

Fatima ~ Lourdes
w/ Our Lady of the Woods
$200 discount for check or Zelle payment
Only 12 spots left
Our Lady of the Woods Parish and Fr Bob Johnson invites you on a transformative pilgrimage to the most revered and beloved Marian Shrines in the world: Fatima and Lourdes.
The Shrine in Fatima, Portugal commemorates the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children: Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, in 1917. According to the children, the Virgin Mary appeared to them on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting from May until October. The messages conveyed during these apparitions included calls for prayer, penance, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Sanctuary includes the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions, and the vast open square where pilgrims join in a nightly, candlelit Rosary procession.
Lourdes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées area of southwestern France, is the site of the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes to a young peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Bernadette reported 18 apparitions of a "Lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at the grotto of Massabielle. During one of the apparitions, a spring emerged, and the water is known its for miraculous healing power. The Sanctuary includes the Grotto of Massabielle, where the apparitions took place, and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Pilgrims participate in the Blessing of the Sick, processions, and the bathing pools where they pray for healing in the spring water.
Pilgrims from around the world visit Fatima and Lourdes seeking spiritual renewal and physical healing. Jesus promises a wealth of blessings and profound spiritual experiences, and we hope you will join us!
DAYS 1 & 2 : Detroit > Lisbon > Fatima
We depart USA en route to Lisbon, Portugal with complimentary meals and beverages served aloft. Upon arrival at Lisbon International Airport, board a private motorcoach and depart for Fatima. Enjoy a welcome dinner and overnight in Fatima. After dinner, join pilgrims from around the world for the Rosary and candlelight procession at the Our Lady of Fátima Basilica. Overnight at the hotel in Fatima. D
DAY 3: Fatima
At the center of Catholic faith and a place of world pilgrimage, Fatima is visited by thousands of people each year. We will visit the Basilica or Our Lady of the Rosary where the tombs of Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, the three children who were visited by Our Lady of Fatima, are located, Holy Trinity Church, as well as the Chapel of Apparitions where will celebrate Holy Mass. We will visit the Fatima Sanctuary, where Our Lady of Fatima appeared in 1917. Since then, millions of pilgrims go there to pray or just to feel its mystical strength. The Sanctuary Square is so big that it can only be described by numbers: it can receive simultaneously 300,000 visitors and it's twice the size of St. Peter's Square in Rome. After lunch, we will visit Aljustrel and Valinhos. Aljustrel was the birthplace of the three children, and Valinhos was the site of the fourth apparition of Our Lady, on August 19, 1917, occurred. Back to our hotel for dinner before returning to the Sanctuary to Pray the Rosary and the Candlelight Procession. Overnight in Fatima. (B|D)
DAY 4: Fatima> Coimbra >Santiago de Compostela
After breakfast we depart for the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela. Along the way we will stop for lunch in the wonderful town of Coimbra for a half-day tour. Coimbra offers a rich history, a beautifully preserved medieval old town, and other hidden architectural gems for us to discover. Included is a guided tour of Coimbra University, one of the oldest universities in the world. We will celebrate the Holy Mass at Carmelo of St. Teresa, where sister Lucia, one of the three shepherd children from Fatima, lived before she died in 2005. We then venerate the First Five Franciscan Martyrs at the Monastery of the Holy Cross. It was here the Franciscan friars met a young Fernando de Bulhões, the future Saint Anthony of Padua, and here where the friars were brought after their deaths in Morocco. Continue to Porto for a group lunch, then continue to Santiago de Compostela with dinner and overnight at the Hotel Compostela. (B|L|D)
DAY 5: Santiago de Compostela
This morning, we have free time to enjoy Santiago de Compostela before meeting at the magnificent Santiago de Compostela Arch Cathedral Basilica and the Tomb of St James for 10:30AM Pilgrim's Mass. For those who wish, there will be an optional walk along the traditional pilgrimage trail, El Camino, that will end at the Cathedral. This is a three mile, moderately difficult walk that will take about an hour. After celebrating The Pilgrims Mass, Enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure, experiencing local dining venues with an overnight in Santiago de Compostela. (B)
DAY 6: Santiago de Compostela/León/Burgos
After breakfast, we depart Santiago de Compostela and travel east to Burgos with a stop in León for lunch on our own. We will see the Cathedral of León, one of the most important Gothic structures in Spain, and the Basílica de San Isidoro, a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Isidore of Seville. Upon arrival in Burgos we will visit its extraordinary Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and burial place of Spain’s national hero, El Cid. Dinner and overnight in Burgos. (B|D) Distance - 310 miles / Drive time - 6 hours
DAY 7: Burgos/Loyola/Lourdes
Today we depart for Lourdes with a visit to the Sanctuary of Loyola, built in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit religious order. The centerpiece of the Sanctuary is the Basilica of Saint Ignatius, a remarkable structure built in the Baroque style. Construction began in 1689 around the site of St Ignatius' birth, and was completed in the 18th century. We will also visit and pray at the Saint Ignatius Chapel of Conversion. This room is where Saint Ignatius recovered from his wounds received at the battle of Pamplona. It was here he felt called by God after reading several books on the life of Jesus and the lives of the saints.
After lunch on our own, we cross into France and arrive in Lourdes. After dinner on your own, you’re invited to join the nightly Rosary and candlelight procession. (B)
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Distance - 270 miles / Drive time - 5.5 hours
DAY 8: Lourdes
Today we enjoy a guided walking tour of Lourdes, one of the most frequently visited Marian Shrines and pilgrimage sites in the world. Our guide will share the history of the Marian apparitions that St. Bernadette Soubirous witnessed. We will visit the places where the apparitions occurred in 1858, among them three basilicas, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Rosary Basilica and the Basilica of St. Pius X, respectively known as the upper, lower and underground basilica. We will celebrate Holy Mass and then the rest of the afternoon and before our Farwell Dinner at local restaurant. (B|D)
DAY 13: Toulouse > Detroit
Today we transfer to the airport in Toulouse for our flight home after a spiritual journey across Portugal, Spain and France. We take with us wonderful memories of our travel with dear friends, and edifying, indeed, sanctifying encounters with Our Lady. Thank you Fr Bob and God bless! B