Join Michael & Wendy Ripple on a Pilgrimage to
The Shrines of Italy

November 3 - 12, 2013  |  SOLD OUT
Our price is based out of New York, you may depart from your local airport

*Optional Post Tour to Medjugorje*

   

 
About Michael Ripple:
From an early age, Michael Ripple felt called to one day become an ordained Roman Catholic priest. He fulfilled that calling at a young age, only to discover in the following years of service disillusionment and disenchantment with the Church he pledged to serve. Five years after ordination, Michael Ripple left the priesthood, married and began a new life as a husband and a father. After leaving the Catholic Church, Michael worked as a therapist for a short time. Longing for a stable faith life, he and his young family joined the Episcopal Church. Still feeling the call to serve God in ministry, Michael became an Episcopal priest and rector. Life as a married priest with a loving wife and beautiful son seemed to be the solution of finally achieving his childhood dream of serving God in ministry; yet, something was missing. In 2005, with his wife Wendy and six-year-old son Isaac, Michael made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in thanksgiving for Wendy's healing from cancer. While in Medjugorje, he strongly felt called by the Blessed Virgin Mary to reconcile with the Roman Catholic church---a Church from which he had been ex-communicated. In a near-miraculous short span of time, Michael and his family returned to the Catholic Church. Michael is currently involved in parish faith formation for youth with an emphasis on sharing the messages of Medjugorje. Together with his wife, he leads pilgrimages to Medjugorje and gives talks and retreats on a variety of spiritual topics. He reaches a broad audience because of the wealth of his experiences as a husband, father, priest, therapist, Protestant minister, author and even ex-communicant.



Michael
& Isaac Ripple


[email protected]
800-206-TOUR (8687)

Your Trip Includes:
Round Trip Airfare
        Bullet Our price is based out of New York, you may depart from your local airport
Airline Fuel Surcharges and Airport Taxes
8 nights at centrally located First Class Hotels or similar
      Nov 04-07 | 3 nights: Hotel Cicerone or Quirinale, Rome
      Nov 07-09 | 2 nights: Hotel Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni Rotondo
      Nov 09-12 | 3 nights: Hotel Giotto, Assisi
Optional Post Tour to Medjugorje:
      Nov 12-17 | 5 nights: Modern Home/Inn with private bath, Medjugorje
Breakfast and Dinner Daily
Professional Tour Escort & Assistance of professional local guides
Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
Sightseeing as per itinerary and admissions
Mass daily

Optional Post Tour to Medjugorje:
      Visit to Community Cenacolo
Luggage handling (1 piece per person)

 Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents

 

Not Included:
3.5% Credit Card Processing Fee, Lunches, Beverages, Travel Insurance optional (www.206tours.com/insurance), Cancellation Protection Plan at additional $199 (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection) Tips to your guide & driver, Items of a personal nature.


Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:


Day 1 | Sunday November 3, 2013: Depart USA - Italy
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.

 

Day 2 | Monday November 4, 2013: Arrive 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. Your tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.

 

Day 3 | Tuesday November 5, 2013: Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest Shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a Shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar; and the Appian Way -- the oldest road from Roman times--plus the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; see the ancient Baths of Lizcalla, Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner and overnight.

 

Day 4 | Wednesday November 6, 2013: Rome (Papal Audience & Vatican Museum)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness, Pope Francis I (Pending Papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of 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. We will also visit the Tomb of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican. Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.

 

Day 5 | Thursday November 7, 2013: Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave the Eternal City and head south, cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards, stopping at the Abbey of Monte Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Continue through the countryside heading east to St. Padre Pios town of San Giovanni Rotondo, our base for the following two nights. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

 

Day 6 | Friday November 8, 2013: San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant ‘Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old Church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where St. Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. Six different popes, St Francis and at least four other saints have knelt in prayer at this Grotto, seeking the protection of St Michael. A panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding countryside awaits you at this most celebrated Shrine of early Christianity, a Shrine consecrated by St Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni for devotions, reflection, and a restful overnight.

 

Day 7 | Saturday November 9, 2013: San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. We then continue on 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. Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 8 | Sunday November 10, 2013: 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. After stopping 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 9 | Monday November 11, 2013: Assisi – Sienna Full Day Excursion
We are off to the beautiful town of Sienna, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and 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. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 10 | Tuesday November 12, 2013: Depart Assisi - Rome Airport - USA
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. Early departure from Assisi for Florence (or Rome) Airport for our return flight to the USA. We fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!


OPTIONAL POST TOUR TO MEDJUGORJE:

 

Day 10 | Tuesday November 12, 2013: Assisi - Rome Airport - Medjugorje
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time. Early departure form Rome Airport for our short flight to Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver who will then take you on the 2 1/2 hour drive by private coach to the village of Medjugorje. Once there, you’ll meet your guide and be introduced to your host family in who modern and comfortable house you will be staying for the next five nights.

 

Days 11 to 14 | Wednesday-Saturday November 12-16, 2013: Medjugorje
Experience the beauty and peace of this simple village. During your stay in Medjugorje you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world. Here are some of the activities you'll be sharing with our fellow pilgrims: Each morning at 10am we assemble at St James Church for the English-language Mass (Feast days and Sundays English Mass is at Noon). Follow the path up Apparition Hill where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Touch and pray before the cross that commemorates the spot where Mary first appeared to the visionaries. Each evening at 5pm, we will join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. The apparition takes place at 5:40pm, and then stay on for Croatian Mass. Don't miss on Tuesdays and Saturdays Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and on Fridays Veneration of the Cross in the Church. Each evening during Croatian Mass, there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of the items you have with you. We will have the opportunity to climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30' high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Visit and pray at "Blue Cross", which is a place of great healings and graces- a very special place at the base of Apparition Hill. We will visit the community of Cenacolo.

 

Day 15 | Sunday November 17, 2013: Depart Medjugorje - USA
After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik Airport (Split or Sarajevo) for return flights home.

 



Additional Information & Travel Tips: 
Italy   Medjugorje

Any Questions? 
To book or for information, contact: Liz  tel: 800-206-TOUR (8687) or email: [email protected]

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MR110313

 



 

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Pilgrimage Upgrades:  
Single Supplement / Solo Traveler $639
*Optional Post Tour to Medjugorje $894
*Optional Post Tour to Medjugorje - Private Room$88
Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (one-way) $3,500
Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (round trip) $1,750
First Class available upon request
Children's discounts for children under 12 upon request




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Church, Monte Sant'Angelo, Italy   Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, Lanciano, Italy


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Pilgrimage Map


St. Peters Basilica, Rome, Italy

Holy House of Loreto, Loreto


Michelangelo's Moses, St. Peters Basilica, Rome, Italy

St. Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotond


Church of Pietrelcina, Pietrelcina, Italy

Madonna of Loreto, Loreto, Italy


Assisi Cathedral, Assisi, Italy

Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome, Italy


Assisi Basilica, Assisi, Italy



 
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1-800-206-TOUR (8687) Tel: (631) 361-4644 Bullet Fax: (631) 361-3682
www.206tours.com Bullet [email protected]
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