Holy Year Italy Pilgrimage for the Jubilee of Deacons with Deacon Greg Kandra

This evening, we depart on an overnight flight to Venice. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for add-on flights from your city of departure and for Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request.

Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival, we are greeted by our English-speaking tour manager, who will be with our group during the entire trip and assists us with our transfer to Padua. We visit the impressive Basilica of St. Anthony with bronze works by Donatello and celebrate Mass. Before settling into our hotel, we stop to see the superb Scrovegni Chapel, dedicated to St. Mary of Charity. Enjoy dinner at the hotel and a good night’s rest. Overnight in Padua. (B.D)

After our 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. Marvel at the play of light on the city’s canals and the feeling of romance that permeates the air. We visit St. Mark’s Basilica to celebrate Mass. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Venice on your own. Return to Padua for dinner and overnight. (B.D)

In the morning, we board our motor coach and head for Assisi. Our first stop is Bologna, where we visit the Shrine of St. Dominic to celebrate Mass and see the relics of the beloved Saint from Spain, who founded the Dominican order. Enjoy time at leisure in Bologna, also known as the breadbasket of Italy, because of its incredible food scene. In the afternoon, we arrive in Assisi, the city of Birds and Silence. We explore the beautiful Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, home of the Chapel Portiuncula, where St. Francis lived and worked after founding the Franciscan order and where the Blessed Mother appeared to Francis in 1216. We also visit the miracle garden of the thornless rose. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. (B.D)

Following breakfast, we gather for our guided tour of Assisi. We begin at the Basilica of Saint Clare, one of the first followers of St. Francis. Here, we descend to St. Clare’s lower crypt, where we pray before her incorrupt body and see many of her relics. We also have a chance to pray before the San Damiano cross, the very cross through which Christ spoke to St. Francis, asking Francis to rebuild his Church. We walk across town and downhill to the Basilica of St. Francis, first visiting the upper Basilica with Giotto’s frescoes representing the life of St. Francis, then the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. Mass will be celebrated in one of the chapels of the magnificent Basilica. Today we also visit the Chiesa Nuova, San Francesco Piccolino, and the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, where we see the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of St. Mary Major. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. (B.D)

We check out of our hotel and drive to Cascia, home of St. Rita, where we see the Saint’s incorrupt body and visit places associated with her life and work. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Rita. In the afternoon, continue to Rome, settle into our beautiful hotel and enjoy a drink or a cup of coffee in the lounge. Dinner and overnight in Rome. (B.D)

We board our motor coach early this morning for a drive to St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father blesses us during the Papal Audience. Next, we do some shopping in the stores around the Vatican and walk to the Piazza Navona to see the Bernini statues. Nearby we see the Pantheon (Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs) and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the burial site of St. Catherine of Siena. Mass will be celebrated at the Church of St. Louis of the French. (TBC). Nearby are the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, which you may wish to visit on your own. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome. (B)

This morning we celebrate Mass (TBC) at St. Peter’s Basilica and walk through the first Holy Door of our Pilgrimage. Our visit is with headsets, so each of us can benefit from hearing a clear explanation of what we are seeing in the Basilica. We also visit the Vatican Museum with its incredibly beautiful art collection, culminating in a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Following our included lunch, we drive to St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica to walk through the second Holy Door and explore the burial site of St. Paul. Nearby we see Tre Fontane Convent where the Saint was beheaded. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Rome. (B.L.D)

We visit St. Mary Major Basilica in the morning, where we walk through the third Holy Door and celebrate Mass. Then proceed to the Basilica of St. John Lateran to walk through the fourth and final Holy Door of our pilgrimage journey. Across the street, we say a prayer at the Holy Stairs. Enjoy time to climb the stairs if you wish. We walk over to the nearby Holy Cross in Jerusalem to see the holy relics. From here we have a short walk to the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls. St. Lawrence was the patron saint of Deacons, martyred in the persecution of Christians ordered by Emperor Valerian. We see his relics in the church. The rest of the day and dinner are at leisure. Overnight in Rome. (B)

These two days are reserved for activities related to the “Jubilee of Deacons” and time at leisure to explore Rome on your own. Saturday night dinner is at leisure. Mass will be celebrated. On Sunday, we enjoy a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant. Overnight in Rome. (B. Special dinner)

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