Canonization of Pope John Paul II & Pope John XXXIII Pilgrimage

aPRI 2014

Highlights

Day 1 USA Venice

U.S./Fly overnight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Rome, Italy via scheduled airline accompanied by Fr. Allan Weinert.

Day 2 Rome
Upon arrival we are met by our Peace Center Tours representative who accompanies you upon arrival throughout your stay until departure. Transfer via water-taxi to your hotel.  We gather later for a get-acquainted welcome dinner and Mass at the heart of our pilgrimage.

Day 3 The Spiritual Soul of Venice Throughout your stay in Venice at its ancient churches & monastery’s, religious confraternities were borne. You learn about the life of the church during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and about the people who created the  incomparable works of art we see. Our guide will ensure that you discover the best of Venice beginning this morning at the massive Basilica of San Marco – the spiritual soul of Venice – built for the relics of the Apostle M

ark where we celebrate the Liturgy. The glittering gold mosaics cover nearly every inch of the interior as if they were rubies, diamonds and emeralds. Then visit the greatest of all Venetian palaces, the Palazzo Ducale, seat of the Doge (ruler) since the 9th century. Climbing to the gallery for a close-up view of four bronze horses on the basilicas facade, we leave by a special passageway connecting the church to the Doge’s Palace next door by crossing the Bridge of Sighs where the dark prison cells held those who refused to pay the taxes the governing Council of Ten assessed all Venetians. Once the only mode of transportation in Venice, a gondola ride is still the best way to see the city as the Venetians always did hundreds of years ago.

Day 4-5 Divine Presence Padua Florence Assisi  Entering Padua’s magnificent Shrine of St. Anthony, the treasury of his relics has a dazzling effect. St. Anthony joined the Franciscans while St. Francis was still alive – probably the most popular follower of St. Francis.

On the way to Florence we visit the pink, white, and green marble Cathedral, with its magnificent dome and bell tower and if time allows the tiny workshops of local artisans who are happy to receive you.

Along Assisi’s sacred streets we visit the sites where Francis and his wandering band of troubadours’ reinvigorated God’s kingdom on earth. The reminders of Francis and Clare in all of these places, make much more real and concrete: the mystery of holiness and the mystery of Christ himself.

Through the lush vineyards and rolling hills of the Apennines, Assisi’s mystical Hill of Paradise appears before us, hardly changed since the Middle Ages. Entering the great Basilica of Saint Francis containing his tomb, we descend into the lower crypt as we kneel devoutly to offer an act of thanksgiving. The enchanting winding streets of this little town easily carry us back to the time of Francis. As we walk al

ong we come to understand, the more that Francis embraced the grace of Christ, the more that Christ shone through him until he bore the marks of Christ in his own body.

But more important than all of its architectural and artistic glory is the sense of Divine Presence that imbues the hardest of hearts passing through the doors of the Holy .

Day 6 – 7  Holy Rome Canonization

Chains that bound St. Peter revered in Rome.

n St. Peter’s Basilica Catacombs Appian Way Forum Coliseum Tomb of St. Paul No matter how many times you visit Saint Peter’s Basilica, the impact is always awesome. Our morning visits begin in Piazza of Saint Peter from the Holy Door to the exquisite Baldacchino covering the papal altar over the tomb of St. Peter to the grottoes of the Popes below. Inside the Basilica are Michelangleo’s Pieta, Bernini’s masterpiece the Cathedra – the chair of St. Peter -and the statue of Saint Peter which offers a Plenary Indulgence (under the usual conditions). You will walk in the footsteps of the Apostles along the Via Sacra in the Roman Forum understanding how the Christian faith became firmly established in believers during the early centuries of the church. Past the Arch of Titus, the Mamertine prison where St. Paul and St. Peter were imprisoned, & the Arch of Constantine leading us to the Coliseum. You learn about the transformation of Imperial Rome into the capital of Christianity. Today’s highlights include the Castel Sant’Angelo, Palatine Hill, Piazza Venezia, Circus Maximus and the Benedictine Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls to pray at the tomb of the great mystic apostle St. Paul. We have time to kneel before the miraculous crucifix that spoke to Saint Bridget in the 14th century before leaving for the Catacombs. Driving past the chapel of Domine Quo Vadis (not open to the public) along the way. Travel on the stones of Rome’s most ancient road, the Via Appia, near the gigantic mausoleum of Cecillia Metella, where time seems to have stood still since the days when Saint Paul & Saint Peter walked these roads.

Day 8 In the footsteps of the Apostles and Saints Vatican Museum Sistine Chapel Some of today’s visit include the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel. Afterwards we continue walking along one of the most picturesque avenues in Rome; the Corso Rinascimento and via Condotti; to the Piazza Navona; the Pantheon begun in 27 B.C.; the church of Saint Agnes built over the stadium of Dormitian where St. Agnes was paraded naked to the crowd before  being martyred. “I may be a child, but faith dwells not in years but in the heart”. At the Church of St. Peter in Chains, we see the chains that bound Saint Peter that demonstrate to us whoever believes the word of the Lord and obeys it will experience miracles. We arrive at the famed Trevi Fountain, the only one in Rome that has remained in use from the time of its construction to the present day bringing water underground from 20 miles away, a stones throw away from the Spanish Steps.

Day 9 The Glory of the Church Christian Rome Highlights of this morning’s visit includes the majestic Basilica of St. Mary Major, the oldest in the world dedicated to the Mother of Christ where St. Jerome’s body reposes along with other precious relics; St. John Lateran, the Mother Church of Rome, containing many holy relics sanctified by the faith and devotion of centuries. Part of a wooden table is enshrined which is believed to have been used by St. Peter to celebrate the holy Eucharist during one of his visits on the Esquiline hill. Visit the Scala Santa (Holy Steps), which according to tradition, are the 28 steps Christ ascended on his way to meet Pilate. In the sanctuary we venerate the original image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help where silence and reverence pervades. At the Basilica of Santa Croce, originally the palace of Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, the precious relics of Our Lord’s Passion were recovered from the Mount of Calvary: the wood of the Cross, thorns of the Crown, nail from the crucifixion and the authentic Titulus Crucis – a wooden panel with part of the inscription, “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum”.  The authenticity of the Passion Relics has been a subject of study through the centuries and confirmed by historical and scientific research.

Day 10 Return Home Transfer to the airport this morning for your flight home.

*Scavi visit requested.

Accommodations: Venice 2 nights, Assisi 2 nights, San Giovanni Rotondo 1 night , Rome 3 nights