Depart on your overnight international flight.

Meet your driver and guide at the Warsaw airport. Visit the Saxon Gardens, the first royal grounds in Europe to be opened to the public (1727), and home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Continue to the Royal Way and the Holy Cross Church, where the composer Chopin’s heart is preserved in one of the pillars. Wander St. Stanislaw Kostka Church and learn about the Church’s stand against the Communist regime in Poland, and the work and struggles of Blessed Jerzy Popielusko. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)

Walk a portion of the rebuilt fortifications of the Barbican. This semicircular military post once protected the Polish Kings. Continue to St. John’s Cathedral, which served as a coronation and burial site for the Dukes of Masovia. Stop at the Royal Palace, once the residence of the Polish kings. Pray in the Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the oldest surviving churches in Poland. The cornerstone was laid in 1410. Finish the day in the Old Market Square, taking in the tastes and shopping of Warsaw. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Begin your travel south with a visit to the monastery at Niepokalanow, known as the City of the Immaculate Mother of God. Founded by Saint Maximillian Kolbe in the 1920’s, he and other priests were arrested here for their efforts to shelter Polish soldiers and refugees from the Nazis. Saint Kolbe would die in 1941 in place of another man selected by the Nazis to die. Continue your pilgrimage to the city of Czêstochowa for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Visit the Pauline Monastery of Jasna Gora, home to the Black Madonna. Founded in 1382, the Madonna was a gift just two years later. Visit also the Armory and Treasury at the monastery. Enjoy some free time before journeying to Krakow for dinner and an overnight stay. (B, D)

Begin the day at St. Mary’s Basilica. The trumpet blast from her tower every hour remembers the fall of the trumpeter who warned the city of a Mongol attack. Wawel Hill sits along the Vistula River. Here, the Royal Palace and Walwel Cathedral stand. Father Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) gave his first Mass here and later served as the Archbishop of Krakow. Enjoy the Market Square, with the Cloth Hall providing opportunities to purchase Polish folk art and jewelry. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Walk the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in remembrance of those who lost their lives there. Then travel to Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, to see the Holy Father's home and the Minor Basilica that he attended in his youth. Continue to the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska sanctuary, often visited by Pope John Paul II. Return to Krakow for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Drive to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and enjoy a talk given by one of the nuns about St. Faustina. Celebrate Mass at one of the chapels here, before visiting the new center “Have no Fear,” where you may pray by the relic of Saint Pope John Paul II. Return to Krakow, and those who choose can visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Descend via stairway into the depths of the earth to see the wonders left behind by the miners, including Chapels and Chandeliers made from the salt. (The tour of the Salt Mines is included in the price of the tour.) Return to Krakow for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Celebrate Mass together this morning and then fly to Croatia. Upon arrival in Croatia, you will be met by your local tour manager and then travel to Medjugorje to check into your hotel for the night. (B, D)

While in Medjugorje, your faith will grow, and you will share in the faith journey of pilgrims from all over the world. Your guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village. Some activities that will be available to you are: Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Mass (English-speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of religious articles that pilgrims can attend. On Feast Days and Sundays: English Mass is at noon. Climb Apparition Hill: This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross, whereOur Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the alleged apparitions. While climbing, pilgrims are invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times for each decade. At the top of the hill is the exact location of the first alleged apparition of Our Lady. Enjoy private time for prayer in this holy place. Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): In 1933, the villagers built a 30-foot-high cross atop the mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. You will have the opportunity to climb this mountain and venerate that very cross. While climbing, pilgrims pray the Stations of the Cross, meditating on Jesus’ suffering on the Road to Calvary and pausing at each Station. Apparitions: Each evening, your group can join the villagers and fellow pilgrims of Medjugorje at either St. James Church or Apparition Hill to commemorate the time when Our Lady appeared to the Visionaries. There you can pray the Rosary as you all await that time (5:40 PM or 6:40 PM during Daylight Saving Time). Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. In response to her call, pilgrims will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Veneration of the Cross is on Fridays inside the Church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon. Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue stands on the grounds of St. James Church. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this peaceful statue. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water continuously throughout the day out of Christ’s right knee. Breakfast and dinner will be included at your hotel each day. (B, D)

Following breakfast, travel to Dubrovnik and enjoy a walking tour of the Old City. It will begin at St. Blasius Church, which is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Dubrovnik. This Baroque-style church was constructed by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli in 1715; it was modeled after the Venetian Church of St. Mauritius. You will know you have reached this masterpiece by its large staircase leading to the ornate main portal and the large dome crowning the roof. Continue to the Gothic-and Renaissance-style Rector’s Palace, home to the History Department of the Museum of Dubrovnik. Next, you will stroll by the iconic Bell Tower Clock and Orlando’s Column. To the left of this column, you will see the Sponza Palace. In the sixteenth century, members of the Academia dei Concordi met in the palace’s first-floor hall to discuss literature. As a result, the palace is the most important cultural institution of Dubrovnik. Lastly, you will visit the Dominican and Franciscan Monasteries. The Dominican Monastery is strategically located at the most sensitive point of Dubrovnik’s defense barriers. While at the Franciscan Monastery, you will have the opportunity to visit the Pharmacy, the founding of which was collaborative, as it served both the public and the monks. This afternoon, you will enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many small, family-owned restaurants along the narrow streets. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. This evening, enjoy dinner and an overnight in Dubrovnik. (B, D)

Today, you will enjoy a city tour of Split, the second largest city in Croatia. The historic inner city of Split was built around the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. While exploring, you will have the opportunity to see remnants of Split’s Roman heritage, such as Jupiter’s Temple, the Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace, and the Cathedral of St. Domnius. The Temple of Jupiter was built around the third century and is dedicated to the highest Roman god, the god of the sky and thunder. Diocletian’s Palace had two purposes; half was used for Diocletian’s personal use, and the other half was used as a military garrison. Lastly, you will visit the Cathedral of St. Domnius, which is encircled by 24 columns. The oldest monuments in this Holy place are those depicting the life of Christ, found on the Church’s entrance doors. This evening, you will enjoy dinner at a local Konoba (restaurant in the coastal area of Croatia). After dinner, you will continue to your hotel, where you will have a restful overnight stay. (B, D)

Celebrate Mass together and then begin your journey home.