Fatima Arrival

Upon landing at Lisbon Portela Airport, we make our way to the baggage claim area and collect our luggage. Proceed to the arrival’s hall, where you will be greeted by our pilgrimage director who will escort you to your bus. Relax and rest on the coach as we travel to Fatima, approximately 90 minutes.

Upon arrival at Hotel Aurea your luggage will be delivered to your room. Join your group for lunch (included) before retiring to your room to rest and settle in.

Attention: Schedule on this day is subject to change depending on flight details

3:30PM Join pilgrims from around the world for Mass in the Chapel of the Apparitions. After Mass spend your time as you wish, referring to the daily schedule of the Sanctuary.

Dinner will be served each evening in the dining room; time to be provided on our arrival. This evening we return to the Sanctuary to participate in the Candlelight Procession AT 9:15PM.

Visitng Aljustrel & Valinhos

Your pilgrimage begins by walking in the footsteps of the shepherd children, Lucia (10), St. Jacinta (7) and St. Francisco (9). Our walking tour includes visiting Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, site of Our Lady’s Appearance. We will visit Lucia’s Well, where the Angel spoke to the children. Also, we visit the Basilica and the tombs of the children on the Cove da Ira. Mass is scheduled at the Little Chapel of Apparitions at 3:30PM.

Tonight participate in the Candlelight and Blessed Sacrament Procession.

Fatima Sanctuary & Santarem (Day Trip)

Our next three days will include daily Mass, time for prayer and reflection with a day trip to Santarem to witness the Eucharistic Miracle that took place in the 13^th century. An updated schedule will be provided in Fatima from the Pilgrimage department.

Each day will be truly memorable as you experience Fatima. You will walk the Via Sacra. The “Sacred Way” marks the path taken by the shepherd children of Fatima to their first apparition with Our Lady. It is composed of fifteen small chapels in commemoration of the Passion of Our Lord.

We will visit the Museum of the Shrine of Fatima which has two permanent exhibitions: the first is named “Fatima Light and Peace” and the second is a house contiguous with the original home of Lucia, the “House-Museum of Aljustrel”. In addition to these two exhibitions, the Museum provides temporary exhibitions, like the one currently on display to mark the centennial of the Apparitions – “The colors of the Sun: the light of Fatima in contemporary world”.

The exhibition “Fatima Light and Peace” is more than visiting an exhibition of beautiful pieces of art. The most valuable piece is the Crown of gold offered by the women of Portugal after a public subscription made on October 13th, 1942, in recognition of the non-participation of Portugal in the Second World War (19391945).

With more than 2 ½ pounds of gold, 313 pearls and 2679 precious stones, the Crown is worn by the Statue of Our Lady during the main pilgrimages in Fatima.

This unique piece, it was executed generously by the jeweler Joalharia Leitão & Irmão, of Lisbon. Since April 26th, 1989, the Crown presents the bullet extracted from the body of John Paul II following the assassination attempt on his life, on May 13th, 1981, in Saint Peter’s Square, Rome. The projectile was offered by the Pope himself to the Shrine.

About Santarem

The story of the miracle centers on an early-13th-century woman with an unfaithful husband. Desperate to regain his faithfulness and save her marriage, she consulted a sorceress. The sorceress said she would cure the husband’s infidelity for the price of a consecrated host (Eucharistic wafer). After much deliberation, the woman decided to commit the sacrilege.

The next time she attended Mass at the 12th-century Church of St. Stephen, she took the consecrated wafer from her mouth, wrapped it in a veil and headed quickly for the door. But before she had taken more than a few steps, the host began to bleed. It bled so much that concerned parishioners thought she had cut her hand and attempted to help, but she ran out of the church.

Back at home, she threw the bloody host in a trunk in her bedroom. Her husband did not come home until late, as usual. In the middle of the night, they were both awoken by a mysterious light emanating from the trunk. The woman confessed to her husband what she had done and they both knelt in repentance before the miracle. The next morning, the couple told the parish priest what had happened. The priest placed the miraculous host in a wax container and returned it to the Church of St. Stephen. Word spread quickly, and the townspeople hurried to the church to see the miracle.

The next time the priest opened the tabernacle that contained the miraculous host, another miracle occurred! The wax container was found broken into pieces, and the host was enclosed in a crystal pyx. This pyx was placed in a silver monstrance, where it can be seen today.

After an investigation, the Catholic Church approved the recognition of the miracle. The Church of St. Stephen was renamed the Church of the Holy Miracle, and it is one of Portugal’s most-visited pilgrimage sites. St. Francis Xavier visited the Church of the Holy Miracle before setting off for missionary work in India. The church was rebuilt in the 16th century.

Leave Fatima

We leave Fatima in the early part of the morning. Our hotel will have a breakfast box prepared for you and you will leave luggage outside of your room before you go to bed. Be sure to have your passport handy for your check-in for your flight home.

Medjugorje (June 25 is the 43rd Anniversary of the Apparitions)

You are here. You said yes. Now experience all that awaits you in beautiful Medjugorje. Simple and peaceful. While here you will have the opportunity to deepen your faith and share and grow your experiences with your fellow pilgrims from around the world. Our local guide will be with us throughout our stay here in the village. He will set our daily schedule. During our stay we will visit Cenacolo, Mother’s Village, St. Simeon Church (Zadar) and Divine Mercy Chapel. Below is a sample of your daily activities while in Medjugorje.

Attend Daily Mass: At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of religious articles for pilgrims.

Climb Pdbrodo (Apparition Hill): It is the place where the first apparitions of Our Lady took place, a bare and stony hill overlooking Bijakovici, the area of Medjugorje where the little visionaries lived. In the early years the top of the hill could be reached by a narrow and almost impassable path, crossed only by shepherds and sheep, but thanks to the millions of pilgrims who attended it today it is wide and free of obstacles. At the top of the hill, there is a statue of Our Lady in the exact location of her first apparition. Enjoy private time for prayer in this holy place.

Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): Krizevac is the highest mountain in Medjugorje (520 m above sea level). On March 15, 1934 the parishioners built a 8.5-m high reinforced concrete cross to commemorate the 1900th Anniversary of Jesus’ passion and death, and engraved the words: “To Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity as a sign of faith, love and hope, and in memory of the 1900th anniversary of the Passion of Christ”. Take private time at the top of the mountain in front of the cross, for prayer in this holy place.

Apparitions: Each evening at 6:00 PM we will join the villagers and fellow pilgrims of Medjugorje in saying the Rosary, as all await the arrival of Our Lady to the visionaries at 6:40 PM. Afterwards, you can stay at St. James Church and attend the Croatian Mass. Following the Croatian Mass, there is a Blessing of the Sick.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. In response to her call, pilgrims will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Eucharistic Adoration is one of the most memorable experiences in Medjugorje. God’s grace is so tangible, one feels as though they can reach out and touch the Holy Spirit.

Meetings with the Visionaries: Mirjana Soldo, one of the six original children who saw the Virgin Mary in 1981, will be your hostess during the pilgrimage. You’ll get the chance to meet her, ask questions about her experience, and take pictures. Mirjana fills every pilgrimage with holiness, wisdom, and joy.

Visit the Community of Cenacolo: Pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.

Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue of the Risen Christ, located on the grounds of St. James Church. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of liquid out of Christ’s right knee. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this statue.

November 25, 2024 – Depart for home