BEST TIME TO GO
Spring & Fall
CLIMATE CHARTS
TIME ZONE
ET +6 hours
AIR ITINERARY
Our Lady of the Woods Parish and Fr Bob Johnson invite you on a transformative pilgrimage to Poland, a country rich in secular and Catholic history, and home to beloved Saints Faustina, Maximilian Kolbe and John Paul II. Our pilgrimage will take us to sites such as Niepokalanów and the monastery founded by St Maximilian Kolbe, CzÄ™stochowa and the Jasna Góra Monastery that houses the revered icon of the Black Madonna, Wawel Castle and St Mary's Basilica in Krakow, Wadowice (birthplace of St John Paul II), Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (the Polish Jerusalem), the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and convent of St Faustina, and Auschwitz (the infamous WWII concentration camp).
Poland is a country of incredible natural, cultural and spiritual beauty. Jesus promises a wealth of blessings and profound spiritual experiences, and Fr Bob hopes you will join us!
DAYS 1 & 2 : Detroit > Warsaw
Overnight flight to Warsaw with dinner and breakfast served on board. Upon arrival at Warsaw International Airport, we will be greeted by our tour escort and transferred to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we will enjoy a guided tour and explore the Old Town area, comprised of cobblestone streets and picturesque architecture that are symbols of successful reconstruction from Warsaw’s almost complete destruction during World War II. Time to relax before our Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Warsaw. (D)
DAY 3: Warsaw > Niepokalanow > Lodz > Czestochowa
Breakfast at the hotel, check-out and departure for Niepokalanów. Upon arrival we celebrate Mass at the Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Niepokalanow Monastery. Founded by St Kolbe, it was originally established as a monastery and center for printing and publishing Catholic literature, it quickly became a hub for evangelization, media outreach, and Marian devotion. By 1939, Niepokalanów was the largest monastery in the world in terms of friars—over 700 Franciscan brothers lived and worked there. We will have time to tour the grounds and spend time in prayer and meditation. Continue to Lodz, a city dedicated to Saint Faustina with lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to Czestochowa for dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B|L|D)
DAY 4: Czestochowa > Krakow
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Celebrate Mass at the side altar of The Black Madonna at the Jasna Gora Monastery. This hill-top monastery houses the beloved icon of Black Madonna. Tradition says it was painted by Luke the Evangelist. While here, we will have the opportunity to venerate not only the Holy Icon, but also many other priceless treasures that are contained within. Lunch at a local restaurant then depart for Krakow. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow. (B|L|D)
DAY 5: Krakow
This morning we celebrate Holy Mass at the altar of St Stanislaus at the 900-year-old Wawel Cathedral. We will then enjoy a guided tour of Krakow including Wawel Hill, the former seat of power of medieval Polish monarchs and home to the beautiful Wawel Cathedral and Coronation Chapel. This is the Polish national sanctuary and where Karol Wojtyla (Saint John Paul II) celebrated his first Mass. Later continue towards Market Square, the largest and one of the most picturesque town squares in Europe. We will visit St. Mary′s Basilica where we can see an extraordinary medieval artifact, Europe′s largest wooden altar. The rest of the day at leisure with lunch and dinner on our own. B
DAY 6: Krakow
After breakfast, today is ours to explore Krakow on our own. (B|)
DAY 7: Wadowice / Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
After breakfast at the hotel, we travel to Wadowice where St John Paul II was born and raised. We will visit the oldest church in Wadowice, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where young Karol Wojtyla developed a profound and personal devotion to Our Lady. We will see the baptistery where the future pope was baptized. After Mass at the Shrine, we visit the Wojtyla family house is now a museum. After lunch at a local restaurant, we drive to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, known as the “Polish Jerusalem.” The shrine is dedicated to the Passion of Christ and also to the miraculous Icon of the Virgin Mary. We then return to Krakow and the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. (B|L|D)
DAY 8: Nowa Huta/ Auschwitz
Today we drive to Nowa Huta and visit the Our Lady Queen of Poland Church standing as a testament of faith over non-belief, and the power of a man and people of faith, to quietly stand up to communism. Celebrate Holy Mass and then have lunch on our own. After lunch, we drive to Oswiecim for our visit to Auschwitz, the notorious World War II Nazi concentration camp and the camp where St. Maximilian Kolbe was martyred. We return to Krakow for dinner on our own. B
DAY 9: Wieliczka / Divine Mercy Sanctuary / St John Paul II Center
This morning we depart for the nearby town of Wieliczka to visit the oldest salt mine in Europe. It is a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers including the famous Blessed Kinga's Chapel. After lunch at a local restaurant, we visit the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and pray for the same joy and reverence St Faustina felt when Jesus appeared to her in 1931 with his right arm raised in blessing and his left arm touching his robe. We will enjoy a talk with one of the local sisters telling us the story of Divine Mercy. We then carry on to the nearby St John Paul II Center hosting his relics. Return to Krakow and a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. (B|L|D)
DAY 10: Krakow > Detroit
Today we transfer to the airport for our flight home after a spiritual journey across Poland. B