Rome

Assisi

Does not include: ✦Tour Guides’ and Motor-coach Chauffeur’s gratuities ($12/day/per person approx). ✦ Housekeeper Tips (at will) ✦ Mass Offertories (at will) ✦Some beverages are not included at some meals ✦Optional round trip bus from Watertown and Monona, to Chicago, O’Hare

(See registration for price, terms & conditions)

LEGEND: Featured Visit En Route Visit & Hotel Stay Airplane Travel Motor-Coach Travel

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!NOTE: Although a motor-coach is provided for some of the tours, it is important to point out that all Italian tours require a considerable amount of walking.

A 10 day Catholic Pilgrimage for the Diaconate Ordination of

Tim Mergen & Enan Zelinski

Italy

Italia Eterna!w/ Fr. John Silva & Fr.Patrick Wendler from the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin

St. Joseph Tours is a tour service

from

www.stjosephtours.com Toll Free: 800 515-2632

10-Day Trip Inclusions: ★Fr. John Silva, Pastor of St. Luke in Plain, WI and St John the Evangelist in Spring Green, Wisconsin, as Head Chaplain. ★Fr. Patrick Wendler, Pastor of St. Bernard and St. Henry Parishes in Watertown, Wisconsin, as Chaplain. ★ Both Priests are from the Diocese of Madison, WI, and will be the Spiritual Directors and Chaplains for the Pilgrimage. ★Roundtrip Air transportation from Chicago O’Hare to Italy (per itinerary). ★Private Motor-coach in Italy with driver complementing driven itinerary (however, some selected tours will require walking). ★Airport Transfers in Italy (for those flying with the group). ★Accommodations at fantastic properties in great locations. ★13 Meals (8 Breakfasts, 5 Dinners) + Appetizers at the NAC. ★Expert local guides on our Vatican Tour, Imperial Rome, Christian Rome and Assisi tours. ★Admissions to all featured and selected visits of the touring program. ★Tour program features (for detailed inclusions read the daily itinerary):

✴Assisi (Home of St. Francis and St. Clare) ✴ Imperial Rome (Coliseum and Forum) ✴ Diaconate Ordination at St. Peter’s ✴ Christian Rome: Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Holy Steps, Holy Cross of Jerusalem (relics of the Holy Cross), St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls (Tomb of St. Paul). ✴ Vatican City including Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s.

★ Possible Papal General Audience at the Vatican* NOTE: * ALL PAPAL ACTIVITIES ARE PENDING ON THE HOLY FATHER’S SCHEDULE. ★ Bilingual Tour Director accompanies group while in Italy. ★ Full documentation packet with luggage tags & re-usable wallet. ★ Spiritual program including daily Mass, Rosaries, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Sacrament of Reconciliation. ★ Hotel sales tax, Italian hospitality taxes & service charges, as well all related airfare, airline and airport taxes, surcharges and fees (some are subject to change before departure).

From September 27th to October 6th, 2019

St. Peter’s Basilica Michelangelo’s Pieta

Fr. Patrick Wendler Pastor of St. Bernard and

St. Henry in Watertown, WI

Fr. John Silva Pastor of St. Luke, Plain, WI, & St. John the Evangelist, Spring Green

Tim Mergen Enan Zelinski

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*(Wine & mineral water is included with every dinner)

Italia Eterna - Diaconate Ordination PilgrimageMeals’ Legend:

M = Airplane Meals B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner

Day 1: Friday, September 27th, 2019: USA Departure. Meet Fr. Patrick Wendler and Fr. John Silva (Chaplains) and the group at the gate area in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. [A bus transfer from Madison, WI, will be offered as an optional service. Pilgrims from other cities will receive rendezvous instructions individually.] Depart the USA for Rome, Italy, and enjoy dinner, drinks and video entertainment onboard as you fly to the European skies. Airfare included from Chicago. [Airfare may be available from other cities for an additional price. Please call for more information]. (M)

Day 2: Saturday, September 28th: Arrive in Rome and Assisi. Arrive in Fiumicino Airport, collect your luggage, board your coach and enjoy a relaxing drive to the peaceful Umbria region, the land of St. Francis and St. Clare. Arrive in lower Assisi to pray at the ‘Porziuncula’ (the first Franciscan house), the Transit Chapel (where St. Francis died), and the thornless rose garden, all inside the stunning St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, where Holy Mass* is celebrated in thanksgiving for a safe arrival. After this visit, travel to upper Assisi, enter its medieval walls to check in at our hotel for a 2-night stay. Enjoy dinner in Assisi with your fellow pilgrims. Leisure time after dinner. (M, D)

Day 3: Sunday, September 29th: Assisi, all day. Enjoy a walking tour of Assisi including the Lower and Upper Basilicas of St. Francis filled with world famous Giotto frescoes that depict the lives of Jesus and St. Francis, as well as other saints. Visit the tombs of St. Francis and his disciples. Visit other important sights such as the place of St. Francis’ birth, his home, also the Basilica di Santa Chiara where the remains of St. Clare can be found in its crypt. You will also be able to pray before the famous Cross of San Damiano in this Basilica (the Cross that spoke to St. Francis). Holy Mass* to be celebrated here or at St. Francis Basilica. After the tour, enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Explore the many dinner options in Assisi on your own. (B)

Day 4: Monday, September 30th: Rome Cristiana #1. Depart Assisi for the ancient home of the greatest empire in western civilization, Roma. Upon arrival, embark on an unforgettable excursion of the treasures of our faith. First, travel south down the ‘Via Apia’ (Apian Way) for a powerful journey experiencing how our early brothers and sisters survived and persevered in preserving our Lord’s Church. Tour through an amazing complex of underground tunnels, crypts, mausoleum tombs and chapels that fill every passageway in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus. One of the highlights of this visit will be the place where the body of St. Cecilia was found. A very realistic statue that marks this place portrays the way her body laid, giving a final and resounding testimony to the Blessed Trinity at the time of her death.Our next stop is a very special visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four Patriarchal Basilicas of the Church. Although mostly rebuilt in the 19th century, this Basilica conserves the shape of the original St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition to having portraits of every Pope, St. Paul Outside the Walls is most famous for housing the remains of St. Paul. Then travel to the location of St. Paul’s martyrdom, the Abbey of Tre Fontane (Three Fountains). Here, tradition tells us that St. Paul was decapitated and fountains sprung up in each location where his head bounced 3 times.“Welcome to Roma” dinner tonight. (B, D)

Day 5: Tuesday, October 1st: Vatican City (Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & Scavi Tour**). Start the day with Holy Mass* at St. Peter’s Basilica. After Mass, enjoy a tour of the largest Church in the world, the Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica). There will be a chance to pay respects to Saint John Paul the Great at his tomb in the St. Sebastian Chapel, and visit the Crypt of St. Peter – under the main church, where the remains of many Popes, including the first Pope lay. After a lunch break, tour the impressive Museo Vaticano (Vatican Museum) with a fascinating collection of historical artifacts and precious objects of art, including the magnificent Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) with the famous Michelangelo frescoes featuring the Last Judgment. Then journey below the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica into the amazing excavations known as The Scavi**. The Scavi was secretly excavated during World War II (to protect it from the Nazis) with the object of finding the tomb of St. Peter, the first Pope, which tradition always said was below the Basilica. Walk through an incredibly preserved ancient Roman necropolis. As the past comes alive, our tour guide shows the way through secret passageways which lead you to witness the most amazing conclusion underneath St. Peter’s main Altar! “Upon this Rock I will build My Church”. This exclusive voyage below St. Peter’s will forever be a strong memory and confirmation of your Catholic Faith. **The Scavi tour is pending confirmation by St. Peter’s Excavation office. Leisure evening in Rome follows. (B)

Day 6: Wednesday: October 2nd: Papal Audience and Prayer Vigil. After breakfast, join pilgrims from all over the world for a once in a lifetime experience, a general Audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican (pending the Holy Father’s schedule). After the Pope’s message, the Holy Father will impart his blessing on you and your family (bring your personal religious articles – rosaries, etc…- as they will be blessed too). This evening, you may join other Diaconate families and friends for the Prayer Vigil. Enjoy dinner with your group tonight. (B, D)

www.stjosephtours.com 1-800-515-2632 // 1-866 San Pietro ✴ All Masses are subject to

approva l f rom loca l ecclesiastical authorities.

St. Joseph Tours is a tour service from

www.stjosephtours.com 1-800-515-2632 // 1-866 San Pietro

Photo Credits: EWTN Stephen Pontus

George Meiners (RIP) Myles & Pat Laffey

Juan landa

✴ All Masses are subject to a p p r o v a l f r o m l o c a l ecclesiastical authorities.

Day 7: Thursday, October 3rd: Diaconate Ordination. Today, Tim Mergen & Enan Zelinski, along with other men from the United States, receive the Order of Deacon from a Cardinal of the United States at the Altar of the Chair of Peter in the Vatican! Detailed instructions regarding the ordination will be given the day before (please listen to your tour manager’s instructions and read your daily bulletin the night before). After the Ordination at St. Peter’s, walk to the North American College for a beautiful reception* celebrating the Diaconate Ordination of these great men. This is a perfect chance to visit the grounds of the NAC and if the weather is good, perhaps you’ll get a chance for the best elevated view of all of Rome! This evening

join your fellow pilgrims and enjoy a celebration dinner* in thanksgiving for the Diaconate Ordination of Rev. Mr. Tim Mergen & Rev. Mr. Enan Zelinski. (B, D) Dinner is hosted by the Deacon’s parents. [R*] Reception is being provided as a courtesy of the North American College. Therefore, it will not appear as an inclusion of the price.

Day 8: Friday, October 4th: First Deacon Mass as Deacon Tim Mergen & Deacon Enan Zelinski + Christian Rome #2. Attend the Mass of Thanksgiving assisted by Deacon Tim Mergen and Deacon Enan Zelinski. Location for this first Mass as Transitional Deacons, will be revealed in your travel documents. After Mass, go back in time, to witness the splendor of Imperial Rome! Visit the inside of the famous Flavian Amphitheater (Coliseum) built in 72 AD, flanked by the Arch of Constantine commemorating his victory just outside of Rome. Constantine attributed this event to a

Heavenly vision prophesying his v i c t o r y i f h e fought under a Christian symbol as their standard on all banners and shields. Walk the Roman Forum and from the coach, enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour including the first “shopping mall”, Trajan’s Market, the Vittorio Emanuel II monument. We end the day with a visit to St. Peter in Chains Church, where Michelangelo’s Moses can be found, as well as the “fused” Chains that bound Peter in Jerusalem and in Rome. (B)

Italia Eterna - Diaconate Ordination PilgrimageDay 9: Saturday, October 5th: Roma Cristiana #2. After breakfast, we complete our tour of early Christian Rome. We begin with a visit to St. Mary Major , commissioned in the year 360AD (approximately), and known as the first Basilica to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of the Snows). The famous icon of Mary, Health of the Roman People, believed to have been written by St. Luke, can be found in the beautiful Cappella Paolina built by Paul V. Then visit ‘Santa Croce in Gerusalemme’ (Holy Cross of Jerusalem), where incredible relics can be found (fragments of the Holy Cross, one Nail, part of the inscription INRI, two thorns from the Crown of Thorns, fragments of the pillar of the scourging and the rock of the Holy Sepulcher). We owe these beautiful relics, to St. Helena, the mother of Rome’s first Christian Emperor, Constantine. Afterwards, visit the ‘Scala Sancta’ (Holy Stairs) where you may climb the same steps our Lord climbed on the way to see Pontius Pilate. The climb may only be done on your knees. Approximately on every 5 steps, a small circled glass window allows the pilgrim to see the real marble steps below the wooden protective cover. After our lunch break, we end the Cristiana 2 vis i ts wi th a s top at San Giovanni Laterano (St. John Lateran), the Cathedral of Rome (and another one of the Church’s four major Basilicas) originally dedicated to Christ Our Savior, and later to St. John the Baptist and to St. John the Evangelist. Adjoining is the Lateran Palace which was the official residence of the Popes before the Avignon captivity. This evening we will attend the Vigil Mass (location to be annouced). Tonight, join your fellow pilgrims for a festive Farewell Dinner reminiscing about the memorable and spiritually impacting events of these past 8 days. (B, D)

Day 10: Sunday, October 6th: Arrivederci Roma! (B, M) After Breakfast, transfer to the Leonardo DaVinci Fiumicino airport for our flight to the U.S.A. As our airplane takes off, we take one last look at the beautiful land that now holds a special place in our hearts, and say:

“Arrivederci Italia!” Upon arrival in the USA, clear US

Immigrations and Customs.

Welcome Home!

Meals’ Legend: M = Airplane Meals B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner