Great Saints Pilgrimage to Poland with Bishop William Joensen and Jon Leonetti

Depart on overnight flights from Des Moines and JFK to Warsaw. Dinner and breakfast are served on the flight. Quotes for add-on flights and optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request and will be provided starting 120 days before departure. Group air restrictions (for ten passengers traveling together) do not permit specific seating requests on flights. We recommend purchasing your own airline tickets and land-only packages with us if seat confirmation is essential to your trip. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact your trip Account Manager, who will be happy to assist you.

Upon arrival in Warsaw, we are greeted by our Select International Tour Manager, who will accompany us throughout the trip. We begin by visiting the Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus Kostka, where Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko served and where he is buried. Here, we explore the small museum dedicated to his life. We celebrate Mass before gathering for the welcome dinner at our hotel. Overnight in Warsaw.

Following breakfast at the hotel, which is included each morning, we enjoy a walking tour of Old Town, including the Barbican, Market Square, St. John’s Cathedral, Royal Castle Square, and the Royal Castle (exterior view). After free time for lunch, we have a visit to the Warsaw Rising Museum. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner is at our hotel with an overnight stay in Warsaw.

After breakfast, we drive along the scenic Royal Route through the glamorous Nowy Świat shopping streets, mostly rebuilt after WWII, and end at Lazienki Park with its gardens, palaces, and Chopin Monument. Then depart for Niepokalanów, the City of the Immaculate, founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe. We explore the Sanctuary of Niepokalanów and learn about St. Kolbe’s devotion to the Virgin Mary. After the included lunch and Mass, we drive to Częstochowa for dinner and an overnight stay.

This morning, we visit Częstochowa, home to Our Lady of Częstochowa, one of Poland’s most revered pilgrimage sites. Explore Jasna Góra Monastery and see the miraculous Black Madonna image. Here we have time for private prayer and devotion following Mass. In the afternoon, we drive to Krakow for dinner and an overnight stay.

Our day is one of sadness and celebration as we visit the former concentration camp of Auschwitz and see the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe was held, along with many other prisoners. At the Martyrs Museum, we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will visit the Centre for Culture and Dialogue with hopes of meeting with Carmelite Sister Maximiliana (TBC). Mass will be celebrated. Our last stop is a visit to the Franciscan Monastery. The rest of the day and the evening are at leisure. Overnight in Krakow.

This morning, we visit the Divine Mercy Shrine, a place of deep spiritual significance associated with St. Faustina Kowalska. One of the sisters will welcome us and give us a talk about St. Faustina’s life and work at the Shrine. Following our Mass and Holy Hour, we visit the site where Saint Faustina lived and worked. We have time for private devotion. In the afternoon, we visit the John Paul II Sanctuary and Center, also known as the Have No Fear Center. The visit offers us insights into his life and mission. Dinner and overnight in Krakow.

Today we explore the beautiful city of Kraków, following in the footsteps of Saint John Paul II. We visit places frequented by the Saint during his early years. Our visit includes St. Peter and Paul Church and St. Florian’s Church. At the Franciscan Church, where Saint John Paul II often prayed, we celebrate Mass. After lunch, we visit Jagiellonian University, where he studied, as well as the University museum. We see the small, modest apartment where Karol Wojtyla moved with his father in 1938, as a young man just entering the university. Two rooms (the kitchen and bedroom) are open for visitors and arranged as they were when the two men lived here. We visit the churches of St. Stanislaus and St. Mary. Tonight, dinner is at leisure, with the opportunity to explore the food scene in one of the cafes along the main square of Kraków.

This morning, we drive to Wadowice, the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. We celebrate Mass at his childhood parish, where he was baptized. We then tour the Saint’s house, now a museum, and have the opportunity to try his favorite cake during our leisurely lunch. Later in the afternoon, we drive to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, one of Saint John Paul II’s favorite pilgrimage sites, located on the way back to Kraków. It was here that the Saint came with his father after his mother’s passing, instructing him: “This is your mother now.” This Franciscan sanctuary, modeled on Calvary, offers a profound spiritual experience and links it to St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan himself. Return to Krakow for dinner and an overnight stay.

After breakfast, we visit Wawel Cathedral and the state rooms in Wawel Castle. Then, continue to St. Anna’s Church, a UNESCO-protected historic center where we celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we explore the historic Jewish Ghetto and Corpus Christi Church. This evening, enjoy time at leisure before concluding our trip with a farewell dinner. Overnight in Kraków. (B. Celebration of life dinner with beverages)

After breakfast, we depart for Krakow airport and our flight home.