Category: Pilgrimages – Portugal, Spain and France

PORTUGAL, SPAIN AND FRANCE – 2019

PORTUGAL, SPAIN AND FRANCE

OCTOBER 17-31, 2019

15 DAYS

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sites of the Apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima.
• Cathedral of St. James at end of Camino de Santiago.
• The Black Madonna in Montserrat.
• Cathedral of the Holy Family in Barcelona.
• Our Lady’s Apparition in Lourdes.
• Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar in Zaragoza.
• Be inspired by St. Anthony of Padua; Sts. Francisco and Jacinta and Sr. Lucia; St. James the Apostle; St. Bernadette; Sts. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross; and St. Ignatius of Loyola.

DAY 1

VANCOUVER/MADRID – Start our pilgrimage with participation at Mass in your own parish.  Depart from Vancouver to Madrid.  Relax and enjoy the long flight.

DAY 2

MADRID ALL DAY – Arrive in Madrid in the morning.  Mass at Santa Iglesia Catedral De Santa Maria La Real De La Almuneda.  Sightseeing bus tour of the city including the Royal Palace, the Buen Retiro Park, the Plaza Mayor, the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande.  Overnight in Madrid.

• See the Catedral de la Almuneda at http://www.catedraldelaalmudena.es/.
• See the Royal Palace of Madrid at https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/royal-palace.
• See the Buen Retiro Park at https://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/arte/jardines-historicos/madrid/parque_del_buen_retiro.html
• See the Plaza Mayor at https://www.esmadrid.com/informacion-turistica/plaza-mayor-madrid.
• See the Museo Nacional del Prado at https://www.museodelprado.es/en.
• See the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande at https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/san-francisco-el-grande.

DAY 3

MADRID/AVILA/ALBA DE TORMES/SALAMANCA – Early morning departure for Avila, home of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross.  Mass at the Cathedral of Avila.  Incarnacion Convent, La Santa Monasterio and  the Convento de San Jose.  Carmelite Monastery in Alba de Tormes.  Tour of the historic city of Salamanca.  Overnight in Avila.

• See St. Teresa of Avila at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_Avila.
• See St. John of the Cross at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross.
• See the Convento de la Incarnacion at https://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/avila/monasterio_de_la_encarnacion.html.
• See the Convento de San Jose at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convento_de_San_Jos%C3%A9_(%C3%81vila).
• See the City of Salamanca athttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/381/gallery.

DAY 4

SALAMANCA/LISBON/FATIMA – Arrive in Lisbon.  Sightseeing bus tour of the city of Lisbon.  Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Major de Lisboa, where St. Anthony of Padua was born and baptized.   Proceed to Fatima and Mass at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions.  Overnight in Fatima.

• See the Church of St. Anthony at https://www.stoantoniolisboa.com.
• See the Cathedral La Se at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_Cathedral.
• See the Little Chapel of the Apparitions at https://www.fatima.pt/en/pages/places-of-the-apparitions.

DAY 5

SANTAREM/FATIMA – Mass at the Church of St. Stephen and Shrine of the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem.  Return to Fatima and Tour of the Sanctuary of Fatima and the Hamlet of Aljustrel, home of the 3 children of Fatima. Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions and Procession in honor of Our Lady of Fatima.  Overnight in Fatima.

• See the Church of St. Stephen at https://www.spiritdaily.com/santarem.htm.
• See Our Lady of Fatima at https://www.fatima.pt/en.

DAY 6

FATIMA ALL DAY – Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.  Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra ending in the Chapel of Calvary.  Community recitation of the rosary and private meditation.  Shopping for religious articles.  Overnight in Fatma.

• See Our Lady of Fatima at https://www.fatima.pt/en.

DAY 7

BRAGA/SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – Fatima to Braga and then, Santiago de Compostela.  Bom Jesus du Monte Sanctuary in Braga.  Arrive at Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  Mass at the Cathedral of St. James.  Overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

• See Bom Jesus du Monte Sanctuary in the website of Wikipedia at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bom_Jesus_do_Monte

DAY 8

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA ALL DAY – Tour and Mass at the Cathedral of St. James, the terminus of the Camino de Santiago.  Overnight Santiago de Compostela.

• See the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela at http://catedraldesantiaes/en.

DAY 9

BURGOS – Santiago de Compostela to Burgos.  Mass at the French Gothic Cathedral of St. Mary.  Chapel of Condestable and the tomb of El Cid.  Overnight Burgos.

• See the Cathedral of Mary at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/316/gallery/.

DAY 10

SAN IGNACIO DE LOYOLA/LOURDES, FRANCE – Travel through the Basque region enroute to Lourdes.  Mass at the Sanctuary Shrine and Basilica of Loyola.  Drive through the Pyrenees Mountains to Lourdes, France.  Overnight in Lourdes.

• See the Sanctuary of Loyola in its official website at https://www.santuariodeloyola.org/en.

DAY 11

LOURDES ALL DAY – Mass in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Walking tour to the Grotto and the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the home of St. Bernadette.  Option to bathe in the healing waters.  Overnight in Lourdes.

• See the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes at https://www.lourdes-france.org/en.
• See St. Bernadette at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Soubirous.

DAY 12

LOURDES/CARCASSONE/BARCELONA, SPAIN –  Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Leave France for Spain.  The medieval city of Carcassonne in France, enroute to Barcelona, the beautiful capital of Catalunya in Spain.   Overnight in Barcelona.

• See Carcassonne at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/345/gallery.

DAY 13

BARCELONA ALL DAY – Mass at the Church of the Holy Family.  Sightseeing bus tour of the city.  Travel through the countryside to the Benedictine Abbey at Montserrat.   Our Lady of Montserrat (Black Madonna).  Overnight in Barcelona.

• See the Basilica of the Holy Family at http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/.
• See the Black Madonna and the Benedictine Abbey at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Montserrat and  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_de_Montserrat_Abbey.

DAY 14

BARCELONA/ZARAGOZA/MADRID – Leave Barcelona for Zaragoza.  Mass at the Cathedral of Zaragoza.  Monasterio de Piedra.  Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar.  Arrive and overnight in Madrid.

• See the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in the website of Wikipedia at http://www.basilicadelpilar.es/.

DAY 15

MADRID AIRPORT – Attend Mass  before driving to the Madrid airport.  Flight back home to Vancouver arriving same day.

It is time to say goodbye. We take with us unforgettable, holy, spiritual memories, friendship, and the love and mercy of God.  We adore God, praise Him and thank Him for His graces on each of us in this pilgrimage. We thank Our Blessed Mother for Her love and for bringing us closer to Her Son, Jesus.

NOTE

This itinerary is subject to change without notice, if necessary.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Price is only CDN $4,750.00 per person, which includes the CDN $750.00 non-refundable deposit.
• Minimum 15 pilgrims required for this pilgrimage.  We reserve the right to cancel the trip if there are less than 15 pilgrims.
• Bring US Dollars or your credit card.
• Bring your passport valid for at least 6 months after departure.
• Get a tourist visa from any or all of the countries to be visited in this pilgrimage, if it is required for your nationality.
• Travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance and medical insurance are strongly recommended to every pilgrim.
• All pilgrims must sign a Registration Form and a Waiver of Liability.
• Register with full payment on or before August 1, 2019.

Price includes:

• Return airfares from Vancouver to Madrid.
• Land tour by tourist bus with a driver.  We reserve the right to use an alternative vehicle, depending on the number of pilgrims.
• Double occupancy accommodations for 13 nights in a monastery, convent or hotel with free breakfast daily.  Supper may be served free in a monastery or convent, subject to availability.

Price does not include:

• Driver’s tips for 14 days @ $5.00/day for a total of $70.00 per pilgrim.
• Lunches daily.  Suppers not included in monasteries, convents or hotels.
• Entrance fees to sites.
• Personal donations to churches.
• Any expense of a personal nature.
• Individual shopping.

CANCELLATION POLICIES

• If you cancel on or before AUGUST 31, 2019, you will receive a full refund less the non-refundable deposit of CDN $750.00.
• If you cancel on SEPTEMBER 1, 2019 or thereafter, your full payment will be non-refundable, non-transferable and non-creditable.
• If we cancel this pilgrimage, you will receive 100% full refund.

NOTE

• There will be a meeting of all the pilgrims to discuss the itinerary, travel tips, travel needs, the safety of the pilgrims, any concerns that you may have, as well as, to prepare spiritually for the pilgrimage.  Meeting place TBA.

REGISTER EARLY!

CONTACT: TERESITA NIXON

TEL:  (604) 868-2354 or (604) 940-7006

EMAIL:  info@aquinasinstitute.ca

205 – 938 HOWE STREET, VANCOUVER, BC V6Z 1N9