Pilgrims will travel with their assigned coach groups out of Sydney towards Paris.

On arrival at Paris airport, we will be met and transferred to our accommodation. While Paris is renowned for housing some of the world’s greatest treasures, we will come to discover too the spiritual riches on offer to pilgrims in this amazing city of contrasts. Before dinner at our hotel, we will celebrate our first group Mass together in the Bruxelles Auditorium.

This morning begins with breakfast and a full pilgrimage meeting in the Bruxelles Auditorium. Following this we will journey by coach to Montmartre and the awesome Sacre Coeur, built from 1875 to 1914, and one of the most imposing Basilicas in the Christian tradition. Pilgrims will make the walk up the hill before we celebrate our daily mass here. Pilgrims can find their own lunch afterwards amongst the many local restaurants.

Following lunch, we continue our pilgrimage through Paris with a special stop to view the outside of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. From here, we commence our sightseeing tour of Paris including a visit to the Eiffel Tower, a walk to the Trocadero before viewing the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.

We return for dinner at our accommodation. This evening we will participate in night prayer together.

Today we immerse ourselves in the story of St Vincent de Paul and Saint Catherine Laboure.

This morning we visit the Daughters of Charity in the Rue du Bac. This is the site where Our Lady appeared to Catherine Laboure in 1830, with the first Miraculous Medal being struck in 1832. Her incorrupt body lies under the altar of Our Lady, here in the chapel and adjacent to the altar of St Vincent de Paul displaying his incorrupt heart. This will be a time for prayer and learning more of this story and the relationship between these two Saints.

By late morning, we stroll to the nearby Vincentian Fathers for our daily mass in the chapel housing the bones of St Vincent de Paul. Pilgrims will find lunch with their small groups by exploring the surrounding area and will be given a time to re-meet the coaches.

By early afternoon we return to our accommodation for pilgrims to freshen up and prepare for an early evening re-exploring the wonders of the City of Lights after dark and finding a place for a group dinner.

Today we farewell Paris and board our TGV fast train service to Lourdes. Travelling through the scenic French countryside, we arrive in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the small town of Lourdes. It was in this small town that Our Lady first appeared to St Bernadette in 1858.

Late this afternoon we will enjoy a live musical production - Bernadette de Lourdes and learn more about her story. Our evening concludes with mass, and then dinner at our accommodation.

Following breakfast at the hotel, this morning we will set out early from the hotel in coach groups with our Chaplains and walk the Stations of the Cross before descending into Lourdes and celebrating our daily Mass at the Grotto – the site where young Bernadette experienced visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pilgrims will have a chance to enter the grotto before and after mass.

We then meet our guides for a walking tour of Lourdes orientating us to the Sanctuary area: Upper & Lower Basilicas, and the Baths where hundreds of miraculous cures have taken place.

There is free time this afternoon to find lunch amongst the streets of Lourdes before returning to the Sanctuary. Pilgrims may choose to spend time as small groups reflecting on the day amongst the beautiful landscape and exploring/praying in different ways across the site including the many adoration chapels and grassy hills alongside the river.

Following dinner at the hotel our pilgrimage will return to join the Blessed Sacrament Procession and Blessing of the Sick before a final evening candlelight procession.

Following breakfast at the hotel we continue west today aboard our coaches as we cross into northern Spain and on to the ocean side town of San Sebastian for viewing this beautiful town and stopping for lunch.

Following lunch we then head to Loyola, where St Ignatius was born and where he later found his conversion. In Loyola pilgrims will have the opportunity to experience our daily mass in the impressive Sanctuary of St Ignatius, before visiting the Casa Santa (Holy House) - 13th century tower house – where he was born and spent many of his early years. Visit also the ornate monastery complete with shrine and relics of the saint and a 65m dome, which can be seen from a great distance. See the sparse room where he lived and recovered from his injuries and developed his spiritual life.

We continue our journey to Burgos famous for its beautiful Cathedral established in 1221 – one of the jewels of Gothic architecture. Here we overnight in two separate hotels and are each provided with dinner

Departing Burgos, we journey to Caleruega, the home of Bl Jane of Aza and Felix Guzman and birthplace of their sons, St Dominic, Bl Mannes and Anthony. On arrival we commence our tour of Caleruega. A highlight includes the Dominican Nuns Convent, formerly the home of the Guzman family. A highlight here is the Crypt where a well marks the spot where Dominic was born around 1170. It is now the centrepiece of a chapel which is adorned with exquisite mosaics depicting scenes from Dominic’s life. Enter the Church of San Sebastian where Dominic was baptised. The original twelfth century apse is still preserved, even though the church has undergone numerous reconstructions.

Continue south by coach to Segovia, between the Eresma and Clamores Rivers. We will visit the stunning Segovia Cathedral, the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain. Marvel too at the best conserved aqueduct of the Imperial Roman Empire. Outside the walls, we will visit a convent adjacent to the Vera Cruz church, where the mortal remains of St John of the Cross are buried. View here the famous Alcazar.

Finally, we arrive at the historic walled town of Avila, where the atmosphere has changed little since the days of St Teresa to whom the city is dedicated. It was here that she entered the Carmelite convent and encountered many mystical experiences during her time.

Following breakfast at our hotels this morning, we begin our day with a pilgrimage journey outside the walls for a visit to the Monastery of the Incarnation, where St Teresa’s cell can be seen as well as other relics of her life. Here in the chapel we will celebrate our daily mass together as the Sisters listen in.

As we walk the return journey we will enter the Convent of Saint Teresa, built over the saint’s birthplace and located just inside the South Gate of the old town. Most of the convent remains in cloister but you can see the very spot where she was born, now a chapel in the Baroque church.

The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore this beautiful walled city before small groups find their own special place for dinner. Another highlight during this time is a visit to Avila’s Cathedral which was started in the 12th century.

After breakfast we farewell Avila and travel by coach to Salamanca, known as the ‘Golden City’ owing to the colour of its historic sandstone buildings. It is considered one of the most fascinating Renaissance cities in Europe and home to the oldest Christian university in Spain. The university proudly boasts of having had among its students and professors, such outstanding figures St Ignatius of Loyola and St John of the Cross.

We will explore the Plaza Mayor, an 18th-century baroque square acclaimed as the most beautiful public plaza in Spain. We stop and admire the façade of the landmark Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells). The restored 1483 house is noted for its façade of 400 simulated scallop shells. It was created as a monument to Santiago de Compostela. We will visit the Cathedral Vieja (Old Cathedral) built in 1140. After viewing the interior, we can stroll through the enclosed cloisters with their Gothic tombs of long-forgotten bishops.

We then journey through the beautiful Spanish countryside before crossing the border into Portugal, and journeying to Fatima, where in 1917 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children as ‘a lady in white’. Tonight we will have dinner and then join the evening rosary and candlelight procession as small groups.

Following breakfast this morning, and as the sun is rising we will walk and pray the Stations along the beautiful Way of the Cross (the Sacred Way), culminating in the Chapel of Calvary which overlooks all of Fatima. Continue to Valinhos, the site of Mary’s appearance after the children’s return from prison. We will then continue to the little village of Aljustrel to visit the original homes where the children lived. We continue our walk back to the Sanctuary for Mass.
After a memorable Mass at the Sanctuary, we embark on a tour of the Square (the largest square in Christendom) including the site of the Apparitions, Rosary Basilica with the Tombs of the visionaries, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and other main highlights.

This afternoon, we board the coaches and join the streams of young pilgrims converging today on Lisbon, the World Youth Day host city and our long-awaited meeting with the youth of the world and our Holy Father.

On our way into Lisbon we will first visit Christo Rei for a group photo overlooking the beautiful city that will host us for the next week. Upon our arrival at our accommodation, we receive our WYD pilgrim bag containing the WYD handbook, tourist guide, pilgrim pass, transport card and all the information you need to get around Lisbon and participate in the WYD events.

AM: MORNING AT LEISURE

PM: WYD OPENING CEREMONIES

AM: MORNING CATECHESIS – There will be opportunities for Catechesis, Daily Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PM: YOUTH FESTIVAL EVENTS – Featuring music, dance and dramatic performances from around the world in small and large stadiums and venues across the city.

AM: MORNING CATECHESIS – There will be opportunities for Catechesis, Daily Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PM: YOUTH FESTIVAL EVENTS – Featuring music, dance and dramatic performances from around the world in small and large stadiums and venues across the city.

PM: WELCOMING CEREMONIES FOR THE HOLY FATHER

AM: MORNING CATECHESIS – There will be opportunities for Catechesis, Daily Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PM: YOUTH FESTIVAL EVENTS – Featuring music, dance and dramatic performances from around the world in small and large stadiums and venues across the city.

PM: STATIONS OF THE CROSS – The focus tonight is on the moving Way of the Cross when we as young pilgrims will contemplate the reality of Christ’s passion and the call to true freedom.

Today will begin the mass mobilisation of pilgrims along set walking paths through the city as we converge on the site chosen for the historic WYD gathering here in Lisbon.

An afternoon of concerts, performances, and song will unfold as we await the arrival of the Holy Father. This begins the main event! Millions of young people together with the Pope – a summer evening of unforgettable atmosphere. The celebrations continue all night as we share in a global sleep-out under the stars.

As the sun rises, we will share in Morning Prayer, breakfast and the climactic WYD Papal Mass with the youth of the world.

AM: MORNING MASS WITH THE HOLY FATHER
The Pope will concelebrate Mass with thousands of bishops and priests, addressing us and sending us out to the world to witness to our faith, as the Lord did with his Apostles. At the end of the Mass, the Holy Father will announce the place where the next international World Youth Day will be held.

PM: PILGRIMAGE WALK BACK TO LODGINGS

Today we farewell Lisbon for the tranquillity and relaxation of our post-WYD Retreat in Assisi.
On arrival in Assisi, we will visit the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels on the plain where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we will see the Portiuncola, the thornless rose bush, the cave where the saint returned for prayer and the Chapel where he died in 1226.

Here we are also blessed with the opportunity to visit and pray at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young Catholic from Italy with a passionate devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and an aptitude for computer programming. From the ages of 12 to 14, he designed a website cataloguing Eucharistic miracles that have occurred around the world, which he launched in 2005. He died of leukemia a year later at the age of 15, offering his suffering for the pope and for the Church.

Onwards to our post-WYD retreat lodgings, where we will spend the following days entering into a time of rest, recreation and retreat, as we unwind and process the amazing past days on pilgrimage and WYD experiences.

This morning we awake to the sound of chapel bells, cobblestone footsteps and the tangible spirit of St Francis preserved in this holy town.

After breakfast we enjoy a guided tour through some of the town’s highlights including: the tranquil Church of San Damiano and the actual chapel where it all began when the voice of Christ spoke to Francis in the year 1205. Here too we find the first monastery of the Order of St Clare where Clare built her community in close friendship with Francis.

We then visit the Basilica of St Clare where we will proceed to the side chapel to pray before the Holy Crucifix from which God spoke to Francis “Go and repair my Church which as you see is in ruins”. Here too we can also take the stairway down to the crypt where the body of Clare, partially restored, is displayed.

Culminate up at the Hermitage (Eremo delle Carceri), an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the woods built on the site of a simple cave where St Francis often withdrew to spend many hours in prayer. The cave and the Chapel of Our Lady are preserved in the Hermitage. Here we enter a time of retreat, prayer and recreation.

This morning we enjoy a guided exploration of the buzzing Basilica of St Francis which occupies the entire western end of the upper town. Construction began in 1228, just two years after the death of Francis and was finally completed in 1250. The Upper Basilica houses the famous fresco cycle of the life of St Francis, historically attributed to Giotto. Wander through the marvels of the Upper Basilica before our tour descends to the crypt of the Lower Basilica where Francis was laid in 1230 and where we will take some time to seek the intercession of this spiritual legend.
Back at our lodgings, we enter a time of retreat, prayer and recreation.

Today we will be transferred to the airport for our homebound flight connections to Australia.

Home sweet home.