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Our pilgrimage begins as we depart from Orlando for our overnight flight to Warsaw, Poland. Dinner and breakfast will be served during the flight.
Upon arrival at the Warsaw International Airport, our local professional tour escort will greet us, followed by a motorcoach transfer to our hotel. We begin our pilgrimage with Mass at St. James Church, where St. Faustina went when she arrived in Warsaw. We return to the hotel for dinner. Overnight Warsaw.
Today we visit all the landmarks of Warsaw, including the Old Town, Market Square, the Barbican, the Warsaw Ghetto monument, Lazienki Park, the Chopin statue, and the magnificently restored Royal Castle. Afterwards, we will visit and celebrate Mass where St. Faustina entered the convent. This afternoon, we visit the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church and view the exhibit dedicated to Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko, who was killed by the communists in 1984. Later, we travel to Swinice Warckie to see the parish church of St. Casimir, where St. Faustina was baptized. We check into our hotel and enjoy dinner. Overnight Swinice Warckie.
Following breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Czestochowa. We make a stop in Niepokalanow to visit the Niepokalanow Sanctuary, the home of Maximilian Kolbe. We celebrate Mass at Jasna Góra Monastery, where the portrait of the “Black Madonna” (Our Lady of Czestochowa) is located. The monastery has a pilgrimage tradition that dates back to the 14th century. St. John Paul II was known to make frequent visits to the monastery throughout his life. We end the day with dinner. Overnight Czestochowa.
We continue on to Zakopane, with a stop along the way in Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla (St. John Paul II), to visit the church he attended and was baptized in as a child. This afternoon, we arrive in the resort village of Zakopane, where we will visit the Jaszczurówka Chapel, visited several times by young Karol Wojtyla, as it lies on the walking paths he frequented. We’ll then have some free time to explore the colorful Krupówki Street. Dinner and fellowship. Overnight Zakopane.
This morning we enjoy a relaxing cable car ride to the nearby mountaintop, which boasts extraordinary views of the area, followed by a hike down the trail as we remember how Pope John Paul II often walked these same mountains. We stop at the amazing Wieliczka Salt Mines on our way to Kraków. Upon arrival, we participate in Mass at the oldest shrine there, the Skalka, which is dedicated to the bishop and martyr, St. Stanislaus. Dinner and fellowship. Overnight Kraków.
This morning, we visit the convent at Lagiewniki, where St. Faustina spent the last two years of her life. There will be time to pray before the miraculous image of the Divine Mercy as well as in the chapel that contains the tomb of St. Faustina. While here at the shrine, our chaplain will celebrate Mass for our group. We then proceed to the John Paul II Centre and visit its “Chapel of the Relics.” We end the day with dinner. Overnight Kraków.
Following breakfast, we depart for a visit to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp where unspeakable atrocities once occurred. We will see the cell that imprisoned St. Maximillian Kolbe and the Martyrdom Museum recalling the horrors of the Holocaust. On our return trip to Kraków, we will visit Calvary Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska to view the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Kalwaria. We’ll have dinner together this evening. Overnight Kraków.
Today we tour Kraków, a medieval treasure house full of architectural and artistic heritage. We’ll visit the imposing Wawel Castle, former seat of Polish regal authority, and see the Coronation Cathedral with its tombs of Polish monarchs. We’ll also have free time to explore Kraków’s Market Square and hear the silver trumpet of the bugler from St. Mary’s Tower. We participate in Holy Mass at St. Mary’s. Overnight Kraków.
With a renewed sense of pilgrimage, an invigorated love of our Catholic faith, and many new friends, we board the plane for the return flight home from Krakow.
