Proposed Pilgrimage Itinerary *



DAY 1 - Wednesday, 3rd September

We will depart in the morning from Dublin to Rome where we will be greeted by our Marian Pilgrimages representative. As we drive to our hotel in Avellino we will hear of the traditions of this part of Italy and the programme for the days ahead. Arriving at our hotel, we will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage before dinner.

DAY 2 - Thursday, 4th September

This morning, as we drive to the town of Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio, we will hear of his years spent in his native town and his dream of joining the Capuchin Franciscan Order. We will celebrate Mass in the Church of the Holy Family before embarking on a walking tour of the town, visiting the home of the Forgione family where Padre Pio was born and the Church of Sant'Anna where he was baptised. After free time for lunch, we will visit nearby Piana Romana and see the tree before which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. Views of the contrasting landscape will make for an enjoyable drive to San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years. After checking into our hotel ,we will have time to relax before dinner.

DAY 3 - Friday, 5th September

Founded by Fr. Alessio Parente to welcome English-speaking pilgrims arriving in San Giovanni Rotondo, after morning Mass, we will visit the English office and receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by Padre Pio. Our afternoon walking tour will begin at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, one of the sanctuaries appointed as a �Jubilee Church� during this special Year of Hope. Our guide will take us to the capuchin friary where we will see the cell where Padre Pio lived and died and the choir loft of the ancient church where Padre Pio received the stigmata. Our day will conclude in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where there will be time for private prayer before the remains of the great saint of our time.

DAY 4 - Saturday, 6th September

Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel and travelled on pilgrimage to the shrine in Monte Sant Angelo. This morning, we will drive to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo, the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael, which has also been declared a Jubilee Church. We will hear of the apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the Gargano and have the privilege of celebrating Mass. As we walk the Way of the Cross in the afternoon it will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love. After dinner we will have the opportunity to participate in the Torchlight Procession.

DAY 5 - Sunday, 7th September

From the moment of his arrival in the southern Italian town, Padre Pio had a deep affinity for the local people of San Giovanni Rotondo. His presence transformed San Giovanni Rotondo into what was regarded as a remote agricultural town into a �Hospital City� and place of pilgrimage. Despite the transformation of the town, the traditions have very much remained. This morning, we will celebrate Mass in the Church of San Nicola, nestled in the historical centre, where Padre Pio celebrated Mass in 1917. In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world �Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza,� the hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo which today is regarded as one of the most important hospitals in Italy. This afternoon, we will visit the hospital and hear of the history behind what is Padre Pio's greatest creation. We will have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure for confession or to return to the crypt of St. Pio. Carmel Burke - Jubilee Year Pilgrimage

DAY 6 - Monday, 8th September

This morning, we will depart San Giovanni Rotondo and enjoy views of the Adriatic Coast as we drive to the town of Lanciano. We will celebrate Mass and afterwards venerate the relics of this first Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. Our afternoon drive will take us to the �Green Heart of Italy� to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare and resting place of Blessed Carlo Acutis. After checking into our rooms, we will have time to relax before dinner.

Day 7 - Tuesday, 9th September

After morning Mass, we will drive to Assisi and embark upon a walking tour of the medieval town, during which time we will hear of the childhood of both Francis and Clare growing up in Assisi. Our afternoon in Assisi will conclude at the Basilica of St. Francis where we can admire some of the wonderful frescoes and great works of art and have time for prayer at the tomb of the �Poor Man of Assisi.� In the afternoon we will visit the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, made famous as the spot where Francis stripped himself of his fine clothes, thus relinquishing his wealthy lifestyle. In the same sanctuary today are the remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young boy who was very much impressed by the figure of Francis of Assisi and who, just like Francis, liked nothing more than to help the poor. Like Francis, he used his skills as a means of evangelisation and has been described by Pope Francis as a great example for young people today. Our day will conclude with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, home to the Chapel of the Porziuncola where Francis realised his true calling and where on Palm Sunday of 1212, he accepted Clare into the Order. Here we will see the Chapel of the Transito where Francis died and the Rose Garden where today miraculously grows the roses without thorns.

Day 8 - Wednesday, 10th September

This morning, we will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli before driving to Fiumicino airport after having walked in the footsteps of some of the great saints of the Catholic Church during this Jubilee Year of Hope.

Please note as San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angelo and Assisi are all hill-top towns with a number of inclines which need to be negotiated to arrive at the various sanctuaries, they are not suitable for wheelchair users. As a result, there is no official local facility for hire of wheelchairs or mobile aids. As the streets of these quaint towns are cobbled, we recommend you wear suitable footwear