Pilgrimage to Italy with Fr. Sanjai Devis and Brenda Quinn

Depart Newark on an overnight flight to Venice. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Enjoy your flight as you look forward to your incredible pilgrimage journey.

Upon arrival in Venice, we are greeted by our tour guide and escorted to the motorcoach that takes us to Padua. We arrive at Padua mid-afternoon and settle into our hotel. Then walk over to the Shrine of St. Anthony for a tour of the Basilica and Mass. We visit the magnificent Scrovegni Chapel, dedicated to St. Mary of the Charity. Enjoy dinner at the hotel and a good night’s rest. Dinner and overnight in Padua.

After a buffet breakfast, we are transferred to Venice, the city of mystery and fancy. We have a walking tour of Venice, including the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, and the Doge’s Palace. Mass will be celebrated. Marvel at the play of light on the city’s canals and the feeling of romance that permeates the air. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Venice on your own. Perhaps enjoy a Gondola ride or just soak up the atmosphere of this amazing city. Dinner is at leisure. We are transferred to the hotel in Padua.

En route to Assisi, we stop for lunch in Bologna to taste the magnificent food and Lambrusco wine. Bologna is the food capital of Italy, and we have a little time to browse the central square, looking at the mouthwatering food displays in the windows. We have lunch with wine in Bologna and visit the Basilica of St. Dominic for Mass. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. (B. Special lunch. D)

This morning, we walk to the Church of St. Clare to see her tomb. We explore the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church and where St. Clare lived and died. Our next stop is the Sanctuary of the Spoliation to see the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. At the Basilica of St. Francis, we celebrate Mass. See Giotto’s frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis, followed by a visit to the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. Our last stop of the busy day is St. Mary of the Angels. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Assisi.

After breakfast, we depart for Loreto to see the Holy House of Nazareth, transported here from the Holy Land according to tradition. In it, we view the most reproduced Madonna in the world: the Black Madonna of Loreto. We celebrate Mass in Loreto. After a break for lunch at leisure, our motorcoach continues to San Giovanni Rotondo for dinner and overnight.

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 visit the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel and celebrate Mass in Monte Sant’Angelo. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, 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 miracle’s history. Here we celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we continue to Rome, check into our hotel, and have dinner.

Today, after breakfast, we drive along the Appian Way. Our first visit is to St. Sebastian and the Catacombs, where the early Christians secretly buried their dead and worshiped. Here we celebrate Mass. Following lunch at leisure, we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls. From here, we proceed to the Tre Fontane Convent next door and to the nearby Church of Our Lady of Revelation. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight.

This morning, we arrive early at St. Peter’s Square, where we are blessed by the Holy Father Pope Leo during the Papal Audience. We have lunch and proceed to the city center for a walking tour of Piazza Navona to view Bernini’s magnificent Four Rivers fountain, then walk to the Pantheon. On this route, we also have views of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only true Gothic church in Rome, which houses the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena, and the Church of St. Augustine, where we celebrate Mass. Afterward, you have time to explore the area on your own, including the nearby Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Enjoy dinner at leisure at one of the many restaurants that line the streets of the historic center of Rome. Overnight in Rome.

Our day starts early with morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC). Continue with the tour of the Basilica and the Vatican Museum, including the incredible Sistine Chapel. We are amazed at the magnificence of the largest church in the world. Enjoy lunch at leisure. Following lunch, we visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. We continue to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Nearby, we see Jerusalem’s Holy Stairs and the Basilica of the Holy Cross. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner in a local restaurant accompanied by wine. Overnight in Rome. (B. Special dinner)

After breakfast, we are transferred to Rome airport for our flights home.