Pilgrimage to Poland with Fr. Leo Patalinghug

We depart on an overnight flight to Krakow. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades, as well as add-on airfare from most major airports are available upon request.

Welcome to Poland! We are met by our tour director and transferred to the mountainous area of Zakopane. We celebrate Mass and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Perhaps go for a hike or explore the town while you become acclimated to a new time zone. Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight in Zakopane. (D.)

Following breakfast, we make our way to the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Fatima, a chapel constructed in 1999 in gratitude for Pope John Paul II’s survival from an assassination attempt. Here we celebrate Mass. Lunch is included today at a local restaurant. We continue our tour with a cable car ride to Gubalowka for a stunning view of the Tatra Mountains followed by a visit to Oscypek Museum, where we learn how this local cheese is produced and enjoy an opportunity to taste the cheese. Return to Zakopane for a folklore show and dinner accompanied by wine at a local restaurant. Overnight in Zakopane. (B.L. Welcome dinner.)

After breakfast and check-out, we depart for central Poland and the town of Czestochowa. Enroute we stop at a local brewery for a taste of local beer. Częstochowa is a place known to many people worldwide, primarily for the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the icon of the Black Madonna, which is located in the monastery of the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Góra. We visit the Shrine and celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in Czestochowa. (B.D.)

After breakfast and check-out, we celebrate Mass at Jasna Góra. Tradition tells us that Saint Luke painted the icon of the Black Madonna on a tablet manufactured by Saint Joseph for the Holy Family that was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople and given to Princess Anna, wife of Vladimir of Kiev. After Prince Ladislaus founded the Jasna Gora Monastery in 1382, he entrusted the care of the Icon to the Hungarian Pauline monks who lived there. The icon is known as the Black Madonna because the faces and hands of the Virgin and Child are dark. The slash marks on Our Lady’s face were likely committed during a robbery and attack on the monastery by iconoclasts. The defense of Jasna Gora in 1655 during the Swedish invasion was a monumental event in Polish history. When King John Casimir made his vows in 1656, he enthroned Our Lady of Jasna Gora as Queen of Poland. She is beloved by the Polish people, and St. John Paul II entrusted his pontificate to Mary as Our Lady of Czestochowa under the motto of Totus Tuus. Following Mass we depart for Auschwitz where we see the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe and visit the former concentration camp. Dinner and overnight in Krakow. (B.D.)

We explore Krakow today, starting with a visit to Wawel Hill to see Wawel Royal Castle (exterior view) and visit the Wawel Cathedral, one of the most beautiful Renaissance residences in central Europe. Continue to Krakow’s Old Town to see the main Market Square, St. Mary’s Church, Cloth Hall, and City Hall Tower. We celebrate Mass. Visit the most famous food market in Krakow, Stary Kleparz, to taste local food and see first spring vegetables and fruits all grown in Poland. Lunch is on your own, with time to explore the city. In the afternoon we have a cooking class, during which we are taught how to make the Polish classical dish of Pierogi, which we enjoy afterwards with some good local brandy. Dinner is at leisure tonight. Overnight in Krakow. (B. Cooking class.)

This morning, we depart for Lagiewniki, the capital of the Divine Mercy, where we see St. Faustina’s convent and her tomb and enjoy a tour led by one of the sisters. Here, the message of the Divine Mercy originated, which Christ himself wished to pass on to our generation through the mediation of St. Faustina. The Sanctuary houses the grace-working image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of St. Faustina. We visit the newly constructed Shrine of Divinity dedicated by Pope St. John Paul II on his last visit to Poland in 2002. We celebrate Mass at the Shrine. Next, we visit the nearby St. John Paul II Have No Fear Center. We participate in the festivities of the Feast of Divine Mercy. In the afternoon, continue to the vodka museum where we get to know about vodka production and, of course, have a taste. In the evening we visit a local brewery, where we have dinner and beer tasting. Overnight in Krakow. (B. Special dinner. )

We start the day with a visit to a local vineyard, Srebrna Gora. Situated a short ride from Krakow, it is located in Camaldolese Hermit Monastery. We hear the story of how wine is produced in Poland and enjoy a wine tasting with cheese. In the afternoon, proceed to the salt mine, which UNESCO has listed as a World Heritage Site. The mines are a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers and decorated chapels carved out of salt, including the famous Chapel of St. Kinga. We celebrate Mass in one of the chapels underground. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Krakow. (B.)

This morning, we visit Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which was a popular pilgrimage place for Pope St. John Paul II when he was a young man and where, in the 17th century, the Palatine of Krakow founded a Franciscan Monastery. On the slope of the hill and the valley is an architectural “Way of the Cross” made up of 40 chapels set on the surrounding hills. We continue to Wadowice, the hometown of Pope St. John Paul II, and visit his childhood home, which is now a museum. We visit the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where he was baptized and where we celebrate Mass. Enjoy a chance to taste St. John Paul’s favorite dessert before we return to Krakow. We have our farewell dinner in a local restaurant accompanied by wine and a folklore show. Overnight in Krakow. (B. Special dinner.)

After breakfast at the hotel, we check out and transfer to the airport for our flights back home. (B.)