ASSOCIATION OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL 12 Day Pilgrimage to SPAIN and LOURDES October 8-19, 2015 Dear Fellow Pilgrim, Please consider this my personal invitation to join me on the Association of the Miraculous Medal’s special fall pilgrimage to Spain and Lourdes. I want to especially point out our visit to the city of Avila during the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila’s birth. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has granted a plenary indulgence to those pilgrims who visit Avila and celebrate the Eucharist there. I was born in Spain, just a few miles away from the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola which we will also visit. I will have the good fortune of sharing with you the beauty of Spain and the many places we will visit in Madrid and Barcelona. Our journey to Lourdes, France, will be the highlight for us as members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal. We will visit the very place where our Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858, and have the opportunity to celebrate Mass at the grotto. Look over the brochure for more information, carefully check the terms and conditions, and send in your reservation right away. I look forward to welcoming you on this exciting, once-in-a-lifetime trip where you will have the chance to meet new friends, pray, and attend Mass at many chapels and cathedrals. Sincerely yours in our Lady, Rev. Prudencio Rodriguez de Yurre Associate Spiritual Director Association of the Miraculous Medal ITINERARY DAY 1: Thurs., Oct. 8 - Newark/En Route Depart from Newark for your overnight trans-Atlantic flight to Madrid. DAY 2: Fri., Oct. 9 - Madrid D Welcome to Madrid! You will be met at the airport and transferred by private motor coach to your hotel. En route to the hotel enjoy a panoramic tour of Madrid. Panoramic Tour of Madrid Your tour of the city will give you an idea of the history, monuments, characteristics, and customs of Madrid. You will have the opportunity to see all different and interesting views of Madrid from “Borbones, Austrias, Isabelino” and the contemporary quarters of Madrid to the Barrio de la Morería (Moorish Quarter), the architecture of the old Madrid, the elegant squares, Oriente, España, University Campus, Casa de Campo, Mayor Street, Puerta del Sol, Neptuno, Atocha, Alcalá Gate, Retiro Park, the bullring, Colón Square, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Cibeles Square, and Gran Vía Street. The remainder of the day is free for you to relax and catch up with the time difference. Dinner: Enjoy a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. DAY 3: Sat., Oct. 10 - Madrid/Toledo/Madrid B,D Excursion to Toledo After breakfast at the hotel you will travel to Toledo. Upon your arrival you will enjoy a walking tour. Toledo is a museum city of great artistic beauty. It was the capital of the country and one of the oldest cities in Europe. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. During your walking tour you will admire the beautiful streets and monuments. Visit the Cathedral and the Church of St. Tomé, with the famous painting of El Greco, “The Burial of Count Orgaz.” You will celebrate Mass at Toledo Cathedral. Return to Madrid. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 4: Sun., Oct. 11 - Madrid/San Lorenzo del Escorial/Avila B,D Excursion to San Lorenzo del Escorial This morning you will depart Madrid and travel to Avila. En route you will visit the Monastery of El Escorial. The magnificent Monastery and Summer Palace were built by King Philip II in the 16th century. You will visit the Royal Palace, the Pantheon of Kings, the Pantheon of Princes, Chapterhouses, the Basilica, and the Library. The austere, monumental domed church is surrounded by 44 chapels, each exquisitely decorated. The Royal Pantheon, of black marble contains the tombs of Spanish royalty and the halls house an art collection including works by El Greco, Bosch, Titian, and Tintoretto. The Library houses a rare collection of manuscripts and about 40,000 books. The rooms of Maderas Finas are known for their exquisite inlaid wood decorations. Celebrate Mass at the Monastery of El Escorial. Continue to the Valley of the Fallen, which commemorates the Spanish Civil War dead with a 492 foot cross towering above the green valley. The cross, a crypt, and chapel are carved nearly 900 feet into the granite mountainside. Continue to Avila. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 5: Mon., Oct. 12 - Avila B,D AM: City Tour of Avila After breakfast at the hotel you will celebrate Mass at the Convento de la Encarnacion. Then you will enjoy a city tour of Avila including the main Carmelite sites. Avila is a wonderfully well-preserved, middle-age walled city, enthroned on a hilltop. Fine Romanesque churches, Gothic cathedrals, and the ruins of still proud and challenging castles are Avila’s landmarks. Most notably, Avila is the city of Saint Teresa de Jesus, one of the greatest mystics of the Catholic Church. It is where she was born, lived much of her life, and where she began the Order of the Discalced Carmelites. You will visit the Convent of Saint Teresa. In the purest Carmelite Baroque style it has a Latin-cross layout with a central nave and four chapels on each side. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 6: Tues., Oct. 13 – Avila/Burgos/Bilbao B,D Excursion to Burgos This morning you will depart Avila and travel to Burgos, the capital of the former kingdom of “Castilla Leon.” Burgos was the home of the Spanish national hero, El Cid, whose name means “The Lord” in Arabic. Founded in 884 A.D., Burgos was the capital of Castile until 1561, when its political prestige was lost to the newly declared capital Madrid. A wealth of medieval architecture characterizes Burgos, along with its numerous Romanesque fortifications, Gothic Churches, and Renaissance mansions. Upon your arrival in Burgos you will enjoy a city tour. During your tour you will visit Burgos Cathedral, one of the most beautiful Gothic Cathedrals and the third largest in Spain after Sevilla and Toledo. The Cathedral is a remarkable example of the transformation of French and German Flamboyant Gothic into a style that is typically Spanish through the natural exuberance of its decoration. The many works of art adorning the interior of the Cathedral make it an outstanding showcase of European Gothic sculpture. Continue to Bilbao, a city that is experiencing an economic and aesthetic revitalization process. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 7: Wed., Oct. 14 - Bilbao/Loyola/San Sebastian B,D After breakfast at the hotel you will visit the Guggenheim Museum. Your next stop is Loyola where you will enjoy a visit and celebrate Mass at the Conversion Chapel. You will also visit the birth home of St. Ignatius. Continue to San Sebastian, which is a summer capital of Spain. It is where the “Belle Epoque” lives on. Despite the city’s small size, events such as the San Sebastian International Film Festival have given it an international dimension. San Sebastian, along with Wrocław, Poland, will be the European Capital of Culture in 2016. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 8: Thurs., Oct. 15 - San Sebastian/Lourdes B,D AM: Panoramic Tour of San Sebastian This morning you will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city. You will see La Concha Beach and Igueldo overlooking the bay. PM: Later you will depart on a scenic drive to Lourdes, the greatest pilgrimage center in the world. Lourdes, the world’s most beloved shrine for Catholics, is nestled in a valley in the southwestern part of the Hautes-Pirénées. On February 11, 1858, the Virgin revealed herself to a poor shepherd girl, Bernadette Soubirous. Eighteen such apparitions were reported. Bernadette died in a convent in 1879. She was beatified in 1925, and then canonized in 1933. This evening you will join in the spectacular Torchlight Procession with pilgrims from all over the world, subject to availability. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 9: Fri., Oct. 16 - Lourdes B,D Walking Tour of Lourdes After breakfast at the hotel you will celebrate Mass at the Grotto where, more than 100 years ago, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Bernadette. Proceed to Rosary Square for a guided tour of the beautiful Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica, which was built between 1883 and 1889. You will also enjoy a tour of the Basilica of St. Pius X, the largest underground Basilica in the world. Walk across the pedestrian bridge over the Le Gave River, to the Church of St. Bernadette. Visit the little Cachot (former prison cell) where St. Bernadette’s family lived at the time of the apparitions. Your next stop is the Museum of St. Bernadette. The remainder of the day is at leisure for personal devotions, the miraculous baths, and the Candlelight Procession. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 10: Sat., Oct. 17 - Lourdes/Barcelona B,D This morning you will depart Lourdes and travel to Barcelona. The city of Barcelona is the second largest in Spain and stretches along the Mediterranean shore between the hills of Montjuïc, Vallvidrera, and Tibidabo. It is a most attractive and stimulating city, especially from an architectural point of view. It was founded in the 3rd century by Hamilcar Barca of Carthage, and was later ruled by the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Franks. After Catalonia united with Aragon in 1137 the city became a flourishing commercial center. Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel. DAY 11: Sun., Oct. 18 - Barcelona B,D AM: Sightseeing Tour of Barcelona Start with a visit to Gaudi’s incomplete masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia Church.