Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit Jubilee Year Italy Pilgrimage

Depart on an overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and Breakfast will be served on the flight.

We arrive at Rome Airport, where our English-speaking Tour Manager greets and helps us to the bus. We are on our way to Assisi. En route, we stop in Foligno, home to St. Angela of Foligno, before continuing to Santa Maria Degli Angeli where we celebrate Mass. Upon arrival in Assisi, we visit Rocca Maggiore, which has an amazing view of the city below and the surrounding countryside. Settle into our hotel for dinner and a well-deserved rest. Overnight Assisi.

Today, we celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis, where St. Francis’ body is entombed. The church is adorned with beautiful frescoes painted by art masters Giotto and Cimabue. Following a tour of the Basilica, we have a walking tour through the medieval part of Assisi, including the birthplace of Francis, the home of his first follower, the “Museo Della Memoria” near the bishop’s house at Santa Maria Maggiore. We visit the Cathedral of Assisi, San Rufino, to see the Baptismal Font, where both St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized. We walk to the Eremo delle Carceri, a solitary cave and hermitage that Francis chose to retreat to and meditate in symbiosis with God’s creation and nature. This isolated corner on the woody slopes of Mount Subasio is full of peace and invites us to reflect where St. Francis once did. Our visit to the city of birds and silence includes the Shrine of Renunciation within St. Mary Major church. This shrine was built to commemorate where St. Francis renounced his wealth and family and began his life of poverty and service to the Lord. It is now where the tomb of Bl. Carlo Acutis lies. Bl. Carlo – the first millennial saint – dedicated part of his short life to cataloging Eucharistic Miracles from around the world. We also visit San Damiano Convent, where St. Francis heard the voice of Christ speak to him, “Go rebuild my church…”. Overnight in Assisi.

This morning we visit Fonte Columbo to see where St. Francis wrote the Rule. Our next stop is the Sanctuary of Greccio, where St. Francis reenacted the First Christmas and created the first live nativity scene. We have lunch after Mass and our visit to the Sanctuary. Continue our drive to Santa Maria Degli Angeli in the Valley to visit the Cathedral. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight in Assisi.

We drive to Perugia, Umbria’s regional capital, a picturesque town imbued with history and famous for chocolates and art. We see the plaque commemorating the spot where St. Francis was imprisoned and have time to explore the city before we depart on our motor coach to the Sanctuary of La Verna, the site where St. Francis received the Stigmata in the presence of the Seraph. Perched on an amazingly high setting in a deep forest, pilgrims will experience the beauty St. Francis and his companions shared at this holy place. After Mass in the Chapel of the Stigmata, we enjoy some quiet time for prayer in the various rocks and crevices of La Verna. We have time to enjoy lunch on our own before we join the Franciscan Friars for the over 600-year-old traditional procession to the Stigmata Chapel at 3:00 PM. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Following hotel check-out, we visit the Basilica and the tomb of St. Clare housing the San Damiano crucifix. We celebrate Mass before departing for Rome. Check into our hotel in Rome for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we visit Tre Fontane Convent to see where St. Paul was beheaded. At the nearby St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica, we celebrate Mass and walk through the first Holy Door of our pilgrimage. The afternoon and evening are at leisure to explore Rome on our own. Dinner is at leisure tonight. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, where we walk through the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage and visit the Vatican Museum. We see awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout the centuries as tributes of faith. We’ll cover the Gallery of Tapestries, the Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s masterpiece, with its restored mural of the Last Judgement. From the Sistine Chapel, we return to the Basilica and explore the largest church in Christendom, 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. Our visit includes headsets, so each pilgrim can benefit from a clear explanation of what we see. Following lunch, we walk past Castel Sant’Angelo to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Near them is the small Church of St. Louis of the French, where we see three masterpieces by Caravaggio. Near Piazza Navona in the Church of St. Augustine, we see the relics of St. Monica (St. Augustine’s mother), who rests in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Conclude the day with a visit to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church to see the burial place of St. Catherine of Siena. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to visit the nearby Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Dinner is at leisure tonight. Overnight in Rome.

Early this morning, we are transferred again to St. Peter’s Square, where we are blessed by the Holy Father during the Papal Audience. We then visit St. Mary Major Basilica, where we walk through the third Holy Door, celebrate Mass, and see the relics of the Holy Crib. At the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, we walk through our pilgrimage’s fourth and last Holy Door. Here, St. Francis persuaded Pope Innocent III to give permission to begin the Franciscan Order. The night before, the Pope had seen a man in a dream who was supporting the tottering building of St. John Lateran. The next day, when Francis appeared before Pope Innocent, His Holiness recognized the face from the dream and consented to Francis’s request. We pray by the Holy Stairs and venerate the Passion relics at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The visit of our pilgrimage will be at the Basilica of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, the mother Church of the Third Order Franciscan. Tonight, we enjoy a farewell dinner with local wine at a Roman restaurant. Overnight in Rome. (B.L.Special dinner)

After breakfast, we depart for the airport for our flight back home.