Our spiritual pilgrimage begins today as we board our transatlantic flight to Vilnius. Meals and refreshments will be served aloft.

Upon arrival in Vilnius we will be met by our tour manager at the airport and journey to the heart of the city. It was here where St. Faustina experienced many of her visions of Jesus and where she met Bl. Fr. Michael Sopocko, who would become her spiritual director and encourage her to write her diary. The first Image of Merciful Jesus was painted from St. Faustina’s vision here. This original image has been restored and is now venerated in its own chapel where we will have Mass (pending confirmation). We then check into our hotel for dinner and overnight. (D, Mass) Overnight Vilnius

This morning we experience many sites of Vilnius beginning with the Gate of Dawn, with its miraculous image of the Mother of Mercy. We then journey to the Old Town and visit St Anne’s Church, St. Stanislaus Cathedral, and the Convent of the Sisters of Holy Mother of God’s Mercy. It is here, in September 1935, where Jesus dictated to St. Faustina the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. This afternoon, we’ll have some free time to explore on our own. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Vilnius

Early this morning we depart Vilnius and cross the border into Poland before stopping in Bialystok. Bialystok is also known as the City of Mercy because of how closely it is connected with Divine Mercy. Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko lived and worked in Bialystok for almost 30 years and today we follow in his footsteps, visiting St. Faustina’s Chapel and the Arch-Cathedral. We end our time here at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, where Bl. Sopocko was beatified in 2008, and pray at his tomb. We then depart for Warsaw where we check into our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Warsaw

This morning, we will begin our day at St. Stanislaw Kostka Church, where the martyred Solidarity priest Blessed Fr. Jerzey Popieluszko worked and is buried. Afterwards, enjoy a tour of Warsaw including visits to the Cathedral of St. John, the Royal Castle, the Old Town Square, the Barbican and City Walls, and Zygmunt’s Column. Follow the Royal Route to Lazienki Park where we will see the Palace on the Water (outside visit). See St. James Church, where the young Helena Kowalska (future St. Faustina) prayed for vocational discernment and visit the motherhouse of Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on Zytnia Street. This afternoon, we drive out into the countryside to the Franciscan Monastery at Niepokalanow, founded by St. Maximillian Kolbe (canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982). Pray in the little chapel here where he and the other friars would gather for Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours and reflect upon the mission of the Militia Immaculata and the role of the Blessed Mother in our lives. Return to Warsaw late this afternoon, for our last night in this capital city. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Warsaw

Depart Warsaw this morning and drive to the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, the most holy site for the Polish people. The highlight of our visit will be viewing the famous icon of the Black Madonna to which numerous miracles are attributed. The history of this icon is shrouded in mystery, and according to tradition it was painted by St. Luke, brought back to Constantinople from Jerusalem by St. Helena, and eventually arrived at Jasna Gora monastery in 1386. We will see the Treasury, Knight’s Hall, Refectory and the Basilica of the Holy Cross and Nativity of the Virgin Mary, with our remaining time here free for you to further explore, spend time in Adoration, go to confession, or simply sit and pray. We continue to Wroclaw to check into our hotel, our home for the next two nights. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Wroclaw

Enjoy a tour of Wroclaw this morning, beginning with a visit to the home of St. Edith Stein (Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), now the headquarters of the Edith Stein Society. Afterwards, we journey to the compact and very walkable Old Town and a visit to the church of the church of St. Mary Magdalene, with its Penitent’s Bridge between the towers offering spectacular views of the city. Cross the pedestrian-only bridge to the oldest part of the city, once an island and now aptly named “Cathedral Island” as the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist dominates the historic skyline. After a visit to the cathedral, the balance of the afternoon will be free to continue exploring the Old Town on our own. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Wroclaw

Depart Wroclaw for Krakow this morning, stopping at the Carmelite priory in Czerna on the way. Here we will venerate the resting place of St. Rafal Kalinowski and view the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Scapular. Afterwards, we travel to Krakow, our home for the next four nights. After checking in to our hotel, the remainder of the day will be free to acquaint ourselves with this second-largest city in Poland. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Krakow

Krakow was thankfully largely untouched by World War II and is an important focal point of Polish Catholicism. We begin today with a visit to the seminary and Bishop’s Palace where St. John Paul II studied for the priesthood in secret during World War II, and where he would later teach. We will visit Wawel Palace and the neighboring Wawel Cathedral, where the newly-ordained Fr. Wotjyla celebrated his first Mass and where we will have Mass today. Continue to Krakow’s Old Town to see the main Market Square, City Hall Tower, Kanonicza Street where Pope John Paul II resided while living in Krakow and the courtyard of the Collegium Maius where he was a student. We end our day in prayer at two ancient churches that were unscathed by World War II – the Basilicas of St. Florian and St. Mary. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Krakow

Today we walk in St. John Paul II’s footsteps as we retrace much of his early life, beginning with Wadowice where we will have Mass at the Gothic Basilica of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where he received baptism, first communion, and confirmation. See the Baroque nave and the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Perpetual help, in front of which the future saint prayed daily. Get to know the former Karol Wojtyla in a new way as we explore his hometown and the museum located in his family home, containing relics of his youth and personal belongings from when he was a local priest. Our next stop is a place that was one of John Paul’s favorite pilgrimage sites from his youth and young adult years – Kalawaria Zebrzydowska. This unique location began in the 17th century, when the Palatine of Krakow founded a Bernardine Monastery and built a replica of the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The complex grew over the years to encompass replicas of the Tomb of Christ, The Mount of Olives, the Home of Caiaphas, and other sites in the Holy Land, to provide a place of more local pilgrimage for those who could not journey to Jerusalem. Today on the slopes of the hills and in the valley are 43 chapels and shrines scattered on only 4km distance honoring the Way of the Cross, the Mysteries of the Rosary, and 7 Sorrows of Mary. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Krakow

We begin today with a drive to Wieliczka to visit one of the oldest salt mines in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground caverns including a rich interior of decorated chapels, some dating to the 17th century. This afternoon we will experience the highlight of our Divine Mercy pilgrimage when we travel to Lagiewniki, where Saint Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, lived and died. Enjoy a guided tour of the shrine and venerate the image of Divine Mercy and St. Faustina’s tomb. We will have some time for personal prayer and exploring the grounds, then have our closing Mass and pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy together. Afterwards, we have to opportunity to pray by a relic of St. John Paul II in the new center “Have no Fear” and reflect upon the graces of this pilgrimage and especially the Divine Mercy our Lord offers each one of us. The remainder of the day will be free before enjoying our farewell dinner together tonight. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Krakow

Today after breakfast we board our flight back to the U.S, taking with us the memories and graces from this blessed pilgrimage.