Welcome to Poland!  On arrival in the Krakow airport, we will make our way through immigration before retrieving our luggage.  The next stop is the Arrival's Hall where will be greeted by our pilgrimage tour guide. The group will then take a short bus ride to our hotel for check-in and some time to refresh and relax before we head to a local church for Holy Mass.  We then walk to the Market Square where we are able to participate in the final evening of the Easter Market.  (Dinner is on your own at the Easter Market food booths) After, we'll return to our hotel for the night. 

After breakfast, our guide will give us a tour of Krakow as the sound of the silver trumpet from St Mary's Tower fills the air.  We start with a visit to Wawel Hill and Wawel Cathedral (for Holy Mass) to see the tombs of St Stanislaus (patron saint of Poland) and St Wenceslaus along with the final resting places of various Polish kings and national heroes.  Next, we make a stop at the Deanery where both Copernicus and St John Paul II walked with students before heading to Market Square.  At Market Square, we will visit St Mary's Basilica and see the beautiful altar piece and have time for prayer.  We will then have some time for self-directed touring of the local area before gathering at our hotel.  We will enjoy our Welcome dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant. (B/D)

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla (St John Paul II).  Here we can visit the Saint's childhood home and museum with additional time to visit the church where he was baptized and attended Holy Mass. We return to Krakow to tour Kazimierz: the former Jewish District of Krakow.  For centuries it was the center of Jewish life and culture in Europe.  Of the impressive number of synagogues (there are over 120 of them throughout the city), we will visit Remuh Synagogue and Isaak Synagogue and see many of the locations used in the filming of the movie Schindler's List.  Our day ends with a return ride to the hotel.  Dinner is on your own. (B) 

Following breakfast at the hotel we make our way to Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, the home of the Black Madonna.  Tradition tells us that this icon was painted by St Luke the Evangelist, discovered by St Helen and later enshrined at the Monastery.  We will celebrate Holy Mass in one of the chapels on site and have time for private prayer.   Lunch on your own at Czestochowa. On our ride back to Krakow, we will stop for a visit at the 11th Century Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec. We then head to our hotel where you will have free time to explore the Market Square area and other local shops.  Dinner is on your own. (B)  

Following breakfast, we head through the Polish mountainside to the remote village of Zakopane.  We will take a cable car ride to the mountaintop where we can enjoy the beauty of God's creation afforded by the panoramic view.  We then head to the Jaszczurowka chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for Holy Mass.  We finish our touring with a visit of the Krupowki Street bazar for some shopping before heading back to our hotel.  Dinner is on your own. (B)

Following breakfast, we head to the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau where St Maximilian Kolbe, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and over 1 million Jews and Poles were killed. Following this tour, we will stop for a quick lunch before heading to Lagiewniki and the Divine Mercy Shrine for Holy Mass. The day will conclude with a visit with one of St Sister Faustina’s nuns who will share a bit of St Faustina’s story and the charism of their Order.  Dinner is on your own. (B/L)

Today, the last day of the pilgrimage and Divine Mercy Sunday, we head to Lagiewniki, known as the capital of Divine Mercy.  Here we join other pilgrims in celebrating Holy Mass and thanking God for His Grace and Mercy as revealed to St Faustina.  Following Holy Mass, we continue on to Wieliczka and tour Europe's oldest salt mine before returning to Krakow for our farewell dinner.  (B/D)

After final packing and breakfast, we head to the Krakow airport for our return flight to Chicago.