Shrines of Portugal, Spain & France
Day 1: Home City ~ Fly to Portugal: Today we’ll board our scheduled flight for the Trans Atlantic crossing to Lisbon, Portugal. Dinner will be served on board during the overnight flight.
Day 2: Lisbon ~ Santarem ~ Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima: Upon arrival in Lisbon, travel north toward Fatima for a two-night stay. Enroute a stop will be made in Santarem, home to one of the oldest Eucharistic miracles in the world. Enjoy time to venerate the Eucharistic miracle which is reserved in the tabernacle in the Church of the Holy Miracle. This 13th century miracle occurred when a woman attempted to steal a consecrated host which shortly after turned into flesh and began to bleed. To this day the precious relic remains incorrupt. Later in the day we arrive in Fatima, once remote village, now home to one of the most famous Marian shrines in the world. Following dinner, join the nightly rosary procession.
Day 3: Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima: Enjoy the day in Fatima. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, visit the Chapel of the Apparitions, the basilica with the tombs of Francisco and Jacinta and the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. A short walk from the shrine sits the two homes of the visionaries along with the Stations of the Cross, which feature monuments of where the Blessed Virgin appeared during the fourth apparition, and the place where the angel appeared to the children.
Day 4: Fatima ~ Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: Depart Fatima and travel north into Spain and to one of the most famous shrines in the western world, Santiago de Compostela. Tradition holds that St. James (Santiago in Spanish) the Apostle brought the Gospel message to Spain in 40 A.D. Years later James returned to Jerusalem and died a martyr’s death. His remains were eventually brought back to Santiago where today they are reserved in a silver reliquary located in the crypt behind the main altar of the cathedral. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is one of the finest pieces of architecture in Europe and features magnificent caricatures of apostles, prophets and angels. Overnight in Santiago de Compostela.
Day 5: Santiago de Compostela ~ Way of St. James ~ Santander: Celebrate the early morning pilgrim mass at the cathedral and experience the swinging botafumeiro – a three-foot-high incenser which is suspended by a 200 foot rope and is swung over the heads of the congregation while emitting large quantities of incense. Later today we travel east along the northern coast of Spain following the Way of St. James. Truly Europe’s most legendary pilgrimage, the Road to Santiago has been declared a World Heritage Site. All along the Coastal Road hospices for pilgrims and hermitages, devoted to the Apostle, can be found. Later in the day we arrive in the charming cit of Santander for the overnight.
Day 6: Santander ~ Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes: Today we continue traveling eastward along the Basque coast and cross the border into France. By late afternoon we arrive in Lourdes, situated at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, in southwestern France. Known as one of the preeminent pilgrimage sites in the world, Lourdes attracts five million pilgrims from 150 countries annually. Although there have been 65 miracles recognized by the Church and some 5,000 inexplicable healings, the millions of moral and spiritual healings that pilgrims experience each year at Lourdes are the greatest miracles. This evening after dinner join in the memorable candlelight rosary procession. Enjoy a two-night stay in Lourdes.
Day 7: Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes: Today has been set aside for prayer and devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. On the sanctuary grounds enjoy time at the Basilica and Grotto with the opportunity to partake of the legendary healing waters of the miraculous Lourdes spring. Follow the stunning Way of the Cross which features life-size figures. In the city visit Boly Mill, where St. Bernadette was born, the Cachot, the former jail where she lived at the time of the apparitions, and the local parish church with the baptismal font of St. Bernadette. Tonight’s candlelight procession will provide the opportunity to join hundreds of other pilgrims from many lands in praying the rosary.
Day 8: Lourdes ~ Paris ~ Daughters of Charity Convent: This morning we depart Lourdes aboard Eurail’s sleek high-speed TGV train for a leisurely and scenic ride to Paris. Travel through both the chateaux country and the Bordeaux wine region of France. By early afternoon we arrive in Paris and transfer to Rue de Bac and the Daughters of Charity Convent where the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the great treasure of the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830. In the chapel near the altar is the site of the apparitions along with the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure. Enjoy a two-night stay in Paris.
Day 9: Paris Sight ~ Cathedral of Notre Dame: This morning we enjoy a guided city tour featuring some of Paris’s major landmarks. Highlights include the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur, Shrine of St. Vincent de Paul and the Eiffel Tower. Continue on to France’s number one tourist site, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Considered as one of the greatest architectural wonders of the Middle Ages, the Cathedral’s art-work features thousands of images represented by sculptures and stained-glass windows. The cathedral also houses two relics from Christ’s Passion – the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross.
Day 10: Paris ~ Journey Home: This morning we transfer to the airport and begin our journey home.