May 11 - 21, 2020 $4,404 (Based on Double Occupancy)
A Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of St. John Paul II With Mary Beth Bonacci, Catholic Author & Speaker
INCLUSIONS:
Round-trip Air from Denver
English-Speaking Tour Escort
Private Coach Throughout
Daily Mass
Visit Warsaw / Swinice Warckie / Niepokalanow / Czestochowa / Wadowice / Krakow / Zakopane / Auschwitz / Lagiewniki / Wieliczka
Nine Nights Accommodations as Specified
Breakfast and 3-Course Dinners as Indicated
Porterage (One Luggage Piece in Each Hotel)
Local guides in Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Wieliczka, Częstchowa
Entrances: Częstochowa Monastery, John Paul II Family home in Wadowice, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Auschwitz – Birkenau Museum, Wawel Cathedral and St Mary’s Basilica, Funicular to Gubałowka Zakopane
Exclusions: Meals not specifically noted; Alcoholic beverages; Gratuities payable to guides and bus driver; Single sup- plement (limited availability)-$755; Travel Insurance (starting at $313 per person); Checked baggage fees if required. A Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of St. John Paul II
DAY 1: MONDAY, MAY 11 - DEPARTURE (from Denver - Lufthansa #481 to Munich; #1612 Munich to Warsaw)
DAY 2: TUESDAY, MAY 12/ ARRIVAL TO WARSAW At the Warsaw Airport you will claim your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrival hall where you will be greeted by your tour escort and driver. After a warm welcome to Poland, you will be escorted to your transportation. Then you begin your pilgrimage with Mass at St. James Church, where St. Faustina went when she first arrived in Warsaw. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel . Dinner / Overnight at 4* Hotel Polonia (D)
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 - WARSAW After breakfast visit landmarks of Warsaw: Old Town; Market Square; the Barbican, a restored medieval fortified wall serving as a bridge between the Old and New Town; the Warsaw Ghetto Monument; Lazienki Park, one of the most beautiful palace and park complexes in Europe; the Chopin Monument; and the magnificently restored Royal Castle. See Victory Square, where during his first pilgrimage to Poland as Pope, in 1979, Pope john Paul II pronounced the famous words, “May the Holy Spirit come and renew the face of the land – of this land.” (These words are known in Poland as “the great confirmation.”) In the afternoon you will visit 39 Zytnia Street, where St. Faustina entered the convent. Mass will be celebrated here before you return to your hotel. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Hotel Polonia (B, D)
DAY 4: THURSDAY, MAY 14 - THURSDAY/ WARSAW - SWINICE WARCKIE - NIEPOKALANOW – WARSAW Following breakfast you will travel to Swince Warckie to visit the parish Church of St. Casimir, where St. Faustina was baptized with the name, Helen Kowalska. You will continue to Niepokalanow, where you will see a Franciscan Monastery founded by St. Maximillian Kolbe, who gave his life in Auschwitz in exchange for the life of a fellow inmate. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Hotel Polonia (B, D)
DAY 5: FRIDAY, MAY 15 - WARSAW - CZESTOCHOWA This morning you will leave Warsaw and travel to Czestochowa, the home of the greatest pilgrimage shrine in Poland - Our Lady of Czestochowa. Mass will be celebrated at Jasna Gora Monastery where the picture of the Black Madonna is located. The tradition of pilgrimage to the monastery goes back to the 14th century and Pope John Paul II frequently visited throughout his life. You will have time to venerate the Miraculous Icon and see the priceless treasures within the monastery, including in the museum and the treasury. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Hotel Arche (B, D)
DAY 6: SATURDAY, MAY 16 - CZESTOCHOWA - WADOWICE – KRAKOW Today you continue on to Krakow with a stop along the way in Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II). See the church where he was baptized and attended as a child and a museum located in his family home. You will then continue to visit the Sanctuary of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which is both a Marian shrine and the largest Calvary sanctuary in Europe. It was visited many times by young Karol Wojtyła, who often walked there from Wadowice. Finally end your day in Krakow. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Mercure Old Town (B, D)
DAY 7: SUNDAY, MAY 17 - KRAKOW After breakfast, you will explore Krakow's Market Square. Hear the silver trumpet of the bugler from the tower of the Basilica of St. Mary, where you can pray before the extraordinary Wit Stwosz altar, the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world and a national treasure of Poland. (The altar is under renovation and only a part can be seen.) Also explore the surroundings of the square, which has remained unchanged for almost 700 years. It contains buildings of historic value such as the Town Hall Tower, and the Cloth Hall, which has been home to a trading hall since at least the 1300s - making it the world's oldest shopping mall. Also tour Wawel Cathedral, where St. John Paul II chose to celebrate his first Mass after his ordination to the priesthood. It contains the imposing tomb of the former Bishop of Kraków, St. Stanisław (1030-1079), as well as eighteen chapels full of art treasures and the tombs of royals and national heroes. The adjacent Wawel Royal Castle holds a superb collection of historical royal treasures, including a collection of Arras tapestries In the afternoon you will visit St Satislaus Kostka Church at Debniki Quarter – the area where Karol Wojtyla lived during WWII and where he met Jan Tyranowski, who introduced him to the Carmelite tradition of St John of the Cross. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Mercure Old Town (B, D)
DAY 8: MONDAY, MAY 18 - KRAKOW - ZAKOPANE - KRAKOW Today you will travel to the resort village of Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains and enjoy a short stay in on one of St. John Paul II's favorite moun- tain areas. You will start with the celebration of Holy Mass at the Fatima Sanctuary, built by the highlanders to thank the Virgin Mary for saving the Pope’s life when Ali Agca attacked him. You will take a cable car ride to the nearby mountaintop for extraordinary views before walking to colorful Krupowki Street for some shopping at the local bazaar. On the way back to Krakow you will visit Jaszczurowka Chapel, where Karol Wojtyła stopped very often at the end of his mountain walks. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Mercure Old Town (B, D)
DAY 9: TUESDAY, MAY 19 - KRAKOW - AUSCHWITZ - KRAKOW This morning you will visit Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp, where unspeakable atrocities occurred. You will see the cell that impris- oned St. Maximillian Kolbe and the candle offered by John Paul II during one of his pilgrimages and the Martyrdom Museum recalling the horrors of the Holocaust. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Mercure Old Town (B, D)
DAY 10: WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 - KRAKOW - LAGIEWNIKI - WIELICZKA After breakfast you will depart for your day's excursion to Lagiewniki, the capital of Divine Mercy. It was here that the message of Divine Mercy originated, which Christ Himself wished to pass on through St. Faustina. Her convent chapel houses the image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of St. Faustina. You will also visit the newly constructed Shrine of Divine Mercy dedicated by Pope John Paul II on his last visit to Poland in 2002. Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine before visiting the new Have No Fear! John Paul II Center, where you will pray before a relic of St. John Paul II. In the afternoon you will visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine - Europe’s oldest salt mine, also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument. Starting with a spiralling walk down 360 steps, the 1 1/2 mile walk with an expert guide through chambers and corridors decorated with salt sculptures and murals, is an unforgettable experience. The visit will allow you to understand the miners’ work and their struggle against the elements, as well as their passion and trust in God. Dinner / Overnight at 4* Mercure Old Town (B, D)
DAY 11: THURSDAY, MAY 21 - KRAKOW - USA (From Krakow - Lufthansa #1365 to Frankfurt; #446 Frankfurt to Denver)
(Itinerary is subject to change if necessary to make adjustments due to availability. Mass will be scheduled daily.) B = Breakfast; D=Dinner