Visitations & Saints – Fatima to Lourdes Pilgrimage

Theme: St Anthony of Padua

This morning we will meet with our local guide and enjoy a tour of Lisbon city. Our first stop is St Anthony’s Basilica where we celebrate our group Mass. Despite what might be assumed from his name, St Anthony was born and grew up in Lisbon and today remains the patron saint of lost articles.

Visit the World Heritage listed Jeronimo’s Monastery dating back to the 16th century with its stunning combination of flamboyant Gothic, Moorish and early Renaissance influences; see nearby Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries. See Europe’s longest suspension bridge and view the inspiring Statue of Christ the King pointing the way north to Fatima.

En route to Fatima we will visit the Holy Miracle Church of St Stephen at Santarem containing the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle.

Finally we arrive at Fatima where in 1917 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children as ‘a lady in white’.

Mass Setting: St Anthony’s Basilica.
Fatima overnight (BD)

Theme: St Francisco & St Jacinta of Fatima

This morning we will walk and pray the Stations along the beautiful Way of the Cross (the Sacred Way) culminating in the Chapel of Calvary which overlooks all of Fatima. Continue to Valinhos, the site of Our Lady’s appearance to three peasant children Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Proceed on to the little village of Aljustrel to visit the homes where the children lived. Finally we enter the original Parish church and see the Baptismal font where the children were baptised.

Back in Fatima tonight, the Anniversary Vigil ceremonies begin with an International Rosary followed by a candlelight procession and concelebrated Mass on the steps of the Rosary Basilica. From midnight to dawn an optional all night vigil is held for the enrichment of pilgrims.

Mass Setting: Apparition Chapel.
Fatima overnight (BD)

Theme: Our Lady of Fatima

We awake to the sound of pilgrims from all over the world en route to the morning’s Anniversary celebrations. Commence with a Rosary followed by the procession of Our Lady’s statue to the altar on the steps of the Basilica. Celebrate the International Anniversary Mass followed by the Blessing of the Sick and Consecration. The ceremonies will close around midday with the touching ‘Adios’ spectacle.

We will then enjoy a tour of the Square (the largest in Christendom) including the site of the Apparitions, Rosary Basilica with the Tombs of the visionaries, the Museum, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and other main sites.

Afternoon at leisure in Fatima.

Mass Setting: International Anniversary Mass.

Fatima overnight (BD)

Theme: St John of the Cross

After breakfast we farewell Fatima and journey inland through Portugal before crossing the border into Spain. Visit Salamanca, known as the ‘Golden City’ owing to the colour of i s historic sandstone buildings. Arrive at Alba de Tormes,  the little village where St Teresa died and where her incorrupt heart and arm are enshrined and displayed in the Carmelite convent. Here too we enter the convent for Mass, where St John of the Cross lived and who companioned St Teresa in her spiritual walk.

We continue on to the historic walled town of Avila, where the atmosphere has changed little since the days of St Teresa to whom the city is dedicated.

Mass Setting: Alba de Tormes Convent.

Avila overnight (BD)

Theme: St Teresa of Avila

We begin our day with a visit to the Convent of Saint Teresa built over the saint’s birthplace and located just inside the South Gate of the old town. Most of the convent remains in cloister but you can see the very spot where she was born, now a chapel in the Baroque church. We then visit Avila’s Cathedral which was started in the 12^th century before entering the Monastery of the Incarnation for Mass where St Teresa’s cell can be seen as well as other relics of her life.

Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

Avila overnight (BD)

Theme: St Dominic

This morning we depart Avila, travelling east by coach to Segovia, between the Eresma and Clamores Rivers. We will visit the stunning Segovia Cathedral, the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain. Marvel too at the best conserved aqueduct of the Imperial Roman Empire. Outside the walls, we will visit and celebrate Mass at a convent adjacent to the Vera Cruz church, where the mortal remains of Saint John of the Cross are buried. View here the famous Alcazar.

From here we journey north to Caleruega, the home of Bl Jane of Aza and Felix Guzman and birthplace of their sons, St Dominic, Bl Mannes and Anthony.

On arrival we commence our tour of Caleruega. A highlight includes the Dominican Nuns Convent, formerly the home of the Guzman family. A highlight here is the Crypt where a well marks the spot where Dominic was born around 1170. It is now the centrepiece of a chapel which is adorned with exquisite mosaics depicting scenes from Dominic’s life.

Enter the Church of San Sebastian where Dominic was baptised. The original twelfth century apse is still preserved, even though the church has undergone numerous reconstructions.

Journey nearby to the quaint village of Santo Domingo de Silos, home to the great Benedictine Abbey famous for its beautiful Romanesque cloister and for spreading the finest tradition of Gregorian chant throughout the world.

After dinner we will proceed up to the Abbey for evening prayer.

Santo Domingo de Silos overnight (BD)
Mass Setting: Vera Cruz Church.

Theme: St Ignatius of Loyola

Seven times a day for over 1,500 years a sweet and sublime sound rises like a fragrance from the hills of Castille. Is it the sound of angels singing? One might be mistaken to think so. Enter the Romanesque cloisters of the sacred monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos and you will discover that this heavenly sound emanates from the Benedictine monks who became world famous after their recordings of Gregorian chant hit number one on the European pop charts.

This morning we will attend the chanted High Mass at the Abbey before visiting the adjacent Monastery and Museum.

We then rejoin our coach and set off on our travel day, journeying north to Loyola where St Ignatius was born and where he later found his conversion. In Loyola pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the impressive Sanctuary of St Ignatius, including the Casa Santa (Holy House) – 13^th century tower house – where he was born and spent many of his early years. Visit also the ornate monastery complete with shrine and relics of the saint and a 65m dome, which can be seen from a great distance. See the sparse room where he lived and recovered from his injuries and developed his spiritual life.

Later we travel through the scenic foothills of the Pyrenees, crossing into Southern France before continuing on to Lourdes. It was in this small town that Our Lady first appeared to St Bernadette in 1858.

Lourdes overnight (BD)
Mass Setting: Benedictine Abbey.

Theme: St Bernadette of Lourdes

This morning we will celebrate a group Mass at the Grotto, before meeting our guide for a walking tour of Lourdes including the Sanctuary area: Upper & Lower Basilicas, the Grotto, and the Baths where hundreds of miraculous cures have taken place. We continue our visit of the main sites associated with St Bernadette including the Boly Mill where she was born in 1844, the original parish church and the Cachot (prison) where the family was forced to live due to misfortune during the time of the apparitions.

We will return to Lourdes to enjoy a peaceful afternoon to rest or wander at your own pace or take the time to pray the Stations of the Cross with the life sized copper images which overlook the holy Grotto. Spend some quiet time perhaps reflecting at the Grotto with its chapel built over the place of the apparitions.

Optional Blessed Sacrament Procession and evening candlelight procession.

Lourdes overnight (BD

Theme: Our Lady of Lourdes

We celebrate an International Mass this morning with pilgrims worldwide in the immense Underground Basilica of Pius X (schedule permitting) followed by a visit to the little village of Bartres, and the farm where St Bernadette was nursed and later returned in adolescence to help her foster mother. We will visit the Sheepfold and the Parish Church where she spent so many hours in prayer.

Free time this afternoon for a visit and prayers for the sick at the miraculous Baths where the water has continued to flow since 1858. Pilgrims may choose to submerge themselves in the healing waters, or collect the Lourdes water at the taps. During her 9^th apparition to Bernadette, Our Lady said “Go drink and wash yourself at the spring”. Optional afternoon Blessed Sacrament Procession and Blessing of the Sick before a final evening candlelight procession after dinner.

Note: Washing at the baths is a personally rewarding experience and is carried out in a discreet manner with the process being very respectful of one’s privacy. 

Lourdes overnight (BD)

We farewell Lourdes early this morning as we again journey through the Pyrenees, crossing the border back in to northern Spain.

We then arrive into stunning Montserrat. The renowned 11^th century sanctuary of Our Lady of Montserrat lies at the top of a 4,000 foot high mountain and is one of Spain’s most popular pilgrimage destinations. The shrine is home to a 12^th century miraculous statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, lovingly known as the “Black Madonna”, discovered in the Santa Cova or Holy Cave. Here at Montserrat, St Ignatius kept vigil with a coarse sackcloth and a pilgrim staff.

On arrival we will be taken on a private guided tour of the museums.

Continue for a visit and Mass in the Basilica, the construction of which began in the 16^th century, and a viewing of the beautiful Holy Image of Our Lady of Montserrat, known affectionately as the “Black Madonna.”  Time permitting, before dinner we will have an opportunity to join the Benedictine monks and the Montserrat Boys Choir (The Escolania) in the Basilica for the beautiful sounds of evening Vespers.

Montserrat overnight (BD)

The spirit of Montserrat is a unique blend of the mountain, the sanctuary, and the life of monasticism. Around the Sanctuary you will find many different banners and emblems representing various religious, cultural, social, financial and even sporting organisations.

Those who wish may rise early this morning to enjoy a walk down the sacred path passing modernist sculptures of the Mysteries of the Rosary (all worked on by Llimona and Gaudi among others). Almost hanging from the rock’s edge at the end of the route is the Chapel where the image of Our Lady of Montserrat was found by young shepherds in the 13^th century after seeing a bright light which led them to the grotto.

We then travel out to the town of Manresa for Mass where St Ignatius came on retreat for 11 months between 1522 and 1523. Each day he spent seven hours in prayer in a cave and then helped the sick in the village with the time he had left over. Here too, Ignatius began to develop the method for seeking God’s will and where he wrote his renowned Spiritual Exercises. We come as pilgrims to this amazing place with St Ignatius and pray in the actual cave where his life and spirituality developed.

Continue on to Barcelona where we will embark on a panoramic tour of the city followed by a visit to La Sagrada Familia.

Dinner at the hotel

Barcelona overnight (BD)

Your pilgrimage concludes after breakfast this morning o Graces of France extension. (B)