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*Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1, Wednesday - June 11 - Depart USA
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown, for your overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2, Thursday - June 12 - Arrive in Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel.
Days 3, Friday - June 13 – Rome – Lanciano – Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we make our way east to Lanciano, and visit the Church of St. Longinus where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. It was here, as they celebrated the Latin Rite, a Basilian hieromonk was assigned to celebrate Mass. The monk had doubts about the real presense of Jesus Chris in the Holy Eucharist. With doubt in his voice, he said the “Words of Consecration” and the bread turned into living flesh, and the wine changed into live blood. The blood coagulated into five globules, corresponding to the wounds Christ suffered in each hand and foot on the cross, and the wound from the centurion’s spear. After free time for lunch, we will continue north toward the Adriatic coast to the great Marian Shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it 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. Enjoy lunch before we make our way to Assisi, the hometown of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, and the founder of the Franciscan Order. We arrive in time for dinner at our hotel.
Day 4, Saturday - June 14 – Assisi (St. Francis)
Today is a very special day, as we will spend a full day touring the home of the Saint that inspired our Holy Father. Pope Francis chose his name in admiration of the Saint of Nature and Servant to the Poor. Known for being a humble man himself, Pope Francis spent most of his life denying the luxuries of life, and preferring to live in simplicity and humility. Following breakfast, we will begin a tour of Assisi. Visit the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of the saint's possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild His Church. It was in St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. You will have some free time to shop or eat lunch at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St. Clare to see the saint's incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner and retiring for the evening.
Day 5, Sunday - June 15 – Assisi – Siena - Assisi
After breakfast we will head south to Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine (Doctor of the Church, and one of the two patron Saints of Italy, with St. Francis of Assisi) and Bernardine (known as the “Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the Catholic faith in the 15th century). Siena is also one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. After lunch, we will continue on to view the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic (Her body is preserved in Rome in the Basilica St. Maria sopra Minerva). We travel back to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 6, Monday - June 16 – Assisi – Orvieto - Rome
Following breakfast, we will board our bus that will bring us back to Rome. On the way, we will make a stop in Orvieto, where a Eucharistic Miracle is preserved in the Cathedral of Orvieto. In 1263, a Priest stopped to celebrate Mass at Saint Christina’s Church in Bolsena. Having doubts that the Eucharist was really the Body and Blood of Christ, the Priest was shocked when the host began to bleed right after the prayer of consecration. Unable to hide this fact, he interrupted the Mass and went to Orvietto where Pope Urban IV was in residence. The Pope ordered that the miraculous host and then linen altar cloth stained with blood be brought to Orvieto and placed on display, where is still rests today. The Cathedral also has some of the most magnificent frescoes to be found anywhere. The depicting visions of heaven and hell in the San Brizio Chapel rival those of the Sistine Chapel. Continue on to Rome where upon arrival, you will have a free afternoon to unpack, relax, and visit a few sites that are near the Hotel. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 7, Tuesday - June 17 – Rome (Full day touring Christian Rome)
Following breakfast, we will depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the most important and the oldest Church dedicated to Our Lady. St. Mary Major contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. Next, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, the Pope’s Cathedral Church where relics of both Peter and Paul remain under the main altar. It was here that Pope Francis was formally installed one year ago as Bishop of Rome. Next we cross the street to see the Holy Staircase which is believed to be a staircase from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem and brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th century. Time permitting we may climb the steps on our knees in memory of Christ’s Passion. Stop for lunch, and then we will continue on to visit St Paul. Outside the Walls, here we celebrate Mass. Continue our tour via the Appian Way -- the oldest road from Roman times--plus the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will conclude the day by visiting the famous, Trevi Fountain. Built in the 15th Century to mark the ending destination of the Aqua Virgo (a manmade channel erected in 19 B.C. to bring fresh water to Roman bathhouses.) The water comes from the Salone Springs, eight miles outside of the city. Legend has it, by tossing a coin into the fountain, it will guarantee a return trip to Rome. Dinner and overnight.
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Day 8, Wednesday - June 18 – Rome (Papal Audience & Vatican Museums)
Following breakfast, we will prepare for today, which we will have in our minds for many years to come. We will make our way to St. Peter’s Square to attend the Papal Audience, led by His Holiness, Pope Francis. (Papal Audience: Is scheduled to take place every Wednesday, pending the schedule of Pope Francis) Following the audience, visit of the Vatican Museums, containing a group of the most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics, and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest Church in Christendom, St Peter's Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter's is the grandest of the world's Churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. Pope Francis visited the tomb of St. Peter, following his elevation, for a visit of devotion that lasted 45 minutes. He is the first Pontiff to visit the necropolis since extensive archaeological excavations were conducted at the ancient site decades ago. We will also visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9, Thursday - June 19 – Rome - USA
Wake up in the “Eternal City” one last time. After breakfast, we will board our bus that will bring us to Rome Airport for our return flights home. We will bid farewell to our new friends and to a Pilgrimage which will be in our memories and hearts for a long time to come. We depart for Rome Airport and fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!
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| Single Supplement / Private Room |
$659 |
| Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (one-way) - pending availability |
$1,750 |
| Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (round trip) - pending availability |
$3,500 |
| First Class available |
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| Children's discounts for children under 12 |
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Additional Information & Travel Tips: Italy
Any Questions? To register or for more information, contact Amanda or Sandra at tel: 800-206-TOUR (8687) or email: [email protected] or
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy |
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Assisi Basilica, Italy |
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Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy |
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About Rome:
Rome has been one of history's most powerful and important cities, along with home to the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, and the site of the Vatican City. First built in 337, St. Peter's Basilica lies over the tomb of St. Peter. Contained within is a vast array of the most beautiful artwork ever assembled, reflecting the immensity, beauty, vastness, majesty, glory and awesomeness of God. |
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Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, a convert to Catholicism, is a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Before his conversion to Catholicism, he was a high school dropout who had been kicked out of a foreign country, institutionalized twice, and thrown into jail multiple times. After his radical conversion, he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology, from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, M.Div and S.T.B. degrees from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C., and a S.T.L. in Mariology from the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, OH. In addition to Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest, he has written No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy, a bestseller that recounts his dramatic conversion story (Marian Press – 2010). He is also the author of the book Purest of All Lilies: The Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina (Marian Press – 2008). Further, he has written many academic articles and is the editor of two books: The Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church (Marian Press – 2004) and The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body (Marian Press – 2005) Father Calloway is a Vicar Provincial for the Mother Mercy Province and the Vocation Director for the Marians.
Fr. Donald Calloway’s first prayer to Mary: “Mary, I love you so much and I am so in love with Jesus. I am so grateful for what you have given me. You are the Mother of God. You know Jesus. He is God, and you are His mother. And I believe that of all people you know Him best. Please cover me with your maternal mantle, for I am not the most brilliant man and could be easily deceived into believing or even making up my own Jesus. I want to know the real Jesus, the one whom so many people have turned away from.”
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