower, the Cloth Hall, and the Burgher’s houses. Afternoon visit the Franciscans Church with its stunning stained glass windows. Walk through the Kazmierz Quarter and we will celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Stanislaw na Sklace “on the Rock”. Dinner on our own or an Optional Dinner and Folklore Show.
Day 8- Krakow - Lagiewniki - Wieliczka – Krakow. After breakfast, we depart for our day's excursion to Lagiewniki, the capital of the Divine Mercy. It was here that the message of the Divine Mercy originated, which Christ Himself wished to pass on to our generation through the mediation of St. Faustina. The Sanctuary houses graceworking image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of St. Faustina. As we visit the Shrine of Divine Mercy we will see St. Faustina's convent chapel and her Tomb. We visit the newly constructed Shrine of Divinity dedicated by Pope John Paul II on his last visit to Poland in 2002. We celebrate Mass at the Shrine before we visit the new center "Have no Fear" where we pray by the relic of Blessed Pope John Paul II. Continue to to visit Wieliczka to visit Europe’s oldest salt mine which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The mines are a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers and decorated chapels carved out of salt including the famous Chapel of St. Kinga. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Krakow / Rome. This morning we drive to the airport for our flight to Rome. Upon our arrival at the airport we will be met and begin a tour of the Catacombs, the Appian Way, Capitoline Hill, St. Peter in Chains, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, and Palazza Venezia. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 10: Rome. Today we transfer to the Vatican City for the Audience with the Pope, Wednesdays only, if available. This afternoon our visit to the Vatican City includes the Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square, Church of St. Peter, Basilica of St. Paul, the ancient Appian Way and the catacombs of St. Caliztus. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 11: Rome / U.S.A. Early departure from Rome to the United States - the end of a most enjoyable pilgrimage.