MARIAN SHRINES PILGRIMAGE FROM PITTSBURGH

October 3-14, 2023

BISHOP WILLIAM WALTERSHEID

VISIT FATIMA AND LOURDES PLUS MADRID AND BARCELONA PLUS MUCH MORE!

Marian Shrines Pilgrimage- Once in a lifetime opportunity with Bishop William Waltersheid
Visit Lisbon, Santarem, Fatima, Guadalupe, Madrid, Zaragoza and Lourdes, Montserrat and Barcelona!




Welcome Pilgrims!

Join me on this spiritual journey to the Marian Shrines! Our pilgrimage will be a true adventure in every sense of the word. We will bathe in the waters of Lourdes, visit the homes of the Visionaries in Fatima, enjoy time in Madrid and Barcelona. We pay homage to the Black Madonna of Montserrat and to Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza. I hope you can join me to explore this beautiful part of the world. Our time together will allow us to reflect on our lives and deepen our faith. It will be a joy to share this journey with you, to celebrate daily Mass and to be inspired by your presence

Bishop William Waltersheid


WHAT IS INCLUDED?

Round trip airfare on

International Carrier

Breakfast daily and meals per

itinerary

Specially selected hotel

accommodations

Air-conditioned motor coach

Full-time tour manager

International Taxes and

CURRENT fuel charges.



DAY 1 | Tuesday Oct 3 –Depart USA Today our pilgrimage begins! We depart Pittsburgh to connect to on our overnight flight aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft.

DAY 2 |Wednesday Oct 4 –LISBON/FATIMA We arrive in Paris and transfer to Lisbon. We are met by our guide who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. We enjoy a short orientation tour of Lisbon before the drive to Santarem to celebrate Mass. Afterwards, we drive to our hotel in a city outside of Fatima and enjoy dinner.

DAY 3 | Thursday Oct 5 —FATIMA This full day is devoted to visiting the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima and the birthplaces of Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia to whom the Virgin appeared for the first time on May 13th, 1917. We will participate in the 100th Anniversary celebrations and join the International Rosary Procession. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4 | Friday Oct 6 —GUADALUPE We journey to Guadalupe (Caceres) in the province of the Cathedral of San Juan – a very impressive building built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was the most important Marian Shrine in the medieval kingdom of Castile. The original effigy, a Romanesque black Madonna, is almost completely occluded by her pyramidal robes. The Cathedral is predominantly gothic and Romanesque, with three aisles and twelve inner chapels. The Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Overnight and dinner in the Guadalupe region.

DAY 5 | Saturday Oct 7— MADRID We leave our hotel early this morning and drive into Madrid where this afternoon, we visit highlights of Madrid, capital of Spain, including the Gran Via Plaza de España, the Viaduct, Plaza Major, passing by the Bull Ring, Independence and Cibeles Squares, the University, and the Paseo de la Castellana. We will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral. Dinner and overnight Madrid.

Day 6 | Sunday Oct 8—MADRID After breakfast, we are free to enjoy this incredible city. We may decide to visit the Prado, the main Spanish National Art Museum, containing one of the finest collections of European Art, We will also enjoy the culinary delights of Madrid tonight as dinner is on our own.

DAY 7 | Monday Oct 9—- ZARAGOZA We continue traversing Spain arriving in Zaragoza. We will visit the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. The Basilica venerates the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of the Pillar, praised as Mother of the Hispanic Peoples by Saint John Paul II. It is the first known church dedicated to Mary in history. Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain. It is attributed to an apparition of the Virgin Mary to Saint James the Great, the Apostle, who brought Christianity to Spain. This is the only reported apparition of Mary said to have occurred before her Assumption. The city itself, which was founded by the Romans, boasts luxuriant vegetation, and many cascades and grottos making it a miniature Switzerland in the middle of arid upper Aragon. We overnight in Zaragoza and have dinner at our hotel.

DAY 8 | Tuesday Oct 10—LOURDES Today we continue to Lourdes. Upon arrival we will spend our time in devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. We celebrate Mass at the Grotto, with a morning orientation visit to the Shrine and a walking tour of Lourdes, visiting Boly Mill, where St. Bernadette was born, the Cachot, formerly used as a jail, where she lived during the apparitions, and the parish church. This afternoon is free for private devotions, Eucharistic Procession, the Blessing of the Sick or the legendary, healing waters of the miraculous Lourdes spring. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. In the evening, we can join the Torchlight Marian Procession.

DAY 9 | Wednesday Oct 11—LOURDES We will enjoy a free day in Lourdes today to visit the baths, or walk the Stations of the Cross. This evening we will have our farewell dinner in a local restaurant in Lourdes. Overnight at our hotel in Lourdes.

DAY 10| Thursday Oct 12 –LOURDES/MONTSERRAT This morning we depart Lourdes and traverse the Pyrenees southward entering northern Spain. We drive to Montserrat on the outskirts of Barcelona and celebrate Mass at the Monastery housing the Black Virgin of Montserrat, one of the nation’s most revered religious icons. If possible, we enjoy the mid-day music of the famous boys’ choir here. Dinner and overnight at our Monastery hotel.

Day 11 | Friday Oct 13 –BARCELONA This morning we drive to Barcelona to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral. Afterwards we through the Gothic quarter bisected by the famous Ramblas and see the important new developments at the pleasure port where important new developments at the pleasure port where many of the Olympic events were held in 1992. We enjoy a spectacular view from the top of the Montjuic hill, pass by the Exchange and visit the Basilica of the SAGRADA Familia, the still uncompleted masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi. Afterwards we visit the UNESCO World Heritage “Park Guell” one of Gaudi’s Masterpieces of “landscape architecture.” We enjoy our farewell dinner in Barcelona at a local restaurant, with entertainment. We return to Montserrat for overnight.

Day 12| Saturday Oct 14 – USA We transfer to the airport for our flight home with stories to share and unforgettable memories to cherish always.