Midwest Pilgrimage with Our Lady of the Lake Pell City, AL
Six days through Illinois and Wisconsin in October, from St. Thérèse at Darien and Holy Hill to Our Lady of Champion and Our Lady of Guadalupe at La Crosse, with daily Mass.
Your spiritual director and host parish
Pastor Bill Lucas
Our Lady of the Lake
Pell City, Alabama
This pilgrimage is organized for the parish community of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Pell City, Alabama.
“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.”
Our Lady to Adele Brice, Champion, Wisconsin, 1859
In October 1859 Our Lady gave this mission to a young Belgian immigrant. The Church approved the apparitions in 2010, the only Marian apparitions in the United States with formal approval, and we pray there on October 13.
Our Lady of Champion · Champion, Wisconsin
The Midwest, October 10 to 15, 2027
Six days, five nights in Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay and La Crosse, with Darien, Holy Hill and Champion along the way, and Mass each day.
Begins and ends in Chicago
OvernightVisit
Nights: 1 Chicago, 1 Milwaukee, 1 Green Bay, 2 La Crosse.
Arrival in Chicago
We arrive in Chicago and travel to nearby Darien, Illinois, where we celebrate Mass at the National Shrine and Museum of St. Thérèse, a Carmelite pilgrimage site devoted to Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” Doctor of the Church. Served by the Society of the Little Flower, the Shrine holds the largest collection of St. Thérèse relics and memorabilia outside of Lisieux, France, which we venerate before touring the museum and quiet meditation garden. Afterward, we enjoy a panoramic tour of Chicago, including sites connected to the Holy Father’s Midwestern roots, before checking into our hotel in the Rosemont area.
St. Joan of Arc Chapel & Basilica of St. Josaphat
We depart Chicago for Milwaukee, where we tour the Gothic St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University, a fifteenth-century French chapel transported stone by stone from the Rhône Valley and reassembled on campus, home to a stone on which St. Joan of Arc is said to have prayed before battle. Free time follows for pilgrims to enjoy lunch at their own pace at Milwaukee’s historic public market. We then visit the Basilica of St. Josaphat, a soaring minor basilica built by Milwaukee’s Polish community and modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where we celebrate Mass.
Holy Hill
We travel to Holy Hill, the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, cared for by the Discalced Carmelite Friars atop one of the highest points in southeastern Wisconsin. We have free time to pray and visit the grotto, chapel, and gift shop, followed by Mass in the basilica. After lunch at a café on the grounds, we continue to Green Bay.
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral & National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
This morning we celebrate Mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Green Bay since 1868 and modeled on a landmark church in Munich, before touring the cathedral. We then continue to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, site of the only Marian apparition in the United States to receive formal Church approval, where Our Lady appeared to Adele Brice in 1859. After lunch nearby, we have time to pray and visit the grotto, rosary walk, history center, and chapel before continuing to La Crosse.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
We visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, ascending on foot along a paved hillside path to the Shrine Church, where we celebrate Mass. After lunch, we have free time before returning to the church for personal prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and Benediction. This evening we gather for a farewell dinner.
Return Home
With hearts renewed by this pilgrimage through the American heartland and the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Champion, and Mary, Help of Christians, we arrive at O’Hare International Airport for our journey home.
What’s included
Everything below is covered by the package price.
Your hotels in the Midwest
Four-star hotels throughout: one night in Chicago, one in Milwaukee, one in Green Bay and two in La Crosse. Hotels are subject to final confirmation; if a hotel changes, it is replaced with one of the same standard.
“Each site was thought out about why and how to pray there.”
“The entire trip from start to finish went smoothly. We felt very safe and well cared for.”
“This was the trip of a lifetime and excellent customer service.”
Questions pilgrims ask
Short answers to what most people want to know before they put down a deposit.
It is a touring pilgrimage by motorcoach, with long drives between Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay and La Crosse. Expect about 1 to 2 miles of walking on a typical day, mostly around shrine grounds, with the paved hillside path up to the Shrine Church at La Crosse as the main climb. Days usually start with a wake-up call around 7am, departure by 9am and a return to the hotel between 5pm and 6pm.
You can have a room to yourself, with a single room supplement of $599, or share a room with two beds with another pilgrim. If you would like to share, we will do our best to match you with a roommate. If we cannot find a match by July 12, 2027, the single room supplement applies. Couples, families, friends and singles are all welcome, and plenty of pilgrims come on their own.
Lunches, donations at Masses, souvenirs and laundry. A typical lunch costs about $15 to $20. Tips for your tour manager, local guides and driver: the recommended amounts are in your final travel documents. Travel insurance if you choose it, and a 3% fee if you pay by card.
Cancel in writing. Up to July 12, 2027 (90 days before departure), everything you have paid is returned except $200. After that date, the $450 deposit and any costs we cannot recover are kept. Travel insurance may cover a cancellation, depending on the reason.
Pastor Bill Lucas leads the group from Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Pell City, Alabama.
More answers in the FAQ below and in our Support Center, or call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
Price per person
Per person, including roundtrip group airfare from Birmingham (BHM). Flying from another city? We can arrange air from your airport: you can request an airfare quote from your airport when you reserve.
$200 per person is non-refundable.
Final payment is due 90 days before departure. Payment plans are available if you would like to make smaller payments before then.
Check
ACH bank transfer
Zelle
Cash, money order or cashier’s check
Protect your pilgrimage
Your pilgrimage is paid for long before you leave. Travel insurance is added as part of your booking: when you reserve, choose an Allianz plan on the insurance step. There is no separate quote to get. Classic is the plan we recommend for most pilgrims.
- Covers your trip cost. Classic reimburses 100% of the trip cost you insured if you cancel for a covered reason, and adds emergency medical care and baggage cover.
- Buy within 14 days of your first deposit to keep Cancel Anytime and pre-existing condition cover. The plans stay available until departure.
- Buy it in the same checkout as your pilgrimage. Prefer to add it by phone? Call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
Frequently asked questions
This is an active program that covers a good amount of ground each day, with long drives between Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay and La Crosse. Expect a wake-up call around 7am, departure by 9am and a return to the hotel between 5pm and 6pm. You should be able to walk 1 to 2 miles a day at a moderate pace, including the paved hillside path up to the Shrine Church at La Crosse.
Expect cool autumn weather in Illinois and Wisconsin, with crisp mornings, mild afternoons and the chance of rain. Bring layers, a warm jacket and comfortable walking shoes.
Every adult needs a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another TSA-accepted ID, such as a passport, for the domestic flights. No passport is needed for this pilgrimage.
Rates are per person based on two pilgrims sharing a room. Shared rooms have one bed or two beds. If you are travelling alone we will try to match you with a roommate of the same gender; if we cannot, the single room supplement applies.
Yes. The price includes group airfare, so call us for a price without flights. Send us your flight details once booked, so we can line your arrival up with the group’s in Chicago on October 10 and its departure from O’Hare on October 15. Group air from other airports can be arranged; you can request an airfare quote from your airport when you reserve.
Final payment is due on July 12, 2027, 90 days before departure. Payment plans are available if you would like to make smaller payments before then.
We strongly encourage travel insurance for all of our pilgrims, and we partner with Allianz Travel Insurance to offer affordable coverage. Most of our pilgrims choose the Classic Plan. You add it as part of your booking: choose a plan on the insurance step when you reserve, or call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
A pilgrimage is not a vacation or excursion but a unique spiritual journey that provides many opportunities to deepen your relationship with God and enrich your Catholic faith by bringing Scripture to life. Pilgrimages offer the opportunity to let Christ draw you near.
More questions are answered in our Support Center, covering booking, payments, travel insurance, passports and what to expect on pilgrimage.
Couples, families, friends, singles, all are welcome!
Some pilgrims come as a couple, some bring the whole family, some come with a friend from the parish, and plenty come on their own. Everyone is welcome.
The Midwest in October
October 10 to 15, 2027, with Our Lady of the Lake and Pastor Bill Lucas. Reserve today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.
Questions? Call +1 (800) 653-0017 or email hello@canterburypilgrimages.com.
Secure your spot today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.