Shroud & Saints Pilgrimage to Italy and France with Fr. Jason M. Tyler

Welcome to Italy. Upon arrival, we are greeted by our English-speaking guide, who will meet us at the airport to assist with luggage and boarding our bus. Our panoramic tour of Milan includes views of the Sforzesco Castle (outside view) and La Scala Opera House (outside view). We visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Saint Ambrose (TBC). After Mass, we check into our hotel in Milan for dinner and overnight. (D)

After breakfast, we see the Last Supper fresco by Da Vinci (TBC) at the small Santa Maria delle Grazie church before departing for a 90-minute drive to Turin. Our first stop in Turin is the Basilica of Maria Ausiliatrice (Our Lady Help of Christians) where the tombs of Saint John Bosco, Saint Mary Mazzarello, and Saint Dominic Savio are located. Our next stop is to see the famous Shroud of Turin. Although the Shroud is rarely on display, only by special decree of the Holy Father, we will see the replica at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, where the actual Shroud is also kept in special climate-controlled conditions. Should the Shroud be on exhibit during our pilgrimage, we will see the actual Shroud. We can visit the tomb of the soon-to-be Saint Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, whose body was found incorrupt when transferred to this cathedral in 1981. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner and overnight in Turin. (B.D)

Following breakfast, we depart for Pollone. Pollone is a small town with majestic views in the Piedmont region of Italy. Pier Giorgio spent his summers there, and the Frassati family still owns the house he stayed in. Instead of taking public transportation to daily Mass at the Oropa Sanctuary, which we visit today, Pier Giorgio would run there to celebrate Mass and return before the family woke up in the morning. The money he saved by running instead of taking public transportation, was given to the poor. The Sanctuary, “The Shrine between Earth and Sky,” was founded in the 4th century by St. Eusebio and is a pilgrimage site to the statue of the Black Madonna. Mass will be celebrated at the Sanctuary. We return to Turin for dinner at leisure. Known as the home of the famous slow food movement, Turin is a mecca for food lovers. Tonight we visit Eataly, The Food Emporium, where you can taste some of the best delicacies Italy can offer. Overnight in Turin. (B)

Our drive takes us from Italy into France to Toulon where we see the Shrine of St. Mary Magdalene. In this area, Mary Magdalene and her companions landed by boat in 47 AD after being forced out of Palestine. Two of Mary Magdalene’s companions on the boat were the two Marys who were with her at the Empty Tomb, Saint Mary Salome (the wife of Zebedee and mother of the apostles James the Greater and John the Beloved) and Saint Mary Jacobe (the mother of the apostle James the Less). These two Marys never left Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. We celebrate Mass and settle in for dinner and overnight at our hotel in Toulon. (B.D)

After breakfast, we drive through the lavender fields of Provence to St. Maximin - La St. Baume to visit the Sanctuary of St. Maximin, built on the spot where Saint Mary Magdalene’s body was unearthed in 1279 and where the Saint’s relics are kept. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica. In the afternoon, we depart for a four-hour drive to the walled city of Carcassonne. Dinner and overnight in Carcassonne. (B.D)

This morning we celebrate Mass in Carcassonne before departing for the great pilgrimage center of Lourdes. Upon arrival, we check into our hotel and visit the Basilica of Our Lady. Tonight after dinner, we may want to join in the Rosary Procession. Dinner and overnight Lourdes (B.D)

We have two full days in Lourdes. Our group will have the opportunity to take the walking tour “In the Footsteps of Bernadette,” which includes Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. We see the Hospice of St. Bernadette and the Church of the Sacred Heart, where she was baptized. We have time to see a movie about Bernadette’s life in Lourdes, visit the Museum of Bernadette, pray the Stations of the Cross, attend Blessing of the Sick, and explore the Museum of the Miracles. We celebrate Mass at the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette; drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed many, and visit the healing baths. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes. (B.D)

In the morning, we visit the village of Bartres, where St. Bernadette lived, to celebrate Mass before departing on a two-hour ride to Toulouse. Our main visit is to the Church and the Cloister of Jacobins, where St. Thomas Aquinas is buried and where the Dominican Order was founded. We have time to explore the center of the lovely city of Toulouse, perhaps get a cup of coffee at the town square or do some shopping. Tonight, our farewell dinner will be accompanied by wine and good memories of all the wonderful experiences we had during this pilgrimage. Overnight in Toulouse. (B. Special dinner)