0909UA4 - Catholic Italy Pilgrimage 11 days from Portland, OR

Today we depart our home airport Portland, OR to connect with our overnight flight to Rome aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft.

We arrive in Rome late this morning, where we have a walking tour of the Roman Fora, the Arch of Constantine, and the Flavian Amphitheater, more commonly known as “the Coliseum”. We conclude our day at one of the Catacombs, burial place of early Christians. We celebrate Mass while there and view the 2nd and 3rd century fresco paintings. We continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we will be off to a few of Fr. Niall’s favorite spots in Rome. After lunch on our own, we visit St. John Lateran and Holy Stairs. We proceed to St. Paul’s Beyond the Walls. This huge, imposing Basilica, second only to St. Peter’s and one of the largest churches in the Christian world, contains an unusual gallery of papal portraits: 265 tablets portraying the popes of the past. We celebrate Mass here and return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following morning Mass at St. Peter's, we spend this morning seeing the treasures of the Vatican Museum. We marvel at Michelangelo's restored frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Continue to St. Peter's Basilica to view the “Pieta.” This afternoon we visit St. Mary Major. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Following an early morning departure from Rome we travel north through the Umbrian countryside. We stop at Orvieto for a visit and Mass at the breathtaking Cathedral, which is known as the jewel of Italian architecture. Inside the Cathedral is the Chapel of the Corporal, which houses the chalice cloth involved in the Eucharistic Miracle, which occurred in nearby Bolsena. In the 13th century a pilgrim priest named Peter of Prague was celebrating Mass at the crypt of St. Christina. He was having a faith crisis concerning the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and while speaking the words of the consecration, blood started to drip from the consecrated Host. Subsequently Pope Urban instituted The Feast of Corpus Christi. Afterwards we continue to Assisi. 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 then proceed to the hilltop village of Assisi for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning we begin with a short walk to the Basilica of St. Francesco for Mass. After our visit of the Basilica and the tomb of St. Francis, we begin our walking tour of the village with a visit to the Church of St. Clare “the little plant of Blessed Francis” as she loved to call herself, where we view the San Damiano crucifix that spoke to St. Francis. Kneeling before it, Francis composed the following prayer, which is among the oldest of his writings: “All Highest, Glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me the right faith, firm hope, perfect charity, and profound humility, with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly your most holy will. Amen.” This afternoon, our taxis take us up to the Hermitage of the Carceri, where Francis and his Friars retreated from the world to pray and fast. Here the grotto of St. Francis can also be seen. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we depart Assisi early this morning and drive east towards the coast and stop to celebrate Mass at Loreto, the site of Santa Casa or “Holy House”. 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. After our visit, we continue southwards via the coastal route to the town of Civitella del Tronto. Our first stop is the Marian sanctuary of Madonna dei Lumi (Our Lady of Enlightenment). Known as one of the more famous monuments in the area. It is located just before we reach the outskirts of town. We visit the monastic house as well as its church. Following our visit, we enjoy a late lunch provided by the sisters before continuing to the Abbey of Montesanto, which belongs to the Benedictine Order. The monastery is dedicated to the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. Pipe organ enthusiasts from around Italy and parts of Europe visit her to hear its exquisitely restored pipe organ. We visit with our sisters, who have a convent here. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure before we enjoy dinner provided by the sisters, before returning for overnight at our hotel.

This morning, following breakfast, we start our mini-retreat, led by Fr. Niall. We break for lunch at noon and conclude our retreat with Mass in the afternoon. We enjoy dinner with the sisters before returning to our hotel.

This morning we continue southwest, to the town of Manoppello. There we stop at the Santuario del Volto Santo “The Church of the Holy Face”, where we view the veil believed to be the same veil Jesus imposed his image on while on his way to Calvery. We continue to head south towards the coast to Lanciano, where we visit the site of the oldest Eucharistic Miracle certified by the Church. After almost eight centuries the Body and the Blood still maintain all the characteristics of fresh human material. We continue south to San Giovanni Rotondo, stopping for lunch on our own along the route before arriving in time for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Following breakfast, we visit the tomb of Beloved St. Padre Pio, where we celebrate Mass before departing for Rome. Following a stop along the way for lunch on our own, we continue to Rome in time for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to the U.S. arriving the same day.