A Pilgrimage to Sicily and Rome with Fr. Shawn M. Therrien

We depart on an overnight flight to Palermo. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flights. Optional premium economy and business class quotes are available upon request, starting 120 days before departure. Group air and pricing will be available 10 months before departure. (Please note: specific seat assignments are not possible with group air. You may choose to book your own air if seat location is a priority)

Welcome to Sicily! We are greeted at the airport by our English-speaking tour guide, then board our private bus and transfer to Palermo, a city whose ancient roots date back to the Phoenicians. Depending on the flight arrival time, we may visit the Santuario of Santa Rosalia, where the saint’s relics are kept. Born into a wealthy family, Rosalia felt a strong calling to a life of solitude and prayer. She fled to the mountains near Palermo, where she lived as a hermit and performed miracles. Rosalia’s holiness spread throughout Sicily, and people from all walks of life sought her intercession. We celebrate Mass at the Shrine, then check into our hotel and enjoy our welcome dinner with wine. Overnight in Palermo.

This morning, we have a tour of the Old Palermo, commencing in front of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, and ending in Piazza Marina. During our 2-hour walking tour, we will visit Palazzo dei Normanni, a mammoth palace and artistic treasure, constructed by the Arabs over the ruins of a Roman fort in the 11th century. We see the Cappella Palatina, known for its stunning mosaics, the Palermo Cathedral, and the Church of San Giovanni Degli Eremiti, built in 1132 and surrounded by tropical gardens with 13th-century cloisters. Mass will be celebrated. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Palermo and try some of the city’s famous street food. Overnight in Palermo.

We visit the magnificent Cathedral of Monreale and celebrate a private Mass at the San Castrense Chapel. Following lunch on our own, we visit the lovely village of Caccamo and have a wine tasting at Cantine Duca di Salapurata. We return to Palermo for dinner and overnight.

We depart Palermo for Cefalù, where we visit the magnificent Cathedral, a Norman masterpiece founded by King Roger II. Mass will be celebrated. We continue along the coast to the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna of Tindari, one of Sicily’s most cherished Marian shrines. Lunch is on our own in town. We proceed to Messina, gateway city between Sicily and the mainland, to visit the Cathedral and its revered image of the Madonna della Lettera, patroness of Messina. Tradition holds that Mary sent a letter of blessing to the city’s early Christian community. We check into our hotel with time to explore Messina’s waterfront at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Messina.

This morning we have time to further explore Messina before departing along the coast toward Catania. En route, we pause in Taormina, perched dramatically above the sea, for views of the Greek Theater and the Sicilian coastline below. We continue to Catania, checking into our hotel with the evening at leisure. Mass will be celebrated. Overnight in Catania.

After breakfast, we are visiting Siracusa to see the Cathedral and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears. The sanctuary has become one of southern Italy’s major Marian pilgrimage centers, attracting visitors especially during annual feasts in late August and early September. The devotion to Our Lady of Tears emphasizes compassion, repentance, and hope. Here we celebrate Mass. Next, we visit the Basilica Santa Lucia al Sepolcro, built on the site where St. Lucy was killed. Here is Caravaggio’s masterpiece, “The Burial of St. Lucy.” We then visit the Catacombs of St. John. We continue to Ortigia, the historic city center, for lunch on our own. Afterwards, we will visit the Cathedral of Syracuse, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dinner and overnight in Catania.

In the morning, we drive to visit the Shrine of St. Agatha and celebrate Mass. We have time to explore Catania before we depart for the airport and our flight to Rome. Dinner and an overnight in Rome.

Today, we are blessed by the Holy Father during the Papal Audience. Following lunch on our own, we drive out of the city, stopping at the Chapel of Quo Vadis on the Appian Way, where we take a few steps along the ancient Road that St. Peter and St. Paul would have walked on their way to the Eternal City. Our last stop is the Church of St. Sebastian and the Catacombs, where the early Christians buried their dead, worshiped in secret, and where we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Rome.

This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and tour the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel. Following a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, we walk to the city center, where we see Piazza Navona and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva with the tomb of St. Catherine. We visit the Trevi Fountain. Our day ends at Gesu Church. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Rome.

Our day starts with Mass at St. Mary Major Basilica. We continue to St. John Lateran Basilica and the Holy Stairs next door. In the afternoon, we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls and the Tre Fontane Convent next door. Tonight, we enjoy a farewell dinner at a traditional Italian restaurant where we can sing along with local music and savor home-cooked dishes and regional wine. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we are transported to Rome airport for our flight home. Lunch and a snack will be served on the flight.