0721LH5 - Footsteps of John Paul II Pilgrimage 9 days from El Paso

Today, we depart our home city to connect with our overnight flight to Warsaw. We will enjoy in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft

We arrive early this morning at Okecie International Airport, Warsaw. After clearing arrival formalities, we are met by our guide and driver. This afternoon is free time to explore on our own, rest or take in the local sites before we check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast we begin our morning sightseeing tour of Warsaw. We will visit Old Town, where each historic building has been painstaking and lovingly reconstructed after the destruction during W.W.II, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Memorial of the Warsaw Uprising, the Memorial of the Ghetto Heroes, Lazienki Park to view Chopin’s Monument, St. John the Baptist Cathedral, and the Royal Castle. In the afternoon, we attend Mass at St. Jacob’s Church. This is where Jesus said to Blessed Sister Faustina: “it’s here I called you, and not elsewhere.” Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning we will celebrate Mass at St. John’s Cathedral, Warsaw’s oldest architectural monument dating back to 1338 and rebuilt from the ruins of W.W. II. Following Mass, we will depart to Niapokalanow, home of the monastery built by St. Maximilian Kolbe. We will then travel to Glogowiec, the birthplace of Blessed Sister Faustina where Jesus appeared to her in l931 and requested she paint the picture of His Divine Mercy. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Tonight, we will have an opportunity to attend one of Warsaw’s cultural events.

After breakfast, we will board our motor coach for a two-hour ride to Czestochowa where we will make our way to the monastery complex of Jasna Gora to visit the Marian Shrine. Jasna Gora consists of a Gothic/Baroque church, a Baroque monastery and fortress. This is where the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa (Black Madonna) has been preserved. We will tour this shrine and celebrate Mass. There will be time for private devotion and walk around the town. We will continue to Krakow for dinner and overnight.

This morning we will celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Florian, where Saint John Paul II served as a curate, and where he lived while university chaplain. Afterwards, we meet our guide and begin our sightseeing tour. Our first stop is the courtyard of 16th century Royal Castle, and Wawel Cathedral, where generations of Polish Kings are buried. We then take a walking tour of Old Town, visiting some of the treasures of this wonderful old city. We will view the Town Hall Tower and the Cloth Hall, located on the same site since the 15th century Collegium Maius in the oldest university area and St. Mary's Church. Here we enjoy the ancient tradition of the "Hejnal" or bugle call from the Tower, which warned residents of the coming of an enemy. This afternoon, we ride to Wieliczka, famous for its salt mine, which has been in operation for over 700 years. We will visit the upper levels of the mine, where will view chapels with altar pieces and statutes all hand carved by devout Polish miners. Return to Krakow for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we depart Krakow and travel to Wadowice, the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. En route we pass by the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Benedictine Monastery where the Holy Father often prayed and walked the Stations of the Cross. In Wadowice, we celebrate Mass in the parish church where the Holy Father was baptized and afterwards, we visit the museum in his small family home. We continue to the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp with its Martyrdom Museum. Saint John Paul II visited the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Auschwitz in June 1979 on his first visit to Poland after becoming Pope. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast, we will visit Kazimierz, an old Jewish city with medieval roots which has preserved the original town plan. We will then visit Wawel Hill, which is the old seat of Polish kings also dating back to medieval times. It is topped with a Gothic and Renaissance castle with a courtyard. We will pass the monument commemorating the Polish and American hero, Kosiuszko. The afternoon we visit the contemporary Basilica of the Divine Mercy, the home of St. Sister Faustina. We will see the convent and visit with the sisters there and celebrate our closing Mass. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today we make our way home with memories for a lifetime.