11-DAY DIVINE MERCY PILGRIMAGE

DAY 1: FLIGHT TO WARSAW

(Sun. Sept. 20) Today, your pilgrimage begins as you depart on your international overnight flight to Poland. Now it’s time to relax, enjoy your flight, and focus on the incredible spiritual journey ahead.

DAY 2: ARRIVAL IN WARSAW

(Mon. Sept. 21) Upon arrival in Warsaw, you will be greeted by your tour director and driver. We will transfer to the hotel for our welcome dinner and first overnight stay in Warsaw.

DAY 3: WARSAW | FEAST DAY OF ST. JOHN PAUL II

(Tues. Sept. 22) After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit St. James Church, where Helena Kowalska prayed and asked Fr. James Dabrowski for advice, which resulted in Helena entering the convent and becoming Sister Faustina. Mass will be celebrated. We will also explore the Old Town, which features cobblestone streets and stunning architecture, and visit the Market Square and the Warsaw Ghetto Monument commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon exploring on your own, then return to your hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.

DAY 4: WARSAW | CZESTOCHOWA | KRAKOW

(Wed. Sept. 23) Following breakfast and hotel check-out, we will travel to Częstochowa, the spiritual heart of Poland and a favorite pilgrimage site of St. John Paul II. We will visit the national shrine of Jasna Gora (meaning ‘Bright Mountain’) and the Chapel of Our Lady, home to the beloved Black Madonna. According to tradition, it was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist and later discovered by St. Helena, who enshrined it. After celebrating Mass, enjoy the peaceful, holy grounds of Jasna Gora Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before continuing to Krakow and checking into our hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.

DAY 5: KRAKOW

(Thurs. Sept. 24) Today, after breakfast, we will visit Wawel Hill to see the beautiful Cathedral and Coronation Chapel, where we will have the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. Stanislaus, the patron saint of Poland. After, we will explore Krakow’s Market Square, which has remained unchanged for almost 700 years, and tour St. Mary’s Basilica. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner will be on your own.

DAY 6: WADOWICE | KRAKOW

(Fri. Sept. 25) This morning after breakfast, we will travel to Wadowice, the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. We will visit the church in the market square, now known as the Papal Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice, where he was baptized, made his First Confession, received his First Holy Communion, and served as an altar boy. Mass will be celebrated. Next door to the basilica, we will visit his childhood home, which is now a museum dedicated to his life and pilgrimages. Enjoy lunch and the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Be sure to try the famous “Pope’s cake”, a must while in Wadowice! After our visit, we will head back to Krakow for dinner and overnight accommodations at your hotel.

DAY 7: ZAKOPANE | KRAKOW

(Sat. Sept. 26) Following breakfast, we will drive to the small, remote village of Zakopane, St. John Paul II’s favorite place for recreation and relaxation. We will visit the Fatima Church, which the mountaineers built in gratitude for the Blessed Mother saving St. John Paul II’s life from the assassination attempt in 1981. St. John Paul II visited and blessed this church in 1999. Mass will be celebrated. Next, we will take the gondola to Mt. Glubowka for a magnificent panoramic view of the city and hillside trails St. John Paul II used to climb (weather permitting). Enjoy leisure time for lunch and shopping on Krupowki Street before returning to Krakow. Enjoy dinner on your own before returning to your hotel for a relaxing evening.

DAY 8: SHRINE OF DIVINE MERCY | KRAKOW

(Sun. Sept. 27) Today, we will travel to Lagiewniki, where the message of the Divine Mercy began. We will pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet before the tomb of St. Faustina Kowalska. Next, we will tour the convent and the Basilica of Divine Mercy, which was consecrated by St. John Paul II on his last trip to Poland. We will also visit the St. Faustina Chapel of Divine Mercy. We will celebrate Mass and visit the St. John Paul II Center, where we will see his relics. We will return to Krakow for dinner and overnight accommodations at your hotel.

DAY 9: AUSCHWITZ | KRAKOW

(Mon. Sept. 28) After breakfast, we will drive to Auschwitz, the largest World War II concentration camp in Europe. We will take a guided tour, including the Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe, where he gave his life for the life of another prisoner. Then, we will travel to the area of Oswiecim and Harmeze where Mass will be celebrated. Afterward, we will return to Krakow. Dinner will be on our own.

DAY 10: WIELICZKA | KRAKOW

(Tues. Sept. 29) After breakfast, we will travel to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you will be transported to a mystifying world of salt beneath the Earth’s surface. It is home to the Chapel of St. Kinga, an exquisite underground church carved out of salt featuring a salt sculpture of Saint John Paul II. After celebrating Mass, you are free to enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Our farewell dinner will be at a local restaurant.

DAY 11: RETURN HOME

(Wed. Sept. 30) Our pilgrimage comes to a close today as we depart Krakow on our return flight home, taking with us incredible memories that will last a lifetime.