A minimum of 20 participants are needed for the pilgrimage to happen with a group maximum of 30. Details of the trip are below along with information on cost and payment. Anyone interested should contact Fr. Christopher at fr.croberts@dol-in.org and/or attend an informational meeting on September 16th. Meeting times are 11:15 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in St. Hannah's Room at St. Paul Catholic Church (1031 Kem Road, Marion, Indiana).
Itinerary Details
Day 1 USA - England
Depart USA for your overnight flight to Europe. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 London
After check-in at the hotel afternoon free to have lunch on own, browse, shop, or pray and reflect. Private Mass and will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3 London – Amesbury – Salisbury – Southampton
After breakfast, you will transfer to Amesbury, the oldest occupied settlement in the United Kingdom (since 8820 BC). Upon arrival in Amesbury, you will visit Stonehenge with your group. Following the tour, you will enjoy lunch on own. Following lunch, your group will board the bus and head to the city in countryside, Salisbury. The first stop in Salisbury is at the Salisbury Cathedral. Your group will enjoy private Mass and visit St. Osmund’s, a church dedicated to the patron saint of mental illness. Following this visit, you will board the bus for Southampton, considered to be a major port on the south coast of England. You will enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 4 Southampton – Glastonbury – Bath
Following full breakfast at your hotel, you will transfer to Glastonbury. This town shows evidence of inhabitants which date back to the Neolithic times. Upon arrival, you will proceed to the Glastonbury Abbey for a guided tour. While at the Glastonbury Abbey, you will have the opportunity to wander through the beautiful 36 acre park grounds, visit the burial place of King Arthur, see the Holy Thorn which is said to have been the staff carried by Joseph of Arimathea. Following the tour, you will enjoy lunch on own. After lunch, you will transfer to the city of Bath where you will enjoy a half-day sightseeing city tour and Mass. Your group will visit the Benedictine monastery, Downside Abbey. Following Mass, you will transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 5 Bath – Birmingham
Today, following breakfast at your hotel, you will spend some time in the ancient city of Bath. Tradition tells us that this city was founded based on its hot springs with steaming water. In Bath, your group will enjoy a city tour which includes the Roman Baths Museum. After the Roman Baths Museum visit, you will attend Mass and visit St. John the Evangelist’s Church. Following this visit, your group will transfer to Birmingham, with a stop in Stratford-upon-Avon. In Stratford-upon-Avon, your group will enjoy lunch on own and a city tour which will include the birthplace of English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. Following your tour, you will continue on to the metropolitan borough of Birmingham. Enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 6 Birmingham – London
In Birmingham, you will enjoy a city tour following your hotel breakfast. The city tour begins at St. Philip’s Anglican Cathedral. The tour continues, and you will enjoy a visit to the Oratory Church, followed by private Mass. This Oratory was also visited by Pope Benedict XVI, after the beatification of John Henry Newman. After your visit to the Birmingham Oratory, your group will enjoy lunch on own and board the bus to London. Upon arrival, you will visit St. Etheldreda’s Church in Ely Place. This church is the oldest Catholic Church in England and served as a safe-haven for Catholics who continued to celebrate the Mass despite the Catholic persecution in the 17th century. At this church you will find the shrine to St. Etheldreda, an incorrupt saint. After the visit, you will attend Mass and return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 London
Following a full breakfast at the hotel, you will explore London. You will visit the Westminster Abbey, the resting place to many monarchs and therefore is held as one of the most momentous locations in the United Kingdom. The tour will continue to Buckingham Palace. Outside of the palace, you will become entranced by the immaculate precision of the drill and band during the Changing of the Guard. Following this event, your group will have some free time to eat lunch on your own before attending a private Mass. Following Mass, you will visit the Anglican St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is the highest point in the City of London, and was re-constructed after the Great Fire of London (1666). After the fun-filled, busy day, you will proceed to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 8 London – Cambridge – Walsingham – London
This morning, after breakfast you will depart for a full day excursion to Cambridge and Walsingham. In Cambridge, you will visit Kings College. The college chapel is noteworthy for being the greatest example of Gothic architecture. Following the visit to the college, you will have lunch as per your own arrangement and after, the tour continues to Walsingham. At Walsingham, you will see the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham which was established in 1061. Your group will attend private Mass and visit the Slipper Chapel (on premises of the shrine). Your day will culminate as you board the bus and head back to London for dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 9 London, Heathrow Airport - USA
Following breakfast, you will board the bus that will bring your group to the Heathrow Airport for your return flights home.
Cost Information
From Indianapolis
$3,999 per person in double occupancy
$ 899 private room supplement
Payments
At least 10 participants must have the $400 deposit in by April 1, 2019 and all participants must have their deposit in by April 22, 2019. Final payment is due June 1, 2019.