Our flight from Chicago arrives in Frankfurt at 1:20pm. After clearing customs, we will have a brief layover allowing time for a snack, restrooms and such things before boarding our 4:00pm flight into Rome (scheduled arrival 5:50pm). When in Rome we will collect our bags, meet our coach bus and head to our hotel. After check-in and a quick refresh, we will enjoy dinner at our hotel and adjourn for the evening. (B / D)

After breakfast we head to St Peter’s square and join other Pilgrims for the “Audience” with Pope Francis (subject to his schedule).  Following the Audience, we walk to a local church for the celebration of Holy Mass followed by lunch at one of the restaurants close to our hotel. After lunch, we break into smaller groups for a guided tour of the Scavi excavations under St Peter’s Basilica. The Scavi necropolis houses the tomb of St Peter himself and is one of the most sought-after tours in Rome. At the conclusion of the Scavi tour, Fathers Twenty and Kladar will provide a guided tour of St Peter’s Basilica.  Here you will see Michelangelo’s Pieta, pray at the tomb of Popes St John Paul II, absorb the overwhelming beauty of every side altar, mosaic, and statue. Before returning to the hotel, we will stop and enjoy a “Welcome to Rome” traditional Italian dinner. Lunch on your own. (B / D)

A day trip to Assisi. After a quick breakfast, the bus will leave at 7:15am for the approximate 2.5-hour drive to Assisi. On arrival we start with a guided tour of the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli which played a significant role in St Francis’ life and where the Porziuncola is located. After a short bus ride, the group will walk up to the Basilica of St Francis where we celebrate Holy Mass before touring the upper and lower churches and praying at the Saint's tomb. After a group lunch we will have the opportunity for an optional trip to St Francis’ hermitage (small additional cost of 10 euro per person) or shopping. Our day will conclude with a tour of the Basilica of St Clare. We depart for Rome at approximately 4:30pm. Dinner on your own (B / L) 

After breakfast at the hotel, our group will take the bus to the catacombs of St Calixtus for a tour and Holy Mass. Following Holy Mass, we will walk to a wonderful restaurant for a traditional Italian lunch. Following lunch, we will stop briefly in the minor basilica of St Sebastian before taking the bus to the town of Nettuno, about forty miles south of Rome. Here we will visit the 2nd largest US Military cemetery (Anzio) outside of the United States. If time permits, the bus will take us to the nearby church of St Maria Goretti where the remains of this child saint rest beneath the altar in the crypt. This church sits directly on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. After the tours we return to the hotel. Dinner is on your own (B / L)

After breakfast at the hotel our coach bus will take us from the hotel to the third major Basilica, St Mary Major for Holy Mass in one of the side chapels. After Holy Mass we will be met by our guide for a tour of this beautiful Basilica. The guide with then take us on a short walk to the ancient minor Basilicas of St Prassede and St Pudenziana to see some of the oldest mosaics in Rome. Our group will then walk to the Church of St Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses and the very chains which tradition says held St Peter bound in Rome. Following lunch break, you then have a guided tour of the incredible Colosseum and Roman Forum. After these tours, the group will walk back to our hotel, visiting local churches on the route. Dinner on your own (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will walk to St Peter’s Basilica to give this structure its highest purpose – praise and worship of God. The group will attend the concelebrated, multi lingual, and 10:30am Mass at the Altar of the Chair. Following Holy Mass our group will gather back in St Peter’s Square where we will join thousands of other pilgrims and Pope Francis for the Angelus. After a light lunch, our guide will lead us through the streets of Rome to see Castel Santangelo, Piazza Novona, the Church of San Luigi Francese and the Pantheon. We will end the day with a tour of the Pontifical North American College and participation in Solemn Vespers. Lunch and Dinner on your own (B) 

The day starts with breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we take a short bus ride to St. Lawrence Outside the Walls and tour the first of our final four Pilgrimage Churches. We then journey to Santa Croce en Gerusaleme, which houses relics of the cross of Christ followed by a very short ride to St. John Lateran for Holy Mass and tour of the third major Basilica in Rome. The morning concludes with a visit of Scala Santa which has attracted pilgrims who wish to honor the Passion of Christ. We board the bus and head to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The second of the four Major Basilica’s in Rome.  After the tour our bus will return to the hotel where you will have the remainder of the day free for private resting, sightseeing and shopping. Lunch and Dinner on your own (B)

Today we leave the hotel at 6:45am heading to St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Holy Mass in the crypts of the Pope’s. Following Holy Mass we will take a short walk to the Vatican Museum.  Here you will enjoy a guided tour of one of the greatest museums in the world and storehouse of many of the world’s most stunning masterpieces. This tour includes the Sistine Chapel. Following the tour, you are free to continue touring on your own, walk the Cupola (tickets are at your own expense), enjoy the city or return to the hotel for rest and packing. We will end our pilgrimage with a delicious group dinner close to the hotel. Lunch is on your own. (B / D)

Check out from the hotel and transport to the Airport for our flights home to Chicago. We are scheduled to depart Rome at 1:05pm, arrive in Munich at 2:40pm and have a brief 90 layover before or flight home departs at 4:15pm. We are scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 6:55pm