St. Juan Diego
The Basilica of Guadalupe
The tilma itself, unexplained after five centuries, above an altar reached by moving walkway because nine million pilgrims a year come to see it — more than Lourdes and Fátima combined.
Destinations / Mexico & the Americas
before Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mexico &
the Americas
Guadalupe and Québec — the great shrines of this hemisphere, a few hours from home.
You do not have to cross an ocean. The tilma of St. Juan Diego hangs in Mexico City, and nine million pilgrims a year come to see it — more than Lourdes and Fátima combined. For a parish that cannot ask its people for a transatlantic flight, this is the pilgrimage that changes what is possible.
A ProRome pilgrimage to Mexico is built around Tepeyac: Mass at the Basilica, the tilma itself, the hill where Our Lady appeared in December 1531, and the chapels around it. From there groups travel to Puebla and Cholula, and to Tlaxcala and Ocotlán.
Québec is the other American pilgrimage and closer still for most parishes. Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré draws pilgrims to the grandmother of Our Lord, St. Joseph’s Oratory rises above Montréal on the strength of one lay brother’s devotion, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha lies at Kahnawake.
6–7
Nights Abroad
Typical
Daily
Mass at
Sacred Sites
3
Lodging Styles
To Choose From
25–500+
Pilgrims
Per Group
Where You Will Pray
The places that make an American pilgrimage
The angels’ cathedral
Puebla
A cathedral local tradition says was raised by angels overnight, the tallest bell towers in Mexico, and the Rosary Chapel at Santo Domingo — gilt from floor to vault.
Colonial Mexico
Cholula & the Talavera city
The largest pyramid on earth by volume, with a church on its summit, and a colonial city of tiled facades an hour and a half from the capital.
St. Anne
Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré
The great shrine to the grandmother of Our Lord, on the St. Lawrence east of Québec City, its pillars hung with the crutches of those who left them behind.
St. André Bessette
St. Joseph’s Oratory
The largest church in Canada, and the highest building in Montréal — built from the devotion of one lay brother who was a doorkeeper, and turned away by his order as too frail to be useful.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Montréal & Kahnawake
Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montréal, the wooden chapel where Brother André began, and the tomb of the Lily of the Mohawks on the south shore of the St. Lawrence.
The Ground You Cover
The shrines of the Americas
Click any marker to see what is there and how long groups usually stay.
Legend
- Mexico
- Québec
Nowhere is off limits
These are the sites groups ask for most — not a list of where we can go. The Cristero country of Jalisco, the shrine of San Juan de los Lagos, and the North American Martyrs at Auriesville are all within reach. If there is a place your group cares about, tell us and we will build the road to it.
A Sample Six Nights
Guadalupe and Puebla
Mexico works in less time than Europe — the flights are short and everything sits within a few hours of the capital. Six nights is enough to do it properly.
Day 1
Arrive in Mexico City
A morning flight from most US cities. Transfer, opening Mass, and an easy first evening.
Day 2
The Basilica of Guadalupe
Mass at the Basilica, the tilma, Tepeyac Hill and the chapels up its slope. The day most groups came for.
Day 3
Historic Mexico City
The Metropolitan Cathedral, the Zocalo, and the church of San Hipólito.
Day 4
Puebla and Cholula
South to the cathedral said to have been built by angels, the Rosary Chapel, and the pyramid with a church on top.
Day 5
Tlaxcala and Ocotlán
The first diocese on the American mainland, and the shrine of Our Lady of Ocotlán.
Day 6
Teotihuacán
The pyramids north of the city, then a return to the Basilica for a closing Mass and group dinner.
Day 7
Return home
Transfer to the airport, with your tour manager through to the gate.
This is a starting point, not a package. Groups regularly extend into Cristero country in Jalisco, or build the pilgrimage around 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when the Basilica fills beyond counting.
What it costs
$3,000–$3,500
Student groups · per pilgrim, land only
$3,800–$4,500
Adult groups · per pilgrim, land only
Both ranges are all-inclusive on the ground and vary with the season you travel. Airfare is quoted separately — see the FAQ below for how that works.
- Lodging matched to your group — religious guesthouse, four-star hotel, or five-star
- Daily breakfast and most dinners
- Private motorcoach and all ground transfers
- Catholic guides throughout
- All entrance fees and site reservations
- Daily Mass arranged and reserved
- A ProRome tour manager for the full trip
Where you stay
Religious guesthouses. Mexico and Québec both have houses run by orders, several within walking distance of the shrines themselves. At Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré in particular, staying at the shrine changes the shape of the day.
Four-star hotels. More space, more amenities, and the option most parish groups choose.
Five-star. For groups who want it, we build it — and we will tell you honestly what it adds and what it does not.
The choice is yours on every pilgrimage, and it moves the price more than any other decision.
When to go
Mexico: October to April is the dry season and the best window. The capital sits at 7,300 feet, so evenings are cool year round.
12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, brings millions to the Basilica across several days. Extraordinary, and it needs planning well ahead.
Québec: June to September for the shrines, though the autumn colour in late September is worth timing for.
26 July, the feast of St. Anne, fills Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré with a novena and a procession.
What Sets Us Apart
Your guide is a missionary, not a tour guide
ProRome guides are trained missionaries with degrees from Catholic universities. They are not working from a script, and they are not reciting dates from a plaque.
At Guadalupe that matters especially — a guide who can explain what the tilma actually is, what the Church has and has not said about it, and why the image spoke to a people who had just lost everything, gives a group far more than a queue and a moving walkway.
Common Questions
Planning an American pilgrimage
Why go to Mexico rather than Europe?
Cost and reach. The flights are a few hours rather than overnight, the land price is lower, and a parish that could never fill a transatlantic pilgrimage can often fill this one. It is also the most-visited Marian shrine on earth — nine million pilgrims a year, more than Lourdes and Fátima together.
How long should a Guadalupe pilgrimage be?
Six or seven nights is enough to do it properly. Everything sits within a few hours of Mexico City, so groups spend far less time travelling than in Europe. Adding Cristero country in Jalisco makes it nine or ten.
Is Mexico safe for a parish group?
The pilgrimage regions we operate in — Mexico City, Puebla, Tlaxcala — are visited by millions of pilgrims a year and we have run groups there for years. We use private coaches and vetted local partners throughout, every group travels with a ProRome tour manager, and we will tell you plainly if we think an itinerary should change.
How much does a pilgrimage to Mexico cost?
Student groups typically run $3,000 to $3,500 per pilgrim and adult groups $3,800 to $4,500, land only and all-inclusive on the ground, varying with the season. Mexico generally sits at the lower end of those ranges, and airfare from most US cities is a fraction of a transatlantic fare.
Can we be there for the feast of Guadalupe?
Yes, and it is unlike anything else in the Catholic world — millions of pilgrims arriving on foot across several days around 12 December, many of them walking the last stretch on their knees. Lodging across the whole city fills, so this needs planning much further ahead than an ordinary week.
What about Québec?
Closer still, and often overlooked. Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Notre-Dame-du-Cap, St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montréal and the tomb of St. Kateri Tekakwitha at Kahnawake make a full seven-night pilgrimage without leaving North America — and for parishes in the northeast, without leaving driving distance.
How far in advance should we start planning?
Nine to twelve months is usually enough for Mexico and Québec, which is one of the advantages. The December feast at Guadalupe is the exception and wants eighteen.
How does airfare work?
Airlines do not release group fares until roughly eleven months before your return date, so airfare is quoted separately from the land price. That gives you two ways to launch. You can launch land-only now, start registering pilgrims at the land price, and add airfare once it opens — the usual choice when a group wants a long recruiting window. Or you can wait until the eleven-month mark, let us contract the air, and launch one all-inclusive price, which is simpler for pilgrims but shortens the time you have to fill the trip. We will tell you which fits your group when we talk.
Let’s build your American pilgrimage
Tell us your group, your dates, and what is on your parish’s heart. We will come back with an itinerary and a price — no obligation, and no template.
Request a Custom Proposal →