Our 2024 Italy Pilgrimage is not just a tour. It’s going to be a real pilgrimage, a real deep dive into the spirituality of Rome, of the Church in Italy, of the Vatican, of our Catholic faith… through the great gift that St. John Paul II gave us in his “theology of the body.” You are invited to join us on a journey this fall that will transform how you view and live your faith. It's an opportunity to step back and give God thanks for the blessings in your life, while also offering at each holy site your joys, challenges, pains, hopes and prayer intentions of others to Jesus.  

The main itinerary for the pilgrimage starts in the countryside of Assisi and ends in the Eternal City of Rome. In between, we will explore the Eucharistic miracle site in Orvieto, the Holy House in Loreto, the life and spirituality of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotundo, and make other stops at beautiful holy places. When we arrive in Rome, we'll visit St. Peter's Basilica and the other three major basilicas, explore art in several churches, walk through the Vatican Museums (which includes the Sistine Chapel), attend a Wednesday general audience with Pope Francis and do so much more! We will also explore historical Rome!

We will celebrate private Masses in stunning churches each day, with liturgical music led by Jason Clark. Throughout the pilgrimage you will also have the opportunity for spiritual direction and to attend the sacrament of Reconciliation with our chaplains. 

We created an exclusive pilgrim booklet for daily reflections by Christopher West and Jason Clark, which will bring your faith alive in ways that will forever change how you pray, attend Mass, interpret art and the sacramentality of creation, and so much more. 

After finishing our main itinerary, you have the option to continue on for several more days and visit Florence, Padua and Venice. Please note there are a limited number of spots for the extension!

We have built in several windows of leisure time, so you can fulfill your personal bucket list of holy and secular sites, relax, and enjoy the local cuisine and arts.  

We stay in first-class hotels in great locations and will travel in air-conditioned buses. 

Join Bill Donaghy, teacher of our Way of Beauty and Poets for the Kingdom courses, and Fr. Kevin Fox of the Diocese of Cleveland, for an immersion into Catholic England from July 16-25, 2024. Bill and Father Kevin will take us on an adventure into the lives of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, bringing alive the places that inspired masterpieces like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. 

We have unique opportunities scheduled for our pilgrim family, including a walking tour of London and its Catholic martyrs with renowned Catholic historian Joanna Bogle. Another guest will be Father David Marsden of Liverpool, a dear friend of the Institute and past pilgrimage chaplain, who will spend a day with us in Walsingham sharing insights on the rapidly growing devotion to England's patroness. We are also working on other special guests!

One of the special aspects of our pilgrimages is that you get to know the pilgrimage team. Whether through shared meals, pipe-smoking sessions or fun and games, you will have access to our team that is rare on other pilgrimages.

Throughout our time together, our imaginations and hearts will be stirred by daily reflections from Bill and Fr. Kevin. We will celebrate daily Mass in incredible churches, and you will have opportunities for confession and spiritual direction. If you've wanted to explore London and Oxford through the lens of wonder and imagination of these Catholic literary giants — enriched by the lens of St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body — you'll love this pilgrimage! 

We have scheduled plenty of free time throughout to explore Oxford and London on our own. You can check out the local cuisine, social life and sites not on the itinerary. Our motto is Faith, Food & Fun!