Sunday, May 17 | Departure from Boston to Kraków, Poland.
Check-in for your evening flight to Kraków and start your journey! Meals are served aboard your transatlantic flight. 

Monday, May 18 | Arrival in Kraków Poland
Anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II.
Upon arrival today in Kraków, you will be met by your Guide who will be with you throughout the entire trip. Through this pilgrimage, we will celebrate the life and early formation of Pope St. John Paul the Great. Gather our luggage and make our way into Krakow from the airport to check-in to our hotel. After freshening up, take an introductory walking tour of the Old Town, and celebrate Holy Mass. Welcome Dinner as a group and overnight in Krakow. (B, D)

Tuesday, May 19 | Kraków
Saints, Dragons, Castles, Cathedrals
After breakfast, gather together and embark on a full day getting to know all the most famous, and the most important sights in Krakow. Enjoy a panoramic and walking city tour of Kraków, Poland’s capital from 1038 to 1569 and residence of kings. With its charming blend of magnificent architecture, churches, cultural monuments, museums, and vibrant contemporary community, Kraków was designated by the European Union as the “Capital of Culture” in the year 2000. Tour highlights include the Old Town, Cloth Hall, Wit Stwosz’s acclaimed altar masterpiece at St. Mary’s Basilica, and Wawel Castle and Cathedral – all remarkable symbols of Poland’s historic identity. Young Karol Wojtyla was secretly ordained a priest in Krakow’s Archbishop’s palace and celebrated his first Holy Mass of Thanksgiving at the crypt of St. Leonard in the Wawel Castle Cathedral among tombs of Saints and royalty. We will celebrate Holy Mass at the Wawel Cathedral if available, otherwise at St. Mary’s Basilica. Dinner together as a group and overnight in Krakow. (B, D)

Wednesday, May 20 | Kraków
Shrine of Divine Mercy – St. John Paul II Center
This morning we will visit the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki; dedicated by Pope Saint John Paul II. Visit the convent chapel and pray at the Tomb of St. Faustina Kowalska. Fact: Jesus appeared to St. Faustina and showed her His Divine Mercy. Thanks to St. Faustina we have the beautiful Divine Mercy image and we celebrate the Feast of Mercy the first Sunday after Easter. We will spend time walking and visiting the Basilica, Chapel, & Grounds, hearing a talk from the Sisters of Mercy, and celebrate Holy Mass. On the same campus as the Divine Mercy Shrine, visit the St. John Paul II Institute. This enormous Church Museum is the world’s main shrine to the Saint, built as a complex to honor his life and ministry to the faithful. This afternoon return to Krakow for an evening at your leisure. Some may wish to explore the old city, Kazimierz- the Jewish quarter, or stroll some of the many beautiful parks. Overnight in Krakow (B)

Thursday, May 21 | Kraków 
Today’s itinerary in Kraków offers a deeper journey through the city’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage. We begin with a visit to the Archbishop’s Palace and Kanonicza Street where Saint John Paul II once lived and studied — an inspiring place that shaped his early priestly life. Next, we tour the magnificent Wawel Royal Castle, exploring its State Rooms, Royal Private Apartments, Crown Treasury, Armory, and the fascinating Lost Wawel exhibit, which together reveal centuries of Polish history and royal tradition. Our afternoon continues with a quiet moment at Rakowice Cemetery, where we will pay our respects at the tomb of Saint John Paul II’s parents. We conclude the day at Jagiellonian University, the second oldest university in Europe, for a guided tour through its historic halls that have educated scholars and saints alike. Dinner on your own and overnight in Krakow. (B)

Friday, May 22 | Częstochowa – Kraków
After breakfast this morning depart for an excursion out of Krakow to the most famous pilgrimage center of Częstochowa, Poland’s national shrine and home of the Black Madonna, a sacred icon that is historically linked to protecting the Polish people. Said to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth, the image of Our Lady attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world. Our guide and local Pauline monks will tell us about the violent history the icon has been through starting in 326 AD in Jerusalem, to 1430 when an invading soldier attempted to steal the painting, striking it twice with his sword. More recently, during the Russian occupation, they attempted to thwart any pilgrimage to the Shrine, unsuccessfully. Pilgrims gather here with a tradition of pausing at 9:00 p.m. each day to declare one’s love of the Virgin Mary, specifically under her title of Our Lady, Queen of Poland. It is called in English, “the Call of Jasna Gora,” or in Polish, “Apel Jasnogórski.” The day before his death, Pope John Paul II sent a letter to the religious of the Shrine of Jasna Gora, in Częstochowa. “I entrust our Homeland, the whole Church and myself to her maternal protection,” said the Pope in his letter, addressed to Father Izydor Matuszewski, prior general of the monks of St. Paul the Hermit, of the monastery of Jasna Góra. We will celebrate Holy Mass here with hundreds of other pilgrims. In the late afternoon, return to Krakow for dinner together and overnight. (B, D)

Saturday, May 23 | Kraków – Wieliczka Salt Mine
A morning excursion will take you to the nearby Wieliczka Salt Mine; three spectacular underground miles of hand–carved chapels, statues, and chambers made of pure salt (including an incredible statue of Pope St. John Paul II carved by the local miners). Over 1 million tourists visit this historic royal mine each year. We will celebrate Holy Mass in one of the beautiful salt chapels in the mine. Return to Krakow for dinner at your leisure. Overnight in Krakow. (B)

Sunday, May 24 | Kraków – Auschwitz – Kraków
Today we venture out to the little village of Oświęcim, known better as the town where the German Nazi’s built Auschwitz, the death camp where millions of Poles, Jews, Christians and others lost their lives. A Private Guide will show us several gut wrenching sites, including the starvation cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe was martyred. This is an important lesson on recent history and Kolbe’s saintly martyrdom. Holy Mass will be celebrated at the nearby Center for Dialogue and Prayer, founded for those affected by the horrors of the German Nazi Extermination Camp- Auschwitz-Birkenau. This evening we return to Krakow where you will have time for dinner on your own and to reflect on this emotional day. (B)

Monday, May 25 | Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Wadowice – Zakopane
After a restful night and filling breakfast we head out to Wadowice, the nearby hometown of Saint John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła. Today’s events here will include a tour of the local area, the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary- the parish church where the Saint received the Sacraments, and time for his favorite treat- kremówki. If we are able according to the museum schedule, visit a museum dedicated to the Saint built within the home he lived in as a child. On the way, stop into the monastery of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska where Pope John Paul II repeated the words of his motto: “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. 

Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart” He would come here as a boy, and see the painting of Our Lady said to have wept blood in 1641. After lunch, head to Zakopane for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Tuesday, May 26 | Zakopane
Today is our last full day together, and we’ve got a special treat! After breakfast, we head to the foot of the Tatra Mountains where we meet traditional horses and buggies for a ride through the mountains to Morskie Oko- ‘The Eye of the Sea’. Spend some time taking in the crisp clean mountain air at the deep mountain lake before returning to town to spend the rest of your day taking in the mountains, relaxing, shopping, and visiting. Today is a great day to explore Zakopane, a resort town in the scenic Tatra Mountains. We have a full day in Zakopane where Pope Saint John Paul II would recreate as a young priest and on until Pope. When he was a cardinal, someone mentioned it might be inappropriate for a man of his position to ski. He replied that it was only “unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly.” Zakopane is the center of age-old Highlander culture. Going through town, you will see all sorts of people; holidaymakers, hikers and colorful market vendors enjoying the pure mountain air and magnificent vistas. Need a break? A cable car can whisk you away to Mount Gubałówka for a splendid view of the valley below. Visit the nearby Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Zakopane which was built by locals in thanksgiving for Pope John Paul II’s recovery after Ali Agca’s assassination attempt on the Pope’s life. Tonight, we gather as a group one final time for a special Polish farewell dinner with music and dancing. (B, FWD)

Wednesday, May 27 | Zakopane – Kraków – USA
After breakfast this morning we depart Zakopane for Krakow to catch our return flight(s) to the USA. (B)

“The future of Poland depends on you and must depend on you!” – said John Paul II to young people during his pilgrimage to Poland in 1987. These words were seen as an expression of solidarity with the society suppressed by the communist authorities. However, they were much more than that – a timeless call to take responsibility for one another.