Proposed Pilgrimage Itinerary *



Day 1 - Arrive Krakow, Poland
Check in at Dublin airport for our flight to Krakow. Arrive from Dublin. Coach transfer to hotel and check-in for 5 nights, dinner, bed & breakfast. Our walking tour in the Old Town of Krakow commences at the Church of St Florian, where Blessed John-Paul began his ministerial life as curate. We pass the Barbican, and visit the Basilica of St Mary to see the magnificent medieval Altar, and hear the bugle call. Continue to Market Square - see the Cloth Hall, Town Hall Tower, Jagellonian University, Bishops Palace, and Kanonicza Street. Mass somewhere nice.

Day 2 - Krakow
Morning walk to the Bernardine church near Wawel Hill. On Wawel Hill we see the Royal Castle, and visit the 14th century Royal Cathedral - the coronation church of Polish Kings - with the Royal Tombs, Sigismundus Bell, and the Crypt, where Polish Kings and National Heros are laid to rest. It was here, Blessed John-Paul celebrated his first Holy Mass at the Altar of St Leonard. Return to hotel via Skalka Sanctuary, where St Stanislaus was martyred in 1079. Afternoon walk in the Kazimierz quarter of Krakow to see the courtyard where Schindlers List was filmed, the Synagogues, New Square, and the birthplace of Helena Rubinstein.

Day 3 - Divine Mercy Chaplet & Saltmines
The Morning drive to Lagiewniki and visit the shrine of the Divine Mercy. Visit the beautiful Basilica consecrated by Pope John-Paul II in 2002. In the convent chapel we pray before the original picture where 33-year-old Sr Fauistina died in 1938 and where she is buried. We celebrate Mass here, and recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet, visit the churches, viewing tower, pastoral centre, cafeterias, and shops. Afternoon visit the Wieliczka Saltmines - resembling an underground town after 700 years of salt extraction. See the underground salt chambers, statues, lakes, and the largest underground church built of salt, in the world. Return to Krakow.

Day 4 - Czestochowa
Morning drive to Wadowice to visit Blessed John-Pauls house, now a museum, and in the near-by church where he worshiped, we celebrate Mass. Afternoon drive to Czestochowa visit the Jasna Gora monastery - the most important Marian Shrine in Poland. Visit the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin and see the icon of the Black Madonna. Return to Krakow.

Day 5 - Auschwitz
Morning drive to Wadowice to visit St. John-Pauls house, now a museum, and in the near-by church where he worshiped, we celebrate Mass. This afternoons visit is quite austere, a step back into one of the darker moments in the 20th century. We will make our way to Oswiecim to the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Considered one of the largest and most heinous camps, this was the site where approximately 1.5 million people lost their lives, among them mostly Jews. When the camp was liberated in 1945, fleeing German troops attempted to destroy it, but they were unsuccessful. Allied troops discovered about 7,000 remaining prisoners, all in desolate condition. Auschwitz-Birkenau remains an example of the destruction of World War II and the hate of one man. Today the site serves as a museum and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Our visit will include the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., who gave his life in substitution for a prisoner who was to be executed. We celebrate Mass this afternoon in a nearby church named for this saint. We return to Krakow where the balance of the day is at leisure. Dinner is at our hotel.

Day 6 - Return Home
After a breakfast, we will have some free time in Krakow before our transfer to the airport for our flight back to Dublin