Shrines of Portugal and Spain Fr. Russo October 2024

The Catholic Shrines of Portugal and Spain

Fr. Tony Russo

Pastor of St. Robert of Newminster Church

October 7 – 17 2024

An 11-day Journey visiting Fatima, Santiago de Compostela, Madrid, Barcelona, Manresa and Montserrat.

Day 1 USA – Lisbon

Board your overnight transatlantic flights to Lisbon. Dinner and breakfast are served on board

Day 2 Lisbon

Arrive in Lisbon and enjoy an orientation drive through Lisbon, highlighted by Mass and a visit to the birth site of Saint Anthony. Dinner and Overnight in Lisbon.

Day 3 Santarem – Fatima

Drive to the town of Santarem, one of the oldest cities in the world, where you will have Mass and visit the Church of St Stephen, which contains the oldest recorded Eucharistic Miracle. Stolen by a woman in payment to a sorcerer, the Host began to emit a brilliant beam of light and then bleed. Reverently returned to the church of St Stephen, this miracle has been on continuous display since 1269. In the afternoon, you drive to nearby Fatima, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917 to three simple shepherd children and exhorted mankind to pray for world peace. Tonight you may participate in a candlelight procession. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.

Day 4 Fatima

Six times, from May 13 to October 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three novices belonging to the diocese of Leiria. See the basilica was constructed in 1928 and contains Francesco and Jacinta’s graves, and celebrate Mass at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. Visit the Hamlet of Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, the site of Our Lady’s appearance after the children’s return from prison. Follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra (The Sacred Way) culminating in the Chapel of Calvary, which overlooks all of Fatima. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.

Day 5 Fatima – Coimbra – Santiago de Compostela

Depart to Avila making 2 stops en route; the first in Coimbra, to visit the Carmelite Convent the last earthly home of Sr. Lucia, the third visionary. Continue to the Convent of the Poor Clare’s to see the Silver coffin that holds the incorrupt body of St. Elizabeth of Portugal. Continue to Santiago de Compostela for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Santiago de Compostela

After breakfast, you may choose to join the walking pilgrims at the Monte del Gozo from which the spires of the Cathedral are first visible from the Camino. From here the group can walk the last couple of miles of El Camino arriving at the Cathedral. Attend the International Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of St. James and visit the crypt where the relics of St. James are preserved. In the afternoon you will visit Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gelmirez Palace, Franco Street, etc. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Day 7 Santiago de Compostela – Madrid

After breakfast depart towards Madrid. Along the way, you will stop in O Cebreiro, the first village in the region of Lugo along the Camino, with an altitude of 1,300 meters. A group of “pallozas” can be seen and a beautiful Pre-Romanesque temple, from the 9-10 C, containing a Chalice, the Paten of “Santo Milagro” and a precious Romanesque carving of Santa Maria La Real. Continue on to Villafranca del Bierzo, where the group will visit the Collegiate Church of Santa María, the churches of Santiago and San Nicolas, as well as Agua Street, full of palaces and emblazoned houses. Dinner and overnight in Madrid.

Day 8 Madrid & Toledo

After breakfast, enjoy a tour of Madrid including the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor. Then depart for Toledo which sits on a rocky mound isolated on three sides by a looping gorge of the Río Tajo. Every available inch of this outcrop has churches, synagogues, mosques, and houses heaped upon one another in a haphazard spiral, which the cobbled lanes infiltrate as best they can. Toledo is known as the City of the Three Religions or Cultures because for many centuries the Christians, the Moors, and the Jews lived together in relative equality and peace. The city surrounded by walls hides great treasures: the awesome Cathedral, the church of Santo Tomé, the Tránsito Synagogue, Santa Maria La Blanca Synagogue, the superb church of San Juan de Los Reyes, Puerta de Bisagras, Puerta del Cambrón, Puerta del Sol, etc. Return to Madrid for dinner and overnight.

Day 9 Madrid – Barcelona

After breakfast, you will depart for the Atocha Train Station in Madrid and board your high-speed train to Barcelona. Upon arrival, you will enjoy a tour of Barcelona including a guided walk through the Gothic Quarter to visit the cathedral and to view Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, a beautiful, unfinished Roman Catholic basilica of impressive proportions. There will be time to explore the colorful markets of Las Ramblas in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Barcelona.

Day 10 Excursion to Montserrat and Manresa

After breakfast, you will make your way to Montserrat, home to the dramatically set Benedictine monastery. On a rugged mountainside, you will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Since the 12th century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna. According to Catholic tradition, the statue of the Black Virgin of Montserrat was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was later hidden from the Moors in a cave, where it was rediscovered by shepherds in 880 AD. They saw a bright light and heard heavenly music that eventually led them to the grotto and the statue. The Bishop of Manresa, present at the discovery, suggested that it be moved to Manresa, but the small statue was discovered to be so heavy it could not be lifted. Thus the Virgin had indicated her will to stay on Montserrat to be venerated there. In the 11th century, the abbot-bishop Oliba founded a monastery on the mountain of Montserrat next to one of the chapels, where the Benedictine Abbey is still preserved.

From Montserrat we will travel as St. Ignatius did, to visit Manresa, the cradle city of the Jesuit order. The expression “going to Manresa” means for the Jesuits, a pilgrimage to the sources of their history, religious vocation, and spirituality. Here you will visit the Cave of Saint Ignatius where he retired to meditate and write his Spiritual Exercises. You will see the Chapel of the Rapture where St. Ignatius remained motionless in ecstasy for eight days and visit the Basilica of la Seu, the large Gothic Church that has come to symbolize Manresa. Return to Barcelona for dinner and overnight.

Day 11 Return to the USA

After breakfast depart for Barcelona Airport for your return flights home.

Price: $5,159 per person from Detroit, based on Double Occupancy.   JFK price of $4,919.  PRICES TO CHANGE FOR 2024

The land-only price of $3,995 if using airline points.

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Price Includes
• Airfares – Round trip airfare from Detroit, MI (Departures from other Airports Available)
• Hotel Accommodations – First Class Hotels with Porterage

o 1 night in Lisbon
o 2 nights Fatima
o 2 nights in Santiago de Compostela
o 2 nights in Madrid
o 2 nights in Barcelona

• Meals – Breakfast and Dinner Daily – Wine & mineral water with dinners
• All transportation in the destination location via Airconditioned Motor Coach with Bottled Water available onboard
• Tour Guide – Professional English Speaking Catholic Guides
• Entrance Fees – Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
• Whisper Headsets where needed
• Daily Mass and Spiritual Activities Coordinated

Price Excludes
• Optional Travel Insurance
• Gratuities for Guides and Drivers
• Excess Baggage Fees, if applicable
• Fees for Seat Assignments or upgrades, if applicable • Any Personal Expenses

Complementary
• Name and Luggage tags
• Neck Wallet
• Travel Bag