For additional information or to reserve your spot, contact our U.S. Office at (202) 536-4555  or email us at [email protected]

Inside the Vatican Magazine’s November 2016 Pilgrimage Closing of the Jubilee Year of Mercy November 10 – November 21, 2016 Assisi, Norcia, Castelluccio, Loreto, Lanciano, Manoppello, and Rome

A Personal Invitation from Dr. Robert Moynihan:

     I would like to invite you to join me on an extraordinary pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Francis, St. Benedict, and St. Peter, as we reflect on the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

This pilgrimage will not be a “dawn to dusk” rush, checking off places on a “must see” list. Rather, it will be a quiet journey to some of the key places in the history of our faith, places we will see in a calm, prayerful way. We will make this journey together. Over 10 days, I will introduce you to the Italy I have come to know and love after 30 years of reporting on the Vatican, and coming to know personally St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

The trip will take us from Assisi, to Norcia, to Loreto, to Rome — from the loveliest hill town in Umbria, to the walled city of Norcia in the snow- capped Apennine Mountains of central Italy, to the town of Loreto over looking the Adriatic Sea, to the eternal city of Rome, and to the Vatican itself.

All of our pilgrimages are planned to be quiet and prayerful. We want your journey with us to be a peaceful, enjoyable, and unforgettable experience: a journey that both enriches your life and deepens your faith.Although you will visit many very special places, your journey is a pilgrimage, not a tour. The spiritual dimension — the search for a deeper encounter with God and a better appreciation of the history and life of the Church — is central. This is why the pace of our pilgrimages will be slow and peaceful, not rushed. There will be time to think, to reflect, and to pray.

Dr. Robert Moynihan

While in Rome, I will introduce you to a number of friends of the magazine and we will share many special stories about important Vatican events that have occurred in the last few years. We will have time to come to a better understanding of this special time in our Church.

So, please consider joining this extraordinary journey. It is planned to be a peaceful, joyful, and special time, with much time devoted to prayer and meditation, in the places made especially memorable by the holiness and Christian witness of St. Francis, St. Benedict, and St. Peter, and near to where both Pope Emeritus Benedict and His Holiness Pope Francis are living.

— Robert Moynihan
Founder and Editor of Inside the Vatican magazine

Join Inside the Vatican for this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage!

For additional information or to reserve your spot, contact our U.S. Office at (202) 536-4555  or email us at [email protected].

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Pilgrimage Overview
  • Signature Pilgrimage: Our November 2016 Jubilee Pilgrimage is part of our premier line of Signature Pilgrimages — limiting the number of pilgrims to 15 for a peaceful and personal experience. In addition, Dr. Robert Moynihan, Founder and Editor of Inside the Vaticanmagazine, and Deborah Tomlinson, Chief Operations Officer, will be traveling with the pilgrims for the entire pilgrimage

  • Bus: Private, first-class motor coach bus and all group transfers are

  • Meals: Breakfasts daily (10), nine (9) lunches, and six (6) dinners are included. For the days when we are not including dinner, our lunches will be later in the day and the food will be abundant. We have found that most pilgrims prefer on these days, where lunch
    is a bit later, to have only one meal. All meals include water and wine, and in most situations you will order as you prefer — off the menu.

  • Taxes and fees: All local taxes, porter fees and porter tips are included. Bus driver tip is not included

  • Entrance fees: All entrance fees are included.

Assisi
  • Spend two nights touring beautiful Assisi, a medieval city seemingly untouched by time

  • Accommodations near the city center

  • Attend Mass at the tomb of St. Francis

  • Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels which houses the Portiuncula of St. Francis

  • Visit the Basilica of St. Clare and pray at her tomb

  • Visit the Basilica of St. Rufinus

  • Meet our friends who live in Assisi • Walking tour of Assisi

Assisi

Norcia
  • Spend two nights in Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict and his twin sister, St. Scholastica

  • Accommodations in the Palazzo Seneca, A relais Chateau property (photo right)

  • Dine in one of Italy’s most distinguished culinary towns

  • Attend Mass at the Monastery of St. Benedict with the Benedictine monks of Norcia

  • Private tour of the Basilica of St. Benedict by the monks

  • Listen to reflections given by Father Cassian Folsom, OSB, prior and founder of the restored Benedictine monastery

  • Excursion to Castelluccio with its pristine mountain vistas, weather permitting

  • Join in praying evening vespers and the morning office with the monks – optional

Palazo-Sen

Loreto
  • Spend one night in the small town of Loreto which is perched on a hilltop overlooking the Adriatic Sea

  • Accommodations near the Basilica

  • Meeting with a local expert on Loreta and the basilica

  • Celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Holy House and venerate the ancient home of the Holy Family

Rome
  • Spend one night at the Hilton Rome Airport the night of your arrival

  • Spend four nights at the Hotel Michelangelo which is steps away from St. Peter’s Basilica (photo right)

  • Celebrate Sunday Mass for the Feast of Christ the King and the Closing of the Jubilee Year of Mercy with Pope Francis

  • Participate in a private Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica

  • Pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of Rome’s 4 major basilicas – St. Peter’s, St. Mary

    Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside-the-Walls

  • Visit to Manoppello to venerate the Shrine of the Holy Face

  • Visit Lanciano to venerate this Eucharistic Miracle

  • Visit the Basilica of Santo Spirito – the church St. John Paul II appointed to be The Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Rome

  • View Ancient Rome – the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Arch of Titus, and the Appian Way

  • Visit the Domino Quo Vadis Church and explore the Catacombs of Callixtus

  • Walking tour of Baroque Rome led by Dr. Moynihan – Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and Basilica of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte

Hotel-Michaelangelo

We will make every effort to adhere to the printed program and itinerary. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to adjust arrangements due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control (including such circumstances as the weather, airline schedule changes, hotel requisitions, political disturbances, or transportation mechanical problems). Should such adjustment be necessary, a substitution will be made to the best of our abilities.

Join Inside the Vatican for this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage!

For additional information or to reserve your spot, contact our U.S. Office at (202) 536-4555  or email us at [email protected]

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