Pilgrimage Itinerary

DAY 1 - Chapel of the Porziuncola

This morning we will depart from Dublin airport to Rome. In the arrivals hall we will be greeted by our Marian Pilgrimages guide and driver who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. The wonderful landscape of the �Green Heart of Italy�, will make for an enjoyable drive to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare. We will check into our hotel and afterwards have time to relax and unpack.

Within walking distance of our hotel is 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 - a fitting place from which to begin our pilgrimage. This afternoon we will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage and afterwards see the Chapel of the Porziuncola, the Chapel of the Transito where Francis died, and the famous Rose Garden where today grows the miraculous roses without thorns.


DAY 2 - Tombs of Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Francis of Assisi & St. Clare

This morning will begin with Mass in the Basilica of St. Clare, followed by time for private prayer before the tomb of the founder of the Order of the Poor Clares.

The name �Carlo Acutis� became known throughout the world when in October 2020, in the presence of his parents and siblings, he was beatified in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The young boy was very much impressed by the story of St. Francis of Assisi. Described by Pope Francis as �an example for young people today�, Carlo was a boy of great faith and cared very much for the poor. Following his death at just 15 years of age, his remains were buried in the cemetery in Assisi, were later exhumed in 2019 and transferred to the Sanctuary of Renunciation, the same place where Francis stripped himself of his old life in favour of a life of prayer. We will venerate the remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis and have time for private prayer before his tomb.

Our morning will continue with a guided tour of the medieval town of Assisi where we will hear more of the life of St. Francis and St. Clare and how both gave us lavish lifestyles in favour of a lift of charity and prayer. Our morning will conclude in the Basilica of St. Francis where we can admire the fine frescoes and pray before the tomb of the �Poor Man of Assisi.� An afternoon at leisure will give us time for personal sightseeing and private prayer.


DAY 3 - Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

Our drive along the Adriatic Coast to the town of Lanciano will make for an enjoyable morning as we admire the wonderful landscape of this part of Italy. Upon arrival in Lanciano, after free time for lunch, we will celebrate Mass in the Church of St. Francis and later venerate the relics of the first Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church which date back to the 8th century. After time for prayer, we will continue onto San Giovanni Rotondo, learning of the early years of Padre Pio in the town of Pietrelcina and how he overcame many obstacles to fulfil his dream of becoming �a monk with a beard.� Upon arrival at our hotel, we will check into our rooms and have time to relax before dinner.


DAY 4 - English Office, Capuchin Friary, Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

This morning we will celebrate Mass in the ancient Church of Our Lady of Grace where Padre Pio spent many hours each day hearing confessions and afterwards in the English Office will receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by the capuchin friar.

After lunch, we will learn of the life of Padre Pio during his time in San Giovanni Rotondo. Visiting the capuchin friary will allow us to learn more about the �poor friar who prays� as he often described himself. Here we will have the opportunity to see the cell once occupied by the humble friar and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata.


DAY 5 - Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel & Way of the Cross

After breakfast we will drive to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo, home to the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel. In the sacred cave we will celebrate Mass and afterwards have time to stroll along the cobbled streets of this unique town with its quaint, white-washed houses. We will enjoy lunch in Monte Sant'Angelo and as we return to San Giovanni Rotondo will stop at the cemetery, visiting the chapel where the remains of the parents of Padre Pio and members of his family are entombed.

In the afternoon we will walk the Way of the Cross which will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love.


DAY 6 - �Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza� & Historical centre of San Giovanni Rotondo

In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, �Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza� which today is one of the most important hospitals in Italy. An important part in the story of Padre Pio, after morning Mass we will learn of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio's greatest creation.

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. In the afternoon we will enjoy a guided walk through the cobbled streets of the historical centre of San Giovanni Rotondo and hear of the history of the town, its unique traditions and see some of the places visited by Padre Pio. We will conclude our day with dinner in one of the local restaurants where we will have the opportunity to sample some fine local produce.


DAY 7 - Corato

This morning we will depart San Giovanni Rotondo and drive to the town of Trani. We will have lunch and later visit the house of Luisa Piccarreta, in nearby Corato. Luisa was a mystic and victim soul confined to her bed with an illness that no doctor could identify and who lived on the Eucharist and the Divine Will for over 60 years. We will hear of the life of Luisa Piccarreta and afterwards see her bedroom, some of the lacework of Luisa and copies of some of her writings, many of which have been published.

We will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of Santa Maria Greca and have time for prayer at the tomb of the �Little Daughter of the Divine Will.�


DAY 8 - Return home

After breakfast we will check out of our hotel and drive the short distance to Bari airport for our return flight to Dublin.


Please note as both Assisi and San Giovanni Rotondo are hill-top towns with a number of inclines which need to be negotiated to arrive at the sanctuary, neither are suitable for wheelchair users. As a result, there are no official local facilities for hire of wheelchairs or mobile aids.