Holy Face Pilgrimage to Malta, Sicily, and Rome with Fr. Lawrence Carney and Patrick O’Hearn

We depart on an overnight flight from Chicago and Charlotte via Rome to Malta. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flights. Optional premium economy and business class upgrades are available upon request, starting 120 days before departure. We work with group airfare which does not permit us to assign specific seats on the airplane. If this is an important feature to you, please reserve your own air and book a land only package with us.

We arrive in Malta and are greeted by the Select International English-speaking tour manager in the Arrivals Hall. We are escorted to our motor coach for transfer to our hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day relaxing, visiting Valetta, and acclimating to a new time zone. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay in Valletta, Malta.

Today our full-day excursion to Rabat and Mdina begins with a visit to the site of St. Paul’s shipwreck, “The most famous shipwreck in the history of Christianity”. We continue along St. Paul’s route and see sites where tradition tells us he preached, stayed and baptized the first Maltese at San Pawl Milqi Chapel (“St. Paul welcomed”). We visit St. Paul’s Church and Grotto, a church founded in 1575 over the ancient caves where, according to some traditions, St. Paul was held captive. We visit St. Catald’s Catacombs in Rabat. Next, we visit Our Lady of Mellieha Sanctuary, which is dedicated to Our Lady and is a very important part of the Catholic history of the island. Continue with a visit to the “Mosta Rotunda,” a magnificent domed church in Mosta. We walk through the streets of Mdina, Malta’s first capital, where we visit the Cathedral dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. Mdina is also located in the highest elevations of Malta, where magnificent views of the entire island are possible. Concluding our sightseeing on the western shore, we view the spectacular Dingli Cliffs before turning toward our return route. The day’s last stop will be the Catacombs of St. Paul, a fascinating labyrinth of the 3rd century subterranean tombs and the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. We celebrate Mass. Return to our hotel for dinner. Overnight in Valletta.

This morning, we see the tombs at the majestic St. John’s Co-Cathedral with its imposing bastions and a treasure trove of priceless paintings, including a painting by Caravaggio, “The Beheading of St. John.” Enjoy hearing the history of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. As we tour Valletta, the capital of Malta, we become acquainted with the fascinating history of this island, perhaps best known as the seat of the Knights of St. John, more commonly known as the Knights of Malta. We also see the story of St. Paul’s shipwreck as told in paintings found in the church of the same name. The church houses the relics of St. Paul’s right wrist bone. We celebrate Mass here and then have the rest of the afternoon at leisure to enjoy the quaint cafés and shops. An optional excursion to the island of Gozo by private boat may be arranged in the afternoon for an additional $75.00 per person. Dinner is at leisure tonight. Overnight in Malta.

We depart the island of Malta and take a ferry to the island of Sicily, disembarking in Pozzallo. After the Claudian expulsion, St. Paul did not stay long in Malta, anxious to see what had become of the Christians in Rome. They set off and landed in Syracuse, Sicily, less than seventy miles away, just as we do today. We have an afternoon walking tour of Taormina. Mass will be celebrated. Overnight in Taormina.

We find ourselves at what was once one of the greatest ports in the central Mediterranean and where St. Paul stayed after he departed Malta. We see the Greek and Roman Theaters and the Viale Rizzo. Next, we visit the Church of St. John the Baptist, where St. Paul preached. The building has an inscription in memory of the brief stay of St. Paul in Siracusa: “HIC OLIM SYRA- CUSIS TRIDUO MANENTIS.” In polychrome glass, the rosette is depicted as the saint’s effigy. The Catacombs of St. John contains some 20,000 Early Christian tombs. In Roman times, Christians were not allowed to bury their dead within the city limits, so they went outside the boundaries to create burial chambers in what had been used by the Greeks as underground aqueducts. The early Christians recycled these into chapels. St. Paul is said to have preached on this spot, so the early Christians venerated it as holy. We visit the Basilica of Madonna delle Lacrime to celebrate Mass. Enjoy dinner at leisure. Overnight in Taormina.

After breakfast, we visit the Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca, which was built in 1640 with limestone rock that acts as a cover to the interior. Our Lady of the Rock is one of Taormina’s most popular destinations for the perfect panorama of the surrounding city and Mount Etna. Next, continue to Messina for a panoramic tour and visit of the Cathedral. The Cathedral of Messina’s bell tower contains the world’s biggest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clock. According to tradition, in 42 AD, St. Paul came to Messina to spread Christianity. Inspired by his impassioned words, the people of Messina sent their ambassadors to Jerusalem to pay their respects to the Virgin Mary. The Madonna gave them a letter addressed to the people of Messina, promising eternal protection to the city. The ending of the letter “Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus” (I bestow my benediction upon you and your city) is still written on the base, which supports the Virgin Mary’s gilded statue at the port entrance. In the scene represented on the bell tower, a little after noon, an angel brings the letter to the Virgin Mary, followed by St. Paul and the ambassadors. Each character bows when passing in front of the Madonna. Mass will be celebrated. Return to Taormina for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we depart from our hotel for a transfer to Catania Airport for our flight to Rome. Upon arrival, we hop on our bus to visit St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, built over the burial place of the Saint, where we celebrate Mass and walk through the first Holy Door of our Jubilee 2025 Pilgrimage. It is celebrated by the church to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins. Nearby is the sight of Three Fountains, said to spring up as the Apostle’s head bounced three times after his beheading. We check into our hotel for dinner. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC) and walk through the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage. Explore St. Peter’s Basilica during a guided tour (whisper sets). The rest of the day is spent at leisure exploring the city on your own, perhaps purchasing tickets (online) for a visit to the Vatican Museum or the incredible Palazzo Colonna. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we are at the Vatican again, where we are greeted and blessed by the Holy Father during the Sunday Angelus. Following the included lunch, we enjoy a walking tour of Rome, including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navone, and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the burial place of St. Catherine. Mass will be celebrated. Tonight, we have a Farewell Dinner with wine and traditional Italian music. Overnight in Rome. (B.L. Special Dinner)

This morning we visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major to celebrate Mass and walk through our trip’s third Holy Door. Our next stop is the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, where we walk through our pilgrimage’s fourth and final Holy Door. Next door, we say a prayer at the Holy Stairs. The last stop of our busy day is the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Following lunch, we drive along the Appian Way to see the Chapel of Quo Vadis, the Church of St. Sabastian and to visit the Catacombs where the early Christians buried their dead. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight. Overnight in Rome.

After breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for our flight home