A Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi with Dr. Ben Akers and Fr. Dan Shaughnessy

ITINERARY

Day 1, Tuesday, October 20

Depart USA

Day 2, Wednesday, October 21 - Arrive in Rome, Orvieto, Assisi

Arrive FCO early morning. Travel to Orvieto and visit the Duomo cathedral to venerate the relics the 12th century Eucharistic miracle and celebrate Mass. Travel to Assisi and check-in to our hotel. Visit the Church of St. Mary of the Angels to see the Porziuncola Chapel of St. Francis. Enjoy a welcome dinner and goodnight's sleep in Assisi.

Day 3, Thursday, October 22 - Basilica of St. Francis and St. Clare

We will begin our day with Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis built over the tomb of this holy saint. We will spend time in the basilica’s Upper Church with Giotto's beautiful frescos detailing Francis’ life and various biblical narratives. Visit Church of St. Mary's, where the body of the newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis now rests. Visit the Basilica of St. Clare where St. Clare is buried, and which houses the 12th-century crucifix from which Christ spoke to St. Francis at San Damiano. Visit the church of San Damiano, where Francis heard God's call to rebuild his Church.

Day 4, Friday, October 23 - Rome | Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls | Church of Quo Vadis

Check-out of our Assisi hotel. Travel to Rome. Visit the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Wall, located outside the city walls where the St. Paul is buried (Mass). Visit the Church of Quo Vadis along the Appian Way, recalling St. Peter’s departure along the Appian Way and his return to Rome to face his martyrdom. Check into our hotel in Rome. In the evening, enjoy a semi-private after-hours evening guided tour of the Vatican Museum, ending with a visit to the Sistine Chapel (pending confirmation).

Day 5, Saturday, October 24 - Basilica of St. John Lateran | St. Mary Major | Church of St. Prassedes | St. Pudentiana

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the oldest of the major basilicas of Rome, and the ecclesiastical seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome. Visit the Holy Stairs, and the Basilica of Santa Croce. After lunch on your own, visit the Basilica of Mary Major which was built in the 4th century at the wish of Pope Sixtus III. Visit the churches of St. Prassedes and St. Pudentiana. The church of St. Pudentiana is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in Rome and is built over a 2nd century home. The apse mosaic is among the oldest Christian mosaics in Rome.

Day 6, Sunday, October 25 - Papal Angelus | Pantheon | Counter Reformation Churches | Basilica of St. Augustine

After a free morning to explore the great neighborhoods of Rome, meet up with the pilgrimage group for the Noon Angelus in St. Peter's Square with Pope Leo XIV. Grab lunch in the famous Piazza Navona before visiting various churches of the Counter Reformation period and see how art and architecture of the time was used to teach the faith. Visit the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple built as a temple to all the gods, and which is now a consecrated Catholic church. Venerate St. Monica's tomb at the Basilica of our patron, St. Augustine.

Day 7, Monday, October 26 - The Vatican | St. Peter's Basilica | Scavi Tour | Trastevere

Celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and experience a tour of the center of the Vatican. Grab lunch on your own in Vatican city before traveling back in time to the first century necropolis (graveyard) and the site where St. Peter is buried, directly beneath the high altar of the basilica. Head over to the beautiful Trastevere neighborhood to visit the Church of St. Cecilia and the Basilica of St. Maria. Experience great Italian cuisine in lively Trastevere with your fellow pilgrims.

Day 8, Tuesday, October 27 - Basilica of St. Clement | Colosseum

Visit the Mamertine prison where St. Peter and St. Paul were held before being martyred. Celebrate Mass at St. Clement’s, an early Christian basilica dedicated to the third papal successor to St. Peter. Visit the Colosseum, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, which was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. Enjoy a special farewell dinner on your last night in Rome!

Day 9, Wednesday, October 28 - Return to USA

Check-out of our hotel and transfer to FCO airport for departure to the USA.