Poland

Warsaw, Niepokalanow, Czestochowa, Krakow, Auschwitz, Wadowice,
Lagiewniki and much more!

Day 1 - Depart for Warsaw

Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight to Warsaw. 

Day 2 - Arrive Warsaw

Welcome to Warsaw, Poland. We begin with Mass at a local church. Following Mass, enjoy a local dinner and have the opportunity to explore the city of Warsaw before a restful overnight.

Day 3 -  Warsaw

Your day will begin with breakfast, followed by Mass at St. James Church, iconic for its tower and square base. This church is where Helena Kowalska (St. Faustina) prayed in Warsaw.  Explore the Old Town, comprised of beautiful maze-like cobblestone streets and picturesque architecture that are symbols of Poland's successful rebuild following its destruction during World War II. Sites will include the Market Square (the center of the city filled with restaurants, cafes, and shops), the Barbican, defense-like structures rebuilt following World War II, and the Warsaw Ghetto monument commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 during World War II. Walkthrough Lazienski park. Your tour of Warsaw will conclude by returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 -  Warsaw - Niepokalanow - Swinice Warckie - Czestochowa

This morning, enjoy breakfast followed by a transfer to Niepokalanow. This Franciscan Monastery is in the community of Teresin, was founded by martyr St. Maximilian Kolbe.  After visiting this simple, yet the elegant church, we will continue to Czestochowa. Dinner and overnight in Czestochowa.

Day 5 – Czestochowa - Krakow
After breakfast, we  celebrate Mass at one of the chapel’s at Jasna Gora Monastery; and enjoy a guided tour of Jasna Gora Monastery, where we will see the Treasury, the Knight′s Hall, the Refectory, the Basilica of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The highlight of our visit will be a viewing of the famous icon of the Black Madonna to which miraculous powers are attributed.  We have time for lunch and then depart for Krakow for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 – Krakow 
We begin our morning tour in the footsteps of St. John Paul II with mass.  Visit the Wawel Hill, the Royal Castle and Wawel Cathedral. Continue to Krakow’s Old Town, and still through Kanonicza Street where Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) resided while living in Krakow. Then to the Mariacki Church and then go to the main Market Square with the Town Hall Tower and the Cloth Hall. We will have time to explore Old Town on your own before our folklore show and dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Krakow.  

Day 7 – Krakow – Auschwitz – Wadowice - Krakow
This morning, we visit Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration Camp of Auschwitz where St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) faced martyrdom and St. Maximilian Kolbe died in the Death Block from starvation after volunteering his life for that of a fellow prisoner in 1941.  After lunch, we continue on to Wadowice, the small Polish town where St. Pope John Paul II was born in 1920 as Karol Wojtyla. We will visit Pope John Paul II′s childhood home, now a museum containing relics and artifacts from throughout his life and also St Peter Church, which was built in honor of the Holy Father′s survival of an assassination attempt. We will celebrate mass at one of the local shrines. We will return to Krakow for dinner and overnight at our hotel. 

Day 8 – Friday, June 10, 2022 - Krakow - Lagiewniki - Krakow
Today we visit Shrine of Divine Mercy, consecrated by Pope St. John Paul II.  Here, the message Diving Mercy was passed on to St. Faustina.  We will see the convent chapel and the tomb of St. Faustina.   This afternoon we tour the Pope St. John Paul II ‘Have No Fear’ Center.  In the center of the shrine is simple marble altar that contains a phial with a relic of his blood.  The blood-stained cassock that he wore on the day of the attempted assassination is also on display here. This is our final night in Krakow and the rest of the day is to explore on your own and try one of the many wonderful restaurants in Krakow.  Overnight at the hotel in Krakow.  

Day 9 – Krakow 
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport to take departure flight back home to the USA.