Marian Shrines Pilgrimage – Under the Spiritual Direction of Fr. Mauricio Portillo

Today we board our flights to Barcelona with meals and beverages served aloft.

Upon arrival in Barcelona, we transfer to our hotel in Montserrat for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Montserrat (Dinner)

This morning we visit the most famous Holy family church, La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is an unfinished Catholic Basilica in Barcelona designed by the celebrated Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi. We enjoy a full guided tour of the Basilica before we celebrate Mass. We will then continue to Park Guell before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Montserrat (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we visit Montserrat, home to the Benedictine monastery dramatically set in the Montserrat mountain range.

Pilgrims from around the world flock to this monastery to view its magnificent architecture in such a striking setting. This shrine has attracted pilgrims for over 700 years, much as it did Ignatius of Loyola in March of 1522. We pause here to visit the Black Madonna of Montserrat, probably Spain’s most fervent devotion to the Blessed Mother. After a break for lunch, we visit Manresa a place of profound conversion for Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Here, in a cave on the banks of the Cardoner River, Ignatius received a vision that provided him with deep insights into spiritual life and altered the course of his own life. From the initial insights he received here, Ignatius went on to pen the Spiritual Exercises.” We enjoy an audiovisual presentation and tour of the museum at Manresa then celebrate Eucharist in the nearby cave.

Overnight: Montserrat (Breakfast, Dinner)

This morning we depart Montserrat and head towards Zaragoza. On the way, we stop at Torreciudad. Torreciudad is a Marian shrine in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who showers her Son’s graces on us and restores us to joy, which is the fruit of the personal experience of interior renewal. Continue to El Pueyo Monastery in Barbastro. People have come to the Monastery for centuries in order to worship the image of the Virgin Mary who is said to have appeared to a shepherd called Balandrán above a nearby almond tree.

Overnight: Zaragoza (Breakfast, Dinner)

This morning you will have the opportunity to visit the Magnificent Basilica del Pilar that was built upon the site of where Our Lady appeared to St. James. Here we celebrate Mass. Following your visit to the Basilica del Pilar, you will visit La Seo Cathedral (Cathedral of Zaragoza). Formally known as the Church of San Vicente during the Visigoth period, it contains architectural elements of Gothic, Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque styles. In addition to the famous cathedral, Zaragoza is also known for its folklore and local gastronomy, both of which will be explored on your walking tour of the city.

Overnight: Zaragoza (Breakfast, Dinner)

Early morning we depart to Avila. On our way we stop at Basilica of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen near Madrid. The basilica is an underground church carved inside a mountain within a precinct that covers 3,360 acres of woodland. The site also contains a Benedictine abbey and guesthouse adjacent to the basilica. Continue to Avila.

Overnight: Avila (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we visit Avila, UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by the best-preserved medieval walls in Europe. Here the atmosphere has changed very little since the days of St. Teresa, to whom the city is dedicated. St. Teresa, a great mystic, was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. We will view the Cathedral and visit the Convent of St. Teresa, built on the site where she was born, and the Monastery of the Incarnation, where St. Teresa lived, wrote and had many mystical experiences. Here we will celebrate Mass and have time for reflection and to visit the comprehensive museum dedicated to her life. On a hill outside the city walls, we will visit the Cuatro Postes (four columns) monument where St. Teresa, at the age of seven, was found by her father after attempting to run away with her brother to die as martyrs in the land of the Moors.

Overnight: Avila (Breakfast, Dinner)

After breakfast depart the hotel for a day to explore the historic cities of Segovia. We start by admiring the views of the Alcazar Castle, the ancient Roman aqueduct, and the Cathedral of Segovia.  We then visit the Carmelite Monastery and the tomb of St John of the Cross, co-reformer of the Carmelite Order and Doctor of the Church.

On October 6, 1932, during a retreat at the Carmelite Monastery, St Josemaria was praying in the chapel of St John of the Cross and was inwardly moved to invoke the three archangels and the three apostles Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and Saints Peter, Paul, and John. From that moment on he considered them the patrons of the different apostolates that would make up Opus Dei. Return to Avila.

Overnight: Avila (Breakfast, Dinner)

This morning we check out and transfer to Avila. Along the way we will head for Alba de Tormes, where Saint Teresa died in 1582 and is buried. The museum of the Carmelite Convent of the Annunciation here contains her incorrupt heart and left arm. Continue to Fatima.

Overnight: Fatima (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today, our morning is devoted to visiting the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima and the birthplaces of Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia to whom the Virgin appeared for the first time on May 13th, 1917.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel.  In the evening, we join the Rosary and candlelight procession.

Overnight: Fatima (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today, we will head to Lisbon. On the way, we will stop at St. Stephens Church in the town of Santarem to celebrate Mass and venerate the 13th century Eucharistic Miracle. Once in Lisbon, we enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, which will include St. Jerome’s Monastery, built to give thanks to the Virgin Mary and St. Anthony’s Church. St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, best known as St. Anthony of Padua (Italy), but he was born and baptized here in Lisbon, Portugal.

Overnight: Lisbon (Breakfast, Dinner)