Beatification of John Paul II & Medjugorje

Day 1, April 27, 2011: Depart USA
Depart for the overnight flights to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.

Day 2, April 28, 2011: Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy. Welcome Mass and Dinner in Rome. Overnight in Rome.

Day 3, April 29, 2011: Vatican Museum Tour
After breakfast enjoy a visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. You'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St Peter's Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter's is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican. Before dinner, you'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 4, April 30, 2011: Christian Rome Tour
This morning depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs; the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; and St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. Travel along the Appian Way, the oldest road from Roman times and see the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus and Tomb of Celilia Metella. Visit the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 5, May 1, 2011: Beatification of Pope John Paul II
Today we make our way to the Vatican where we will be present for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 6, May 2, 2011: Rome - Medjugorje
After breakfast and a leisurely morning, transfer to Rome Airport for your short flight to Croatia. Upon arrival, you'll be greeted by a tour guide and driver who will then take you on the 2 1/2 hour drive by private coach to the village of Medjugorje. Once there, you'll be introduced to your host family in whose modern and comfortable pensione you will be staying for the next four nights.

Day 7-9, May 3-5, 2011: Medjugorje
Experience the beauty and peace of this simple village. During your stay in Medjugorje you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world.

Here are some of the activities you'll be sharing with your fellow pilgrims: Each morning at 10am you assemble at St James Church for the English-language Mass (Feast days and Sundays English Mass is at Noon). Follow the path up Apparition Hill where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Touch and pray before the cross that commemorates the spot where Mary first appeared to the visionaries.

Each evening at 5pm or 6pm daylight savings time, join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. The apparition takes place at 5:40pm or 6:40 daylight savings time, and then stay on for Croatian Mass. Don't miss on Tuesdays and Saturdays Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and on Fridays Veneration of the Cross in the Church. Each evening during Croatian Mass, there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of the items you have with you.

The guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries at their own homes provided that they are in Medjugorje during your trip, and pending their availability. You will have the opportunity to climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30' high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Visit and pray at "Blue Cross", which is a place of great healings and graces- a very special place at the base of Apparition Hill.

Day 10, May 6, 2011: Medjugorje - USA
Early departure to Dubrovnik (Split or Sarajevo) Airport for your return flights to USA.

For Information Contact: CATHOLICJOURNEYS.COM  800-715-6670 / 504-834-4951