Depart on your international overnight flight to Lisbon, Portugal.

Our representative will greet you at the airport and escort you to your bus for the journey to Santarém. Here, the Church of St. Stephen was the site of a Holy Miracle in the 12th Century. The crystal pyx can be seen at the renamed Church of the Holy Miracle. Continue to Fatima, where you will check into our hotel and then celebrate Mass in one of the chapels at the Sanctuary of Fatima complex. There is an opportunity to participate in the candlelight processional while in Fatima. (D)

Today, you will celebrate Mass and visit the basilica where the three children (Lucia lived to adulthood) are interred. You will then journey to the countryside, where Mary appeared to Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos, from May 13, 1917, every month for six months, when she appeared at Valinhos. You will see their homes nearby, where Francisco died in 1919. Jacinta died in a Lisbon hospital in 1920. (B,D)

Today, you will depart for Spain and Salamanca. This afternoon, enjoy a walking tour of this university city. Chartered in 1218 by Alfonso IX of Leon, this school has been home to Cervantes, Cortes, and St John of the Cross. The façade of the entrance to the university is an ornate wonder. The Old and New Cathedrals (12th and 16th century) join at the edge of the university. The Plaza Mayor here is one of the most picturesque in Europe. Continue to Burgos for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

This morning, you will explore Burgos, where we will pass through the Arco de Santa Maria, an ornate gateway through the old city walls built to honor Charles V. Visit the Gothic Cathedral, which began in 1221 and is a pilgrimage church on the Camino de Santiago. Continue to Lourdes, where you can participate in the afternoon processional and the evening candlelight processional. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Today, you will celebrate Mass in one of the chapels here at the sanctuary. Then, enjoy a walking tour of the sanctuary grounds and then to the homes of Bernadette and her family. This afternoon, you will have free time to partake in the healing waters baths or to explore more of the town on your own, from the various apparition sites to the castle fort that affords panoramic views of the sanctuary and the Pyrenees. Return to the hotel for dinner and your overnight stay. (B, D)

Today, you will journey from Lourdes to the mountain-top Monastery of Montserrat. The statue of the Black Virgin was uncovered in the Santa Cova in 880 AD. Celebrate Mass in one of the chapels before continuing to Barcelona for dinner and your overnight stay. (B, D)

Visit the Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter) in the city center. Many buildings are listed as World Heritage sites, including the Sagrada Familia Church, under continuous construction since 1882. Designed by renowned architect Gaudi, it is now slated for completion in 2026! While strolling La Rambla, see the font de Canaletes. Transfer to Barcelona airport to fly to Rome this afternoon. Your guide in Rome will greet you at the airport and escort you into the city for a driving tour to help you acclimate to where things are. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

After breakfast, enjoy the opportunity to join in prayer with Pope Francis and receive his greeting, blessing, and prayers. Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Built by connecting portions of the old papal residence with newer structures, the museum houses a world-renowned collection of art and antiquities. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512 and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Pope Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the church gathers to elect a new pope. Then, walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass here. The present structure, completed in 1590, was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including, most recently, Saint John Paul II. Finish the day at the Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD). Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it around 126 AD. The building was given to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a church called Saint Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria Rotunda). Mass continues to be celebrated here. (B, D)

You will begin your day at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls this morning. The present structure stands over where Constantine built the first church over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every pope who has served the church, with the face of Pope Francis I illuminated as the present pontiff. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here, sixteen popes from the 2nd through 4th centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. San Sebastian Outside the Walls, which was built over the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, is another of the seven Pilgrimage churches. The remains of Peter and Paul were temporarily protected here during the Valerian Persecution of 258. Begin your afternoon with a visit to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six popes are entombed here. Pilgrims began to frequent the site, and a chapel was built here in 1745. Next is the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls (San Lorenzo). Saint Lawrence was one of the first seven deacons of Rome, martyred in 258. The church is built next to catacombs that lead down to his grave. The relics of Saints Justin Martyr and Stephen are also enshrined here. Continue your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore), the largest Marian church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. Celebrate Mass in one of the churches. (B, D)

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