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Day 9 Lourdes Grotto Mass, Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis, Free Afternoon, Farewells

Our last full day together! Everyone could sleep in a little bit today, but we had to be ready to leave the Grand Moderne Hotel at 9:30 for our 10 AM Mass in the Grotto of Lourdes. We celebrated Mass right where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette and where the spring is now still bubbling with water. Everyone got to enter the grotto and see and touch things up close. Everyone collected water from

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Day 8 Tour Lourdes emphasizing Bernadette’s Life

The bus is gone. We have two full days in this lovely town of Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrénées Mountains in France. Full morning with free afternoon and evening. After a luscious breakfast at our quaint Grand Moderne Hotel we walked to Mass at the Cosmos and Damian Chapel in the Holy Rosary Basilica. Since it was the Feast Day of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, I gave an impromptu 6-minute talk

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Day 7 Burgos to Loyola to Lourdes

After leaving our luxury seminary-turned-hotel, Abba Hotel Burgos, we drove through the Pyrenees Mountains for our stop in Loyola, the birthplace of St. Ignatius. We toured the 17th century basilica dedicated to St. Ignatius and his family home, located behind the basilica. Very cool, we celebrated Mass in the very room where Ignatius experienced his conversion while recuperating from his war injury. We then arrived At Lourdes France, our final destination. We checked in the

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Day 6 Burgos Spain

Breakfast at the hotel and head toward Burgos. Guided Tour the Burgos Cathedral which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and celebrate Mass at the San Cristo Chapel. Roasted suckling pig for dinner. Overnight in Burgos at Abba Burgos Hotel.

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Day 5 St. James and Santiago de Compostela

Last night everyone was upgraded from a normal hotel room to apartments here at the Gran Hotel Los Abetos, one of the finest hotels in Santiago. Leisurely breakfast this morning with a 9 AM departure for the cathedral for a tour and Mass. This is the ending point for the El Camino. So the courtyard in front of the Cathedral always has Pilgrims who have just arrived from their long tracks from all over Europe

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Day 4 Coimbra, Braga and Bom Jesus, Santiago de Compostela

We have a nice breakfast and pack up our suitcases and head north for about an hour to Coimbra. This is where Sister Lucia spent 50 years as a Carmelite nun. We had Mass in the same cloister chapel where she enjoyed Mass. Continue on to Santiago de Compostela, the destination of the important medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James, the El Camino. Along the way we drove through Braga and visited the

Read More »

Day 9 Lourdes Grotto Mass, Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis, Free Afternoon, Farewells

Our last full day together! Everyone could sleep in a little bit today, but we had to be ready to leave the Grand Moderne Hotel at 9:30 for our 10 AM Mass in the Grotto of Lourdes. We celebrated Mass right where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette and where the spring is now still bubbling with water. Everyone got to enter the grotto and see and touch things up close. Everyone collected water from

Read More »

Day 8 Tour Lourdes emphasizing Bernadette’s Life

The bus is gone. We have two full days in this lovely town of Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrénées Mountains in France. Full morning with free afternoon and evening. After a luscious breakfast at our quaint Grand Moderne Hotel we walked to Mass at the Cosmos and Damian Chapel in the Holy Rosary Basilica. Since it was the Feast Day of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, I gave an impromptu 6-minute talk

Read More »

Day 7 Burgos to Loyola to Lourdes

After leaving our luxury seminary-turned-hotel, Abba Hotel Burgos, we drove through the Pyrenees Mountains for our stop in Loyola, the birthplace of St. Ignatius. We toured the 17th century basilica dedicated to St. Ignatius and his family home, located behind the basilica. Very cool, we celebrated Mass in the very room where Ignatius experienced his conversion while recuperating from his war injury. We then arrived At Lourdes France, our final destination. We checked in the

Read More »

Day 6 Burgos Spain

Breakfast at the hotel and head toward Burgos. Guided Tour the Burgos Cathedral which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and celebrate Mass at the San Cristo Chapel. Roasted suckling pig for dinner. Overnight in Burgos at Abba Burgos Hotel.

Read More »

Day 5 St. James and Santiago de Compostela

Last night everyone was upgraded from a normal hotel room to apartments here at the Gran Hotel Los Abetos, one of the finest hotels in Santiago. Leisurely breakfast this morning with a 9 AM departure for the cathedral for a tour and Mass. This is the ending point for the El Camino. So the courtyard in front of the Cathedral always has Pilgrims who have just arrived from their long tracks from all over Europe

Read More »

Day 4 Coimbra, Braga and Bom Jesus, Santiago de Compostela

We have a nice breakfast and pack up our suitcases and head north for about an hour to Coimbra. This is where Sister Lucia spent 50 years as a Carmelite nun. We had Mass in the same cloister chapel where she enjoyed Mass. Continue on to Santiago de Compostela, the destination of the important medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James, the El Camino. Along the way we drove through Braga and visited the

Read More »