Depart the USA

Upon arrival in Lisbon, meet your tour escort. Time permitting, enjoy a panoramic tour of Lisbon, including the Basilica of St. Anthony, St. Jeronimo’s Monastery, and Belem Tower. Continue to Santarem, home to one of the oldest Eucharistic miracles. Check into your hotel in Fatima for dinner and overnight. After dinner, join other pilgrims in the nightly rosary and candlelight procession. (D)

Today, you will celebrate Mass and then visit the Basilica, where the three children (Lucia lived to adulthood) are interred. You will then journey to the countryside, where Mary appeared to Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and their cousin Lucia dos Santos from May 13, 1917, every month on the 13th for the next six months, when she appeared at Valinhos. You will see their homes nearby, where Francisco died in 1919. Jacinta died in 1920 in a Lisbon hospital. Return to Fatima for time to pray and contemplate the meaning of the Holy Site. (B, D)

Today, depart for Madrid and stop halfway for a lunch break. Upon arrival in Madrid, enjoy time to rest or do some exploring in the city. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

This morning, enjoy a panoramic guided tour of the city, including Buen Retiro Park, Gran Via, Plaza de Espana, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace (from outside). You will also visit the Cathedral of Almudena, where we will possibly celebrate Mass. Enjoy lunch on your own before departing to Zaragoza. (B)

Begin the day celebrating Mass and then take in a guided tour of the city center of Zaragoza and the Basilica del Pilar. Visit the magnificent altar built on the site where the Blessed Virgin appeared to the apostle. After lunch on your own, we will drive to Barcelona. (B)

Celebrate Mass this morning. Enjoy a guided city tour, which includes the Barrio Gotico with Barcelona’s cathedral and the most important sites of Barcelona, such as the Sagrada Familia (inside), Passeig de Gracia, Plaza Catalunya and Montjuic. Enjoy free time this afternoon for lunch on your own and shopping at Las Ramblas. (B)

Say farewell to Barcelona and travel to Montserrat. The statue of the Black Virgin was uncovered in Santa Cova in 880 AD. Celebrate Mass here in one of the chapels. Arrive in Lourdes this evening. Here, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous 18 times in 1858. It has become a place of pilgrimage for millions of the faithful each year, and the spring water from the grotto is believed to have healing properties. While in Lourdes, you will have the opportunity to participate in the afternoon processional and the evening candlelight processional. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Today, you will celebrate Mass in one of the chapels here at the sanctuary. Then, enjoy a walking tour of the sanctuary grounds and then see the homes of Bernadette and her family. This afternoon, you will have free time to partake in the healing waters baths or to explore more of the town on your own, from the various apparition sites to the castle fort that affords panoramic views of the sanctuary and the Pyrenees. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Early in the morning, drive to your next destination, Avignon. This picturesque city was once the seat of power for the Catholic Church and the home of popes fleeing the political pressures of Rome. Break for independent lunch, possible mass, time at leisure (possible visit to the pope’s palace). (B)

Today, depart to La Salette, where you will spend the whole day. The astonishing Shrine of La Salette is one of the great Marian shrines built in France in the place where two young shepherds saw a “beautiful lady” in tears who appeared in resplendent light. Celebrate Mass here and enjoy some free time to explore the city. (B)

In the morning, head south to the Bourgogne (Burgundy) Region, where you will visit the birthplace of the feast dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the devotional practice of the “Nine Consecutive First Fridays,’’ the Sanctuary of Paray-le-Monial, with the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the Chapel of the Apparition, where Jesus revealed the 12 promises of the Sacred Heart and where lies the tomb of St. Margaret Mary. After having Mass by her tomb, you will have lunch on your own, then continue to Nevers for overnight. (B)

Explore Nevers, the site where St. Bernadette lived for twelve years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. The Saint suffered from several illnesses. For this reason, St. Bernadette received “The Last Sacraments’ three times and eventually passed away in 1879 at the age of thirty-five. Visit the Convent of Saint Gildard to see the beautiful and miraculously incorrupt body of St. Bernadette. Lunch is on your own. In the afternoon, drive to Paris to check in to your hotel. Dinner is on your own. (B)

This morning, we’ll celebrate Mass at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal on Rue de Bac. St. Catherine was visited by Mary three times in 1830, which encouraged a revival in devotion to the church. She served the poor of Paris for 46 years, and when her body was exhumed, it was found incorrupt. The Miraculous Medal is based on a design given by Mary to St. Catherine. Then, we’ll head to the Ile de la Citie, home to Notre Dame. This 850-year-old Gothic Cathedral remains the center of the French and their faith. From here, we’ll visit Saint Chapelle, the private chapel of kings illuminated with streams of colored light through towering stained-glass windows. Then, we will journey across the Seine to the Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul. Then, we’ll head north through the city past the Place de la Concorde (once home to the guillotine in the French Revolution) to La Madeleine, containing a relic of Mary Magdalene. This picturesque church serves as a popular wedding venue. Then, take a ride up the funicular to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. This cathedral looks out over Paris from the place where St. Denis was martyred. While here, wander the art shops and stores that line the streets here. Dinner is on your own. (B)

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