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Join Fr. Chuck Ruoff on a pilgrimage to Italy. This trip will visit Rome, Assisi, Orvieto, Loreto, San Giovanni, and more!
Join Fr. Chuck Ruoff on a Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Italy. This trip will visit Rome, Assisi, Orvieto, Loreto, San Giovanni, and more!
Fr. Chuck Ruoff is a priest of the Diocese of Venice in Florida who was ordained in 2016 after completing a master’s degree in theology at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. He has accompanied Select International Tours pilgrims in Italy and France, including a Seine River pilgrimage.
Tipping /Gratuities for the guide(s), driver, and wait staff (please refer to the suggestions we will provide for you with your final documents) Suggested budget $200- $220.00.
We depart on an overnight flight from Miami to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flights. Optional Premium Economy and Business Class quotes are available upon requeststarting 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 land only with us.
Upon arrival at Rome airport, we are greeted by the Select International Tours tour manager who assists us with boarding the motorcoach. We embark on a wonderful spiritual journey to the most sacred sites in Italy. We are on our way to Assisi, the charming city of birds and silence. Our first stop is the hilltop town of Orvieto, where we stop for lunch and a taste of the local wine. At the Cathedral of Orvieto, we see where the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena is housed and we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.
Today 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 Blessed Carlo Acutis lies. Blessed Carlo – the first millennial saint – dedicated part of his short life to cataloging Eucharistic Miracles worldwide. We visit the Church of St. Clare and San Damiano to see the chapel where Jesus spoke to St. Francis from the crucifix. Our visit continues to the Basilica of St. Francis, where we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.
This morning, we depart for Cascia, home of the beloved St. Rita and Miracle of the Eucharist. We see the Basilica of St. Rita with her incorrupt body, relics from her life, and the stained glass windows surrounding the main altar depicting the Eucharistic Miracle of Siena, which shows an open book with two red round stains facing each other. Today, a special Monstrance holds the pages that reveal the blood stains in the lower chapel of the basilica. In the stains is the perfect portrait outline of Christ’s face. Mass is celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Rita. On the return to Assisi, we visit the St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, the site of the Porziuncola, the tiny church in the woods where St. Francis began his ministry, and where St. Clare began her religious life. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.
We depart for Loreto to see the Holy House of Nazareth transported here from the Holy Land, as tradition tells us. In it, we view the most reproduced Madonna in the world: the Black Madonna of Loreto. We drive to the sanctuary of the 8th-century Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. We have time for adoration and a visit to the museum, which details the history of the miracle. Here, we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Today, our pilgrimage is dedicated to visiting the places associated with Padre Pio: his tomb and cell, the old church where he received the stigmata, his confessional, and the new church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. In the afternoon, we will see the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel and celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
This morning we depart San Giovanni Rotondo, driving to Rome, stopping en route to visit the Monastery of Monte Cassino, which was originally built by St. Benedict, destroyed by bombing in WWII, and rebuilt after the war. We celebrate Mass and visit the magnificent Abbey and the library. We continue to Rome, where we settle into our hotel and have time and dinner at leisure. Overnight in Rome.
Today, we visit St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angeles Blessing. Following lunch in a local restaurant, we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate Mass and walk through the first Holy Door of our pilgrimage. We visit the Tre Fontane Convent next door and the nearby Church of Our Lady of Revelation. Our next stop is the Chapel of Quo Vadis on the Appian Way, where we take a few steps on the ancient Road, which St. Peter and St. Paul would have walked on their way to the Eternal City. The last stops of our busy day are the Church of St. Sebastian and the Catacombs, where the early Christians secretly buried their dead and worshiped. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
After breakfast, we enjoy a walking tour through Piazza Navona to view the magnificent Four Rivers fountain by Bernini and then walk to the Pantheon. On this route, we also visit Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only true Gothic church in Rome, where we see the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena. Following Mass, we have the day to enjoy exploring the area, including a possible visit to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome.
Today we visit St. Peter’s Basilica and walk through the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage. We are amazed at the magnificence of the largest church in the world. Following lunch, we visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the third Holy Door, where we celebrate Mass before driving to St. John Lateran, our pilgrimage’s fourth and final Holy Door. Nearby, we see the Holy Stairs and the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. 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. (B. Farewell dinner)
After breakfast, we are transferred to Rome airport for our flight home to Miami.
Land and Air. Main trip package.
Land Only. Main trip package.
Single Room Supplement. Additional supplement.
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