A very modern & popular Saint
The 18th May 2020 sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II in Wadowice, Poland.
We would like to invite you to visit Poland and celebrate this exceptional date in the homeland of St. John Paul II
For the Polish people this is a particular occasion to "Remember all that God has done for us"
Itinerary - to be confirmed
Days 1 - 5
A full spiritual programme, with daily Mass, will be organised to include the services of a Spiritual Leader and an English speaking guide.
Daily visits will be arranged, which may include some of the following very popular places -
Czestochowa - Mass and a guided visit to the monastery of Jasna Gora. The Shrine contains the Byzantine icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Black Madonna. It is the country’s most sacred image, regarded as Queen and Protector of the nation.
Auschwitz and Birkenau - The Nazi concentration camps where the cell of St Maksymilian Kolbe has been converted into a chapel.
On the return journey to Krakow there will be a visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Tyniec, the oldest Romanesque monastery in Poland, located along the banks of the Vistula river.
Wieliczka Salt Mine - Visit the 700 years old preserved excavations which can be viewed from 60 to 327 metres underground. 380 steps down will take you to the underground chapel of St Kinga of Poland, carved out of salt and richly decorated. There is a lift available.
Krakow City - This tour will include visits to the Cathedral and Royal Chambers on Wavel Hill, St Mary's Basilica and Old Town Square, which is the largest medieval square in Europe. The old town has a unique and noble atmosphere, full of cosy cafes and restaurants.
Lagiewniki - Visit the new Basilica of the Divine Mercy that seats 4000 people and was consecrated by the Holy Father in 2002. There will be time to pray in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where St Faustina lived for the last years of her life and where she received some of the apparitions of the Merciful Christ.
Wadowice - This town is the birthplace of Karol Wojtyła who later became Pope and then St John Paul II. Visit the church where he was baptized a Catholic and later confirmed, served as an altar boy and prayed daily before its miraculous picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The left aisle contains the baptismal font where the baby Karol Wojtyla was baptized.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - A visit to the Monastery of Bernardine Fathers, located in the picturesque Makowski foothills. It is not only a church and monastery, but also a complex of chapels and path churches as well as a Mannerist landscape park. Its creation in 1602 is due to Mikołaj Zebrzydowski who founded the monastery and the Calvary. The Calvary is a lively place of worship and the sacrament of penance is also an important service of the Bernardines in this place.