2024 Pilgrimage to Poland

This pilgrimage has been designed to be a prayer-filled spiritual retreat! Every day, the spiritual directors of the pilgrimage, Fr. Bonaventure Chapman OP and the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (Sr. Inga Kvassayova and Sr. Faustia Szaboova) will provide content for personal prayer and reflection to get closer to the God of mercy through the intercession of Saint John Paul II and Sant Faustina. This is an extraordinary journey in the footsteps of two saints who changed the world by reminding us of the truth that the name of our God is MERCY!

If you desire to deepen your spiritual life, want to visit places where God has shown His grace to man in a special way and create a community of people who want to "go deeper" - you can't miss it!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Participants must be 18 years old or older and in good health.
• A minimum deposit of $480 is due at the time of registration.
• May 10th, 2024 is the registration deadline.
• The remainder of the Pilgrimage Fee ($1,115) must be paid by June 10, 2024.
• The Pilgrimage Fee does not include plane tickets to/from Poland.
• The Pilgrimage Fee does not include travel insurance.
• Roommate requests for shared rooms can be entered on your order from.

ARRIVAL INFORMATION

• Krakow is the start of the pilgrimage.
• The airport is John Paul II International Airport Krakow – Balice (KRK)
• Each pilgrim is responsible for arranging and purchasing their own tickets from the US to Krakow, and back to the US from Warsaw.
• Each pilgrim is responsible for purchasing their own travel insurance.
• The pilgrimage officially starts July 15th at lunch at 3 p.m. at Dom sw. Siostry Faustyny.
• The address of the restaurant is: Aleja Adolfa Hyly 1, 30-605
• The phone number for the restaurant is: +48-730-955-431
• The travel agency we are cooperating with in Poland (“Galeon”) will be offering one pick up time at 11 a.m. (July 15th). This pick up will coincide with the arrival of the group taking a 3:20 p.m flight to Krakow from DCA Airport in Washington DC (July 14th). Pilgrims are welcome to arrange to be on this flight or arrange to arrive on an earlier flight. Any pilgrims at the airport by 11 a.m. can use the transportation provided by Galeon.
• Please ensure you land before 11 a.m. to use transportation provided by Galeon (July 15th).
• If you arrive after 11 a.m., you will need to arrange your own transportation to the hotel.
• The recommended flight (United Airlines Flight UA 8833 S-Economy Class to Frankfurt Germany. United Airlines Flight UA 9385 S-Economy Class from Frankfurt to Krakow) departs Washington DC at 3:20 p.m. on July 14th.
• The hotel is 10 km away from the airport, or about a 10 min drive.
• The name of the hotel is: “Hotel Ave Lagiewniki”.
• The address is: Krakow, ul. Kolodziejska 32
• The phone number is: +48-511-198-995
• The reception desk is open 8am – 10pm
• The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy own and operate a restaurant next to the Shrine (Dom sw. Siostry Faustyny – Restauracja).
• We will be having (most probably) all lunch and dinner meals here while staying in Krakow.
• Pilgrims are welcome to return to the hotel to rest after lunch or walk around the Shrine.
• The next group meeting on July 15 will be dinner at the same restaurant.
• Assistance will be available during the first day of arrival should you have issues with your travel.
• You can call/text the WhatsApp at: +48-606-394-103
• DO NOT contact this number before July 14 or after July 16
• Please contact this number if you have issues at the airport or need assistance getting to the hotel.
• Internet will be available at the hotel.
• Breakfast will be eaten at the hotel

RETURN to USA

• On July 26, the last day of the pilgrimage, we will have breakfast before going to Chopin (Okecie) Airport in Warsaw. Transport to the airport will be provided for those who return right away to the destination. Expected arrival at the airport in Warsaw is at 10:00 a.m.
• Pilgrims are responsible for arranging and purchasing their own tickets back to the US from Warsaw.
• The phone number of Sr. Faustia is +1 774-992-4966

SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS

Father Bonaventure Chapman, O.P.

Father Bonaventure Chapman, O.P. was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, where St. Faustina first found him when he was a Protestant. He earned his Masters in Theology at Oxford University, whilst training for the Anglican priesthood. After converting to Catholicism, Father Bonaventure entered the Order of Preachers (Province of St. Joseph) in 2011, made solemn vows in 2014, and was ordained a priest in 2017, having completed theology degrees at the Dominican House of Studies, as well as a Ph.L from The Catholic University of America. After teaching philosophy and serving as a chaplain at Providence College, RI, he completed a Ph.D in philosophy at Catholic University in 2023 and joined the faculty of the School of Philosophy at CUA in Fall 2023. Father Bonaventure’s primary philosophical research interest is eighteenth-century German philosophical Pietist metaphysics and ethics. He is also a co-host of the podcast Godsplaining and his favorite saint is, of course, Faustina!

Sr. M. Inga Kvassayová, ISMM

Sr. Inga was born in the heart of Europe, in Slovakia. She studied geology and during that time she discovered the Catholic faith and was deeply touched by God’s mercy. After working as a geologist and serving the sick in a hospital, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. She made her perpetual vows in 2015.

She was assigned to minister to Slovakian and Hungarian pilgrims who visited the Divine Mercy Shrine in Cracow. She worked also in the “Faustinum” Association of the Apostles of Divine Mercy in Poland and in Slovakia. In the US she lived and served in Congregation’s communities in Boston, MA and Washington, DC and after spending 2 years on mission in Cuba her current assignment is in the community in Washington, DC. She spreads the message of God’s Mercy at the St. John Paul II National Shrine, in spiritual direction meetings, in parishes, at retreats, conferences and everywhere where God’s providence sends her. She is also the Vocation Directress for her Congregation in the US.

Sr. Faustia Szabóová, ISSM

After finishing her studies to become a teacher in Slovakia, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 2009.

Her patron is Saint Faustina. For 14 years, sister Faustia has been serving in the Congregation by spreading the message of God's merciful love to every human being.

First in Slovakia, later in Poland, she served the apostles of Divine Mercy from the Faustinum Association. In March 2022, she joined the community of the Sisters in Washington DC to spread the message of God's mercy at the National Shrine of St. John Paul II, in parishes, at retreats as well as at the schools.

SCHEDULE

Departure – Sunday, July 14

Departure from Dulles International Airport - Washington (USA)

Day 1 – Monday, July 15

Arrival to Cracow. Pick-up to the hotel. Check-in. Free time. 15.00 Lunch. Rest in the hotel or walk in the center, or Łagiewniki sightseeing. Dinner.

Day 2 – Tuesday, July 16

Breakfast. CRACOW. Holy Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy. Visitation places associated with St. s. Faustina: Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow – Lagiewniki - Her novitiate she spent in Cracow, Jesus gave her the message of divine mercy. She pronounced her first religious vows, and five years later, she made her perpetual profession of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. She was assigned to work in a number of the Congregation’s houses, but for a longer period in those of Cracow, Plock and Vilnius, fulfilling the duties of cook, gardener and doorkeeper. The Cloister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The place where Sister Faustina earthly remains rest. Basilica of the tower, chapels, Chapel with the image of Merciful Jesus. In Lagiewniki Pope John Paul II made an act of offering the world Divine Mercy.

Lunch.

Sanctuary of Saint John Paul II - the "Be not afraid!" Saint John Paul II center: the Lower Church (The priest's chapel was designed after the model of the Wawel crypt of St. Leonard, which was of particular importance in the life of Saint. John Paul II: it was there that Karol Wojtyła celebrated his first Holy Mass on November 2, 1946. There was a slab from the first grave of the Polish Pope, which was located in the Vatican Grottoes in St. Peter's Basilica. Peter in Rome. The chapel contains numerous votive offerings and souvenirs related to the Saint. The Church of Relics is the heart of the Lower Church. It is the central chapel, surrounded by two rings of chapels and oratories. The altar contains a relic of the Holy Father's blood. The walls are covered with mosaics depicting Saint. John Paul II and his special cult to the Mother of God. The main painting shows the Polish Pope surrounded by Polish saints whom he beatified or canonized. Spiritual program in the evening. Dinner.

Day 3 – Wednesday, July 17

Breakfast. CRACOW. Holy Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy or Wawel Hill - Holy Mass - if possible in the Chapel of St. Leonard in the basement of the cathedral, where his celebrated First Mass young priest Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II). Visitation places associated with St. John Paul II - tour of the Royal City - CRACOW (historic sites from the outside): The Royal Route - the Barbican, medieval defense walls, St. Florian's Gate, Main Market Square, St. Mary's Basilica, Sukiennice Hall, Town Hall, the Pope's window in Franciscan Street - residence on Kanonicza street and Metropolitan Curia. Lunch. Visiting: Jagiellonian University, Kanonicza Street - the oldest street in Krakow, St. Grodzka Street. Peter and Paul's Church and St.. Andrew's Church. Planty, Blonia. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Thursday, July 18

WADOWICE – KALWARIA ZEBRZYDOWSKA - CRACOW

Breakfast. Transfer to WADOWICE - the new interactive exhibition – opened in 2014 - in the Museum in the House of the Family of Pope John Paul II (the birthplace of the future pope) the parish church, and the Virgin Mary's Offertory basilica, where Karol Wojtyła was baptized on 20 June 1920. Lunch. Transfer to KALWARIA ZEBRZYDOWSKA. Holy Mass. Visit the historic Bernardine monastery (UNESCO listed) together with its miraculous image of Our Lady of Calvary. Karol Wojtyla with his father made a pilgrimage to this image after the death of his mother, then he often visited the place as a priest, bishop, cardinal and pope. Here he entrusted his pontificate to Mother of God and spoke the words “Totus Tuus” (All yours). In June 1979, the pope bestowed the title of Minor Basilica to the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels on the oldest Calvary in Poland. Pilgrims take a walk on paths and historic baroque chapels of Our Lady and on the Way of the Cross. Departure from Kalwaria and return to Krakow. Dinner.

Day 5 – Friday, July 19

Breakfast. CRACOW - ZAKOPANE. Departure to ZAKOPANE - Winter Capital of Poland. Holy Mass in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptowki (built as a Votive Offering of thanks for saving the life of John Paul II after the assassination of 13.05.1981 r.). Visiting: sanctuary is surrounded by white - yellow Papal flags, monument of the Holy Father, two Stations of the Cross, in which the Pope Placed. Each Mass, each rosary every evening prayer prayed to God that is associated with one and the same intention - as Pope John Paul II. Lunch. Ground cable car trip to Gubalowka - Tatra Mountains - view of mountains. Return to Cracow. Dinner.

Day 6 – Saturday, July 20

Breakfast. CRACOW – AUSCHWITZ – WIELICZKA. Transfer to AUSCHWITZ. The visit to the camp (about 3.5 hours): visitors watch a film about the concentration camp and visit the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. „Auschwitz-Birkenau was the principal and most notorious of the six concentration and extermination camps established by Nazi Germany to implement its Final Solution policy which had as its aim the mass murder of the Jewish people in Europe. Built in Poland under Nazi German occupation initially as a concentration camp for Poles and later for Soviet prisoners of war, it soon became a prison for a number of other nationalities. Between the years 1942-1944 it became the main mass extermination camp where Jews were tortured and killed for their so-called racial origins. In addition to the mass murder of well over a million Jewish men, women and children, and tens of thousands of Polish victims, Auschwitz also served as a camp for the racial murder of thousands of Roma and Sinti and prisoners of several European nationalities” . Lunch. Transfer to WIELICZKA to Salt Mine. 2.5 hours-long walking tour of the world's only historic Salt Mine (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Tourists come down the staircase in the Daniłowicz Shaft into the mine. The tourist route leads through underground chapels and caves carved out of salt (underground, the route is about 3 km long). The St. Kinga's Chapel is perhaps the finest and greatest of the chapels. Level 3 operates a museum exhibition featuring collections of old mining equipment, mineralogical collections, old documents, and arts and crafts. Come back to Cracow. Holy Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy. Sharing. Dinner.

Day 7 – Sunday, July 21

Breakfast in CRACOW. Free day at the Shrine of Divine Mercy: Holy Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, lunch, dinner.

Day 8 – Monday, July 22

Breakfast. CRACOW – CZĘSTOCHOWA. Transfer to

CZĘSTOCHOWA. JASNA GÓRA - Monastery which, along with Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in France, Jasna Gora is one of the most important and active pilgrimage venues in the entire Christian world. Sightseeing tour of the Sanctuary. Holy Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa with the Miraculous Icon of Black Madonna. Lunch. Free time. Dinner. At 9 PM Jasna Gora Appeal.

Day 9 – Tuesday, July 23

Breakfast. CZĘSTOCHOWA – PŁOCK. Transfer to PŁOCK. Pick up to PLOCK. Lunch. PLOCK – the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, here's Faustina had a vision first Merciful Lord Jesus in 1931, who asked her to paint a picture and talks about the Feast of Mercy. Holy Mass. Sharing. Dinner.

Day 10 – Wednesday, July 24

Breakfast. PŁOCK – ŚWINICE WARCKIE – WARSAW. Transfer to GLOGOWIEC - the birthplace of Helen Kowalska (Faustina) and a Baptismal Holy Shrine in ŚWINICE WARCKIE. Holy Mass. Lunch. Transfer to WARSAW. Dinner.

Day 11 – Thursday, July 25

Breakfast. WARSAW – the capital of Poland. Visitation: places associated with St. s. Faustina in Warsaw: General home of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where sister Faustina entered. 9, Żytnia Street. Upon her entrance to the Congregation Helen Kowalska received the name Sister Mary Faustina. Holy Mass. Lunch.

WARSAW tour of Old Town, Castle Square, Sigismund's Column, Royal Castle, the Krakowskie Przedmieście Street – President Palace, Cathedral St. John, Warsaw University, Grand Theatre. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Jozef Pilsudski Square, where the Holy Father John Paul II had said before 300,000 faithful: "Do not be afraid". Palace of Culture and Science (panorama of city).

Dinner.

Return – Friday, July 26

Breakfast. WARSAW. Pick-up to Okęcie Airport. Departure from Warsaw to USA.

The pictures of our hotel and the restaurant in Krakow: