Depart today on board your overnight flights to Rome (included), arriving the following day. Enjoy a full meal service as well as in-flight entertainment.

Upon arrival in Rome, we will meet our pilgrimage escort and driver at the airport exit where they will escort us to our deluxe, air-conditioned motorcoach. We will then transfer to our guesthouse to check-in and freshen up before we gather for Mass and a brief orientation meeting. Following, we will make our way to a nearby restaurant for a celebratory welcome dinner (included) served with local wine. Overnight in Rome. (D)

We begin our first full day with breakfast and a morning stroll that includes the Ponte Sant’Angelo, an ancient Roman bridge that was enhanced by Bernini with ten statues of angels holding carved relics of the Passion of Christ. We will then visit the church of Santi Celso e Giuliano, which holds a collection of precious relics. Here we will make a Holy Hour and witness a beautiful outdoor procession, an annual event that leads pilgrims to the mighty St. Peter’s Basilica, built over the tomb of the Apostle Peter. Admire the majestic interior of the Basilica. Lunch. Free time to explore the neighborhood of the Vatican and shop for souvenirs. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

Today we participate in Sunday High Mass at a Roman parish. Mass will be sung in Latin, a unique experience for all and an indication of the universality of the Church. Afterwards, we will take a leisurely stroll to the popular neighborhood of Trastevere. Following lunch, we will have an afternoon visit to the Carmelite church of Santa Maria della Scala, where since the year 1617 the right foot of St. Teresa of Avila is kept. Next we will visit the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The church has a relic of the head of St. Apollonia, patroness of dentists and those with tooth problems. Finally we will visit the exquisite Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, a 5th century church with the tomb of St. Cecilia. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

Following breakfast and Mass, we make our way to the Roman Forum for a tour of ancient Rome, including the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. Enter the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre in the world, constructed by the Emperors Vespasian and Titus and completed in 80 AD. Here many Christians were martyred, including Telemachus, the last Christian martyr of the Colosseum. Following lunch, we will take an afternoon walk through the historic center of Rome that includes Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

Following breakfast and Mass in our convent chapel, we make our way to the Vatican Museums for a private tour of the Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Museums contain about 70,000 works, with 20,000 on display. The magnificent ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo will be a highlight. The tour will conclude in St. Peter’s Basilica. Following lunch, there will be free time for shopping and exploration. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

After breakfast we will begin our day with a visit to the Vatican for the weekly general audience of the Holy Father. Bring your religious objects to be blessed by the pope. Following lunch, we will visit the catacombs of St. Sebastian on the Via Appia Antica, one of the most famous Christian burial places in the Eternal City. St. Sebastian is buried here. Here we will have Mass and visit the Basilica of San Sebastiano and see its relics chapel. Among other relics, kept here is one of the arrows which is said to have struck St. Sebastian. Visit the “Domine, Quo Vaids?” church on the Via Appia Antica, where Christ appeared to St. Peter as Peter fled the city during Nero’s persecution. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

After breakfast we make our way to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for Mass and the chance to see the relics of "the crib of Bethlehem." After Mass we will cross the street and make our way to the Basilica of Santa Prassede, which houses one of the pillars that Christ is said to have been scourged upon. Next we will walk to St. Alphonsus, where the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is kept. We will next visit the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem where the relics of the Passion are kept. Following, we will have lunch at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls where we will also visit the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle. Next, we will make a visit to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, where the reputed “mensa” (top of the table) from the Last Supper is kept. Across the street we will visit the Scala Sancta, the steps said to have been taken from the Praetorium Palace of Pilate in Jerusalem, the same steps that Christ would have ascended. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

After breakfast, we will take a scenic drive through the countryside north of Rome to the small city of Orvieto. Here we will visit the famous Duomo of Orvieto. Inside we will have Mass and admire the rare frescos by Fra Angelico. We will also pray in the chapel where a well-known Eucharistic miracle is on display, the “Corporal of Bolsena.” This miracle took place in the year 1263 when a consecrated host began to bleed onto a corporal, the small linen cloth which the host and chalice are placed during the Mass. Lunch and free time for shopping and exploration. Later in the afternoon, we will transfer back to Rome for our group dinner (included) on the occasion of All Hallows’ Eve. Overnight in Rome. (B, D)

Today the Church celebrates the feast of All Saints. After breakfast, we will make our way to St. Peter’s Basilica for morning Mass and to see the relics of the Treasury of the Vatican Basilica, displayed every year on this day only for all to see. The rest of the morning is open for those who may wish to visit the top of the dome of St. Peter’s (optional and additional cost). Following lunch, we will make an afternoon visit to the church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, for a special viewing of their relics collection and the altars they set up annually for their parish celebration of All Saints. In the evening we will attend Mass and witness a beautiful custom that has been revived known as the “Solenne Ostensione delle Sante Reliquie,” when relics are presented and shown to the people by the parish priests. Dinner on our own. Overnight in Rome. (B)

Today the Church celebrates All Souls’ Day, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. After breakfast, we will walk through the streets of Rome to visit some of the most important Baroque churches. These will include San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (to see the foot of St. Mary Magdalene), the Chiesa Nuova to see the tomb of St. Philip Neri, Sant’Andrea della Valle (that contains part of the skull of the Apostle Andrew), the Gesù, and Sant’Ignazio, where the tomb of St. Robert Bellarmine is kept. After lunch, we will offer an optional afternoon (long) walk to the Campo Verano, Rome’s main cemetery, where locals flock on this day to honor the dead. Evening Mass at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We will gather one final time as a group for a special farewell dinner (included) served with local wine. Overnight in Rome. (B, D)

Following breakfast, with vivid memories of our time spent together in Italy, we transfer (included) to the airport for our morning flights home. (B)