Daily Itinerary for the 03 June 2024


Day 1 – Monday, June 3
Depart Boston Airport for overnight flights to Shannon.

Day 2 – Tuesday, June 4
On arrival in Shannon we will be met by our guide and driver for the day and taken for breakfast in the Raddison Hotel. After our hearty breakfast we will take a scenic drive and arrive at one of Ireland’s outstanding features – the Cliffs of Moher, towering 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Stroll along the cliffs to O’Brien’s Tower and visit the interesting visitor center. We then travel to Knock to check into the 4 Knock House and have some lunch and a bit of a rest. We will have some free time before dinner in the Hotel.

Day 3 – Wednesday, June 5
After breakfast we will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock where the Blessed Mother appeared to the locals on the back of the Church gable in a driving rain storm. We will be able to have Mass at the site of the apparition and have the chance to walk around the beautiful grounds and visit the shops. After our Mass we will visit Ballintuber abbey en route to Galway city for some lunch. After lunch in Galway we will have a city tour and view of the sights of Galway, such as the Cathedral, Salmon Weir, Spanish Arch and Eyre Square before retuning to Knock for some R&R before our dinner.

Day 4 – Thursday, June 6
After breakfast we will drive to Kilkenny for Mass in the Capucin Friary. Nearby, visit the Kilkenny Design Workshops, an exhibition of Irish Design, located in the old castle stables. After Mass we will visit the magnificent 13th century Kilkenny Castle, seat of the Butler family, Earls & Dukes of Ormonde. In the afternoon we will drive to Glendalough in the Wicklow mountains and will visit Glendalough, the 6th century monastic city of St. Kevin the place where Christianity survived the dark ages. Drive across the Wicklow Gap, and on to our hotel where we check-in for 1 night before dinner.

Day 5 – Friday, June 7
After our breakfast, we will take our transfer to Dublin airport to board our flight to Dubrovnik. On arrival in Dubrovnik you will be met by our team of guides and transferred to Medjugorje with a guided escort. Upon arrival in Medjugorje you will be taken to your accommodation where you will stay. Light snack or dinner will be served depending on the time of arrival.

Day 6 – Saturday, June 8
We start our day with breakfast before attending 10:00am mass, which is intended for English-speaking pilgrims, in the Church of St. James. The Church of St. James is placed under patronage of St. James the Apostle, who is patron saint of pilgrims. We do not move very far and usually meet at the shrine of Our Lady of Peace for our opening meeting where the guides will share with us the history of the place, introduce us to the shrine and take us through the week, and through their words and experiences enlighten us to the messages and intentions of Our Lady. We break for lunch where restaurants are in abundance. The afternoon takes us to Blue Cross, a place of many apparitions of Our Lady. It is situated at the base of Apparition Hill where Our Lady appeared to the children and where they were hiding from the communist police at the beginning of the apparitions. From Blue Cross, we walk to Vicka‘s old house. Vicka is one of the six Medjugorje visionaries and we visit her old family house to see and to pray in the room where she had apparitions over a long period. After dinner, we can attend the evening prayer program.

Day 7 – Sunday, June 9
This morning after breakfast, we gather at the statue of Our Lady to walk through the vineyards, to the Hill of Apparitions (Podbrdo). This has been the traditional route taken by millions of pilgrims. We simply climb, in prayer, to the site of the first apparition, the place where Our Lady first appeared to six frightened children in June of 1981.The Joyful Mysteries greet us at several points of our climb where we pray for a short time. This afternoon there is an optional tour to Cenacolo, which is a community for recovering drug addicts. There is a special lesson to be learned from the residents here, by their hard work, perseverance and prayer. After dinner, we attend the evening program.

Day 8 – Monday, June 10
Today we have the opportunity to meet with one of the visionaries (depending on their availability) for a talk on the messages. Our Lady of Peace leaves us messages on the 25th day of each month through the visionary, Mirjana. Through these messages we are called upon to attend holy Mass, to fast, to read the bible, to attend confession and to pray the holy rosary. Our Lady maintains that we will receive many graces by praying the Rosary. In the afternoon, we have an optional trip to visit the Church of the Divine Mercy in Surmanci one of five villages belonging to Medjugorje parish, only a 15 minute drive from Medjugorje village. This is a very popular place with pilgrims as a miraculous healing took place before icon of the Divine Mercy, which is now exposed in the chapel. We also have opportunity to venerate relics of St Faustina and St john Paul II.

Day 9 – Tuesday, June 11
Our day begins with breakfast and we then meet at the base of Cross Mountain (Krizevac) to start our ascent. We pray the Stations of the Cross as we make our way to the summit. Our journey is rewarded by taking time for reflection and prayer by the cross located at the top of the mountain. In 1933, the parish of St. James erected a large concrete cross to commemorate the 1900th Anniversary of Jesus’ passion and death on the Cross. We make our descent in time for holy Mass. In the afternoon, following our climb, we will have some free time. This evening we have a special treat as our programme director, David Parkes, performs for us in concert with an Evening of prayer through song. David is an internationally acclaimed singer and often travels worldwide singing the word of Our Lord.

Day 10 – Wednesday, June 12
Today we gather to hear from one of the priests. With Medjugorje as their base, they can shed light on issues we may be struggling with such as confession or sacrifice. In the afternoon we will visit a neighboring Franciscan monastery and the Shrine of St. Anthony, which is located only 15 min from Medjugorje village. (This is optional.) In the evening after international holy mass, you may take part in the prayer of Mysteries of Light in the Via Domini and visit the grave of late Fr. Slavko, a Medjugorje priest who embodied the messages of Our Lady and who traveled the world spreading that message of peace and reconciliation. After almost 18 years spent in Medjugorje, Fr. Slavko suddenly died at the top of the Cross mountain on a Friday afternoon in 2000.

Day 11 – Thursday, June 13
We meet as a group to join in the closing meeting on the church grounds. David and the guides conclude the week with prayer and a short follow up on the week. We finish the program with a visit to the Mothers village. This is an orphanage founded by the late Fr. Slavko for children whose parents had died during the war. Now it’s a home for orphaned children or children who come from dysfunctional and broken families. This village is a visible fruit of Medjugorje. After dinner, we can participate in the evening program.

Day 12 – Friday, June 14
Our guide will collect us at our house for our transfer to the airport for our return flight back to Boston via Dublin. Please note this itinerary is subject to change and should not be considered a contract of events or places to be supplied or visited. Every effort is made to follow the itinerary as set out, however events outside of our control may force alterations.