A Pilgrimage to Italy

Pilgrims gather at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) for the overnight transatlantic flight to Rome. The group departs together on United 510 at 8:15 PM, arriving at Rome Fiumicino the following morning. Full flight details are in the Group Flight Information section below.

Arrive in Rome and be met by your ProRome Tour Manager. Board the private motorcoach for the city. The Rome portion of the pilgrimage begins at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome’s second-largest basilica — a peaceful refuge south of the bustling historic center and a perfect introduction to the Eternal City. St. Paul the Apostle is buried here, and his relics are venerated at the site of his tomb. Proceed into Rome, check into the hotel, and enjoy a group welcome dinner. Holy Mass at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Early breakfast and departure for the Vatican. Mass at Santa Maria in Traspontina on the Via della Conciliazione, a stone’s throw from the colonnade, before proceeding into St. Peter’s Square for the Papal Wednesday General Audience with the Holy Father and his Apostolic Blessing. A group lunch follows, with a short period of free time.

In the afternoon we enter the Vatican Museums — the most renowned collection of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art in the world — concluding in the Sistine Chapel. From the chapel we pass directly into St. Peter’s Basilica for a guided tour, entering the greatest church in Christendom by the same route the cardinals take in conclave. We pray at the tomb of St. Peter beneath the high altar and venerate the papal saints entombed throughout. Those who wish may climb to the top of Michelangelo’s dome — nearly 450 feet above the streets below. The rest of the evening in Rome is at leisure. Holy Mass at Santa Maria in Traspontina.

After breakfast, our first destination is the marvelous 5th-century Basilica of St. Mary Major for Mass and a tour. Even more ancient is the next basilica — the Cathedral of Rome, the Lateran Basilica, built by Constantine in the 4th century and known as Mater et Caput, the mother and head of all the churches of the world. After touring the basilica, everyone has the opportunity to climb the Holy Stairs — the very stairs Christ ascended when brought before Pilate — climbed on one’s knees out of reverence for Our Lord’s Passion. A short distance away is the Basilica of Holy Cross in Jerusalem, home to a large relic of the True Cross, nails from the Crucifixion, and two thorns from the Crown of Thorns.

After a leisurely independent lunch, attention turns to the Catholic Counter-Reformation — the great saints, new religious orders, and revolutionary art of the movement. A walk through Rome’s historic center reveals the Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, along with masterpieces by Bernini and Caravaggio. Return to the hotel for dinner and much-needed rest. Holy Mass at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Breakfast, then make our way “outside the walls” to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, where we venerate this great martyr together with the many witnesses of the Faith buried here. A guided tour takes us through the passages, walking the same Appian Way trodden by the Apostles as they entered Rome.

Free time for an independent lunch, then attention turns to the Rome of the Caesars and the arena where so many early Christians gave their final witness. Guided visit to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, followed by the Mamertine Prison, where both St. Peter and St. Paul were held before their martyrdoms. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Holy Mass location to be confirmed.

Breakfast and hotel check-out. We bid farewell to the Eternal City and travel southeast to the Abbey of Monte Cassino, crowning the mountain where St. Benedict established his first monastic community in the 6th century and wrote the Rule that would form the monasteries of Europe. Destroyed and rebuilt four times — most recently after the bombardment of 1944 — the abbey remains a living Benedictine house. Mass and tour, with time to pray before the tomb of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica.

We continue across the peninsula to San Giovanni Rotondo and the Sanctuary of Padre Pio, the greatest miracle worker since St. Francis. The journey includes a stop for lunch and afternoon espresso. Arrive, check into the hotel, and enjoy dinner. Weather permitting, the group may join the weekly candlelight procession at the Sanctuary of St. Pio in the evening. Holy Mass at the Abbey of Monte Cassino.

Breakfast, followed by Sunday Mass and a visit to the friary where St. Pio lived and worked so many miracles. The museum dedicated to his life tells his story through lifelike figures and displays vestments, clothing, and other relics of the beloved saint who was truly an Alter Christus. The visit concludes with prayers before his incorrupt body.

Free time for lunch, then depart for the nearby Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel on Monte Sant’Angelo, a medieval sanctuary built into the rocky summit of a mountain overlooking the Adriatic. In the 5th century, as barbarian invasions threatened the peninsula, St. Michael appeared to the local bishop, asking him to build a sanctuary at the site of a cave where a miracle had occurred. For over a thousand years it has been one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe, visited by countless saints and popes. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo for dinner and overnight. Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

Breakfast and hotel check-out. Depart San Giovanni Rotondo and travel north along the Adriatic to Lanciano, site of the oldest and most celebrated Eucharistic Miracle in the Church. In the 8th century, a Basilian monk doubting the Real Presence spoke the words of consecration and watched the Host become visible Flesh and the wine become Blood. Both have been preserved incorrupt for over twelve centuries and are venerated in the Church of San Francesco. Mass at the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle, followed by free time for lunch.

Continue west over the Apennines to Assisi, the Seraphic City. Check into the hotel and enjoy dinner. Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle, Lanciano.

Breakfast, then depart for the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi for Mass. Afterward, a Franciscan friar leads a tour beginning in the crypt where St. Francis is buried and culminating in the Upper Basilica — a wellspring of medieval art whose greatest achievement is Giotto’s renowned fresco cycle of the life of St. Francis. Free time for lunch after the tour.

The afternoon further reveals Assisi’s sacred character. At the Basilica of St. Clare, Clare’s incorrupt body is venerated, and here hangs the San Damiano Crucifix that spoke to St. Francis: “Rebuild my Church, which is falling into disrepair.” The Chiesa Nuova stands over the childhood home of St. Francis; Santa Maria Maggiore is where St. Carlo Acutis is entombed; and the Cathedral of San Rufino is where both Francis and Clare were baptized. In the late afternoon we descend into the valley to the Porziuncola — the original home of the Franciscan Order and the place of St. Francis’s death — preserved within the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Guided visit and private prayer in the little chapel Francis rebuilt with his own hands. Return to the hotel for a farewell dinner. Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis.

Early Mass in Assisi, followed by breakfast and hotel check-out. We bid farewell to the Seraphic City and transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), departing on United 41 at 11:00 AM and arriving back at Newark (EWR) at 2:40 PM the same day. Buon viaggio! Full return details are in the Group Flight Information section below. Holy Mass location to be confirmed.