Rome Lourdes Pilgrimage Tour
September 22-29, 2025
with Fr. Michael Mary Dosch, OP and Fr. Sergio Santos
Itinerary
Day 1 – Monday: Depart for Rome
Depart for Rome. Dinner and Breakfast are served aboard your transatlantic flight. You can depart from any airport we serve including Florida and Ohio.
Day 2 – Tuesday: Arrive Rome
Upon arrival, you will meet your Tour guide who will escort you to your private motorcoach. This morning you will enjoy a Panoramic Tour which will include a stop at the magnificent Colosseum. In 1744, Pope Benedict XIV issued an edict prohibiting the desecration of the monument and, for the 1750 Jubilee, he consecrated the arena to the memory of the Passion of Christ and the Christian martyrs, commissioning the 14 shrines of the Stations of the Cross along the arena’s perimeter. Continue to your First-Class Hotel. There will be time to freshen up before gathering for dinner. Overnight in Rome.
Day 3 – Wednesday: Rome – Papal Audience at the Vatican if the Pope is in residence – St. Peter’s Basilica – Vatican Museums – Sistine Chapel
Today is truly a day that will be in your minds for many years to come. This morning you will go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Francis. Following the audience, visit the Vatican Museums, a group of the most impressive galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. Throughout the tour, you will cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms, and the overwhelming Sistine Chapel, showcasing Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, the 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 at the Pieta and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. Before dinner, you will 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.
Day 4 – Thursday: Rome – 3 Major Basilicas – Catacombs
This morning you will visit the other three Major Basilicas of Rome starting with 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 Basilica of St John in Lateran is the Cathedral of Rome and was the former residence of the popes before their return to Rome in 1377. Across the street from the Basilica, you will have the chance to see and climb “the Holy Stairs” which are the actual steps Jesus climbed on the night he was sentenced to be crucified in the house of Pontius Pilate. On the outskirts of the city, you will visit St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. You will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus, Chapel “O’Domine Quo Vadis?” the remains of imperial tombs, Tomb of Caecilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution—dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.
Day 5 – Friday: Rome-Lourdes
This morning you will transfer to Rome Airport for your flight to Toulouse France. Upon arriving in France, proceed to the baggage claim area where you will be greeted by your local French tour guide who will escort you to your waiting motorcoach and begin your scenic drive to Lourdes. Check in to your hotel and relax or explore before dinner. Following dinner, you will have free time to pray the Rosary and to attend the candlelight procession. These processions are lit by candlelight and guided by the Most Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel for an overnight.
Days 6 & 7 – Saturday & Sunday: Lourdes
Over the next two days, you will stay in a small town, nestled within the Pyrenees Mountains. During your time in Lourdes, you will pray and meditate in a site of Our Lady’s apparitions. Our Lady first appeared to Bernadette in 1858 and announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception”, near the Grotto of Massabielle. During the first two apparitions, little Bernadette prayed the Rosary with Our Lady and left without any exchange of words. During the following apparitions, Our Lady emphasized God’s love for us, penance, and the necessity of performing acts of penance for sinners. Throughout your time in Lourdes, you will have the opportunity to attend Mass at the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette; watch a video presentation that explains in detail, the story of Lourdes; participate with the gesture of the miraculous spring; Wash your hands, wash your face and drink the water. Finish with a short prayer: Our Lady of Lourdes…Pray for us St. Bernadette…Pray for us Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Additionally, you will have the opportunity to experience Christ’s unconditional love, as you meditate upon the “life-size” Stations of the Cross that overlook the Grotto of Massabielle. In Lourdes, you will walk in and meditate upon the footsteps of St. Bernadette. Your group will have the opportunity to see Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. Each evening following dinner, you will have an opportunity to attend the candlelight procession and the Rosary, before a restful overnight.
Day 8 – Monday: Return to USA
This morning you will depart for the airport and return home.
Price: $4,295 Per person, based on Double Occupancy.
A Private Room is available for an additional single supplement of $720
Book Here
Prices Include:
- Airfares – Round trip Economy Class from Jacksonville, FL, or Ohio or any airport we serve including 1 Checked Bag
- Hotel Accommodations – First Class 4-Star Hotels with Porterage
- 3 nights – Starhotel Michelangelo or similar in Rome
- 3 nights – Grand Hotel Moderne or similar in Lourdes
- Meals – Breakfast and Dinner Daily, Wine & bottled water with dinners
- All Airport Transfers and transportation in the destination locations per itinerary
- Airconditioned Motor Coach with Bottled Water available onboard
- Tour Guide – Professional English Speaking Catholic Guides
- Entrance Fees – Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary, with Whisper Headsets where needed
- Daily Mass and Spiritual Activities Coordinated with the group’s Spiritual Director
Price Excludes:
- Travel Insurance – optional but recommended
- Gratuities for Guides and Drivers
- Baggage Fees, if applicable
- Fees for Seat Assignments or upgrades, if applicable
- Airport transfers when selecting Land Only and arranging your own flights
- Any Personal Expenses
Complementaries
- Name and Luggage tags
- Neck Wallet
- Travel Bag