Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena

Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena
10 days / 8 nights
The Second Vatican Council was clear. The Holy Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our Faith.
(Sacrosanctum Concilium). The Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena echoes the truth of Christ’s real presence in the
Mass. As we consider the Eucharistic Miracles of Italy, stand in holy places and experience timeless works of art
(regarded as the most awe-inspiring and important of the world), we will renew our commitment to the roots of
our Catholic faith. The masses and meditations we celebrate along the way will draw us together as a community.
They will remind us of our blessings and the call to stewardship as followers of Jesus Christ.
Day 1 – Departure from the USA
What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so
graceful! (Mark Twain describing the Milan Duomo from Innocents Abroad).
Our pilgrimage begins with an overnight flight to Milan, Italy.
Day 2 – St. Anthony of Padua
“Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they
begin a long journey. They must have the Passion of Christ deeply embedded in their
minds and hearts, because only from it can they derive peace, grace, and truth.” (St.
Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church).
Welcome to Italy. We travel 40 km west of Venice to Padua (Padova), renowned as the
site of the 800-year old Universita’ di Padova (Galileo Galilei was among its lecturers)
and setting for Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. We come to pay homage to St.
Anthony and visit the Basilica of St. Anthony (known locally as “Il Santo”), where the
bones of the saint rest in a richly ornamented chapel. Saint Anthony, a much loved and
admired saint, was canonized less than one year after his death. Initially a member of the
Augustinian Order, St. Anthony joined the Franciscan Order in 1221, because of the
death of the five Franciscan martyrs: St. Bernard, St. Peter, St. Otho, St. Accursius, and
St. Adjutus. Their headless and mutilated bodies were brought to St. Anthony’s
monastery on their way back for burial. Although St. Anthony lived only ten years after
joining the Franciscan Order (and was only 36-years old when he died), his teachings
were so simple and powerful that even the most uneducated and innocent understood
them. We will have much to gratefully consider as we continue on to Venice for dinner
and overnight.
Day 3 – Venice & St. Mark’s Basilica
A fair city of the heart (Lord Byron describing Venice).
Today we enjoy an excursion to Venice. With its unique heritage of art, architecture,
spirit and culture, the city of Venice has earned the nickname La Serenissima, "The Most
Serene." Today we’ll be treated to a guided tour of the city, including a visit to the
Basilica of St. Mark (which is a Byzantine wonder covered in golden mosaics and art
treasures). Legend has it that Venetian merchants stole the relics of Saint Mark the
Evangelist (originally in Alexandria, Egypt) and hid them in a pork barrel to get them
past the guards (the escapade is depicted in the 13th-century mosaic above the door
farthest left of the front entrance of the Basilica). The 12th and 13th century interior
mosaics, all with a message of Christian salvation, depict scenes and events from both
the Old and New Testaments. Popes John XXIII and John Paul I were both Patriarchs of
Venice. After Mass, in this magnificent, gleaming Basilica, we will visit other sites
around the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). We will enjoy the rest of the afternoon
at leisure in this “fair city of the heart,” and look forward to another overnight and dinner
here.
Day 4 – Florence
A great flame follows a little spark (Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy. Paradiso. I, l.
34).
Today’s destination is regarded as one of the most beautiful and inspiring cities of the
world, because of its rich artistic, historic and spiritual heritage. Florence was the
birthplace or home of Dante, Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Machiavelli,
Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo, Catherine de’Medici, Cavalli, Forence Nightingale and
Emilio Pucci. We will be treated to a wonderful tour of this ‘Cradle of Renaissance,’
allowing us to see many unforgettable sights, such as the domed cathedral of the city,
Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as The Duomo), the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge),
Piazza della Signoria, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and the
Academy of Fine Arts (which contains Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of David).
We’ll find that great monuments are the landmarks of Florence. There will be time to
explore many other treasures in this beautiful city before our dinner and another
overnight stay here.
Day 5 – St. Catherine of Siena
“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” (St. Catherine of
Siena, Doctor of the Church).
This morning we head for Siena, an important place of pilgrimage and home to St.
Catherine, an outspoken and politically active Dominican who was one of the first
women to be named a Doctor of the Church. Siena has been called "the manageable
Florence” because it has all the wonderful art, architecture, and spiritual history without
the traffic. We will visit the huge and austere Church of San Domenico which dates from
the 13th century and which displays beautiful art including a portrait of Catherine in the
chapel where she received the Dominican habit and where several of her miracles
occurred. Here we will also celebrate Mass. Then we see the Eucharistic Miracle at the
Church of St. Francis. Finally we make our way to Assisi which lies in the Umbria region
of Italy on the eastern flank of Monte Subasio. Assisi is regarded as a sacred spot on
earth because it is linked with St. Francis, a gentle saint who founded the Franciscan
order and is remembered as a great lover of nature (his sermon to an audience of birds is
one of the best-loved sermons of his life), and with St. Clare who followed in the humble
ways of St. Francis. Tonight we will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in Assisi.
Day 6 – St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace (attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi).
We begin the day with Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis, a huge 13 th-century edifice
containing many of the possessions of St. Francis and a series of frescoes depicting his
life. Our walking tour of Assisi will include the presumed birth place of St. Francis, the
Chiesa Nuova, a church built in 1615 when the Spanish Vicar General of the Franciscans
was saddened to see the original home of St. Francis becoming dilapidated. As we make
our way to The Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare), the Roman forum and Temple of
Minerva will also capture our attention. We will also see where St. Francis knelt before
the San Damiano crucifix to hear Jesus tell him to rebuild His church. This beloved saint
initially interpreted the words literally, so went about trying to restore nearby churches
stone-by-stone with his own hands. More powerful perhaps than the work of his hands is
the example of his life which personified the divine message he delivered to the entire
world: to give to the poor and follow God. The words of St. Francis of Assisi will linger
in our hearts as we finish the day with dinner and another overnight stay in Assisi.
Day 7 – Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena
In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women created in God’s image
and likeness (cf. Genesis 1:27), and becomes our companion along the way. In this
sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and
freedom. Since only the truth can make us free (cf. John 8:32), Christ becomes for us the
food of truth. -Pope Benedict XVI (Sacrament of Charity, 2007.)
One of the main celebrations of the liturgical year for the Catholic Church is Corpus
Christi. Today we travel to Orvieto since it was from here that Pope Urban IV established
the feast day of the Corpus Domini back in August 1264 with the Transiturus de hoc
mundo Papal Bull. In 2013 the Catholic Church celebrates the 750 th anniversary of the
Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena, which has close ties to the construction of Orvieto's
Duomo, and 2014 we celebrate the 750 th anniversary of the establishment of the Corpus
Domini feast day. The town of Orvieto sits on a 1,000-foot high rock formation,
poetically crowned by Italy’s most renowned Gothic cathedral. We visit the famous
Duomo housing the corporeale of the Miracle of the Eucharist in Bolsena. Here we
celebrate Mass. Afterwards we continue to Bolsena where we visit the Basilica of St.
Christina. A priest was on pilgrimage to Rome to ask for strength in his vocation and to
remove his doubts about the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. On his way he stopped at
Bolsena. During Mass as the priest said "This is My Body," the Host began to bleed
profusely. The priest took the Corporal and wrapped up the bleeding Host, although
blood fell on the marble floor in front of the altar. He immediately took it to Pope Urban
IV who was in nearby Orvieto at the time and the Holy Father declared that a Eucharistic
Miracle had occurred. Late in the afternoon we continue our pilgrimage to Rome for
dinner and overnight.
Day 8 – Vatican Museum & St. Peter’s Basilica
Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee (Peter in Acts 3: 6).
We greet the new day in a city nicknamed Caput Mundi (Capital of the World) and The
Eternal City. Rome has these names not only because it has always been the hub of art,
education, high culture and politics in the western world, but because it is also a spiritual
capital and a powerful center of pilgrimage. It was here on October 11, 1962, that Pope
John XXIII summoned Vatican II, one of only 21 councils convened in the more than
2,000 years of Christian history. As we continue in his footsteps, we will first visit
Vatican City to attend an audience/blessing with our Holy Father (schedule permitting),
then we will tour the Vatican Museum. The museum houses what can be described as the
most important collection of art in the world. The history and awe surrounding the
galleries and all the treasures they contain will truly transfix us. Highlights of the day
include The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and The Sistine Chapel, where we
will gaze on Michelangelo’s incredible masterpiece. We will also enter St. Peter’s
Basilica, which has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world and has been
described as the reason Rome is still the center of the civilized world. Tradition and
historical evidence hold that St. Peter’s tomb is directly below the altar of this basilica,
which Ralph Waldo Emerson described as an ornament of the earth… the sublime of the
beautiful; we will also marvel at Bernini’s beautiful bronze canopy over this altar. After
being declared Blessed in 2000, John XXIII's body was transferred from the Grottoes of
St. Peter’s Basilica to the St. Jerome Altar in the basilica itself. The area that had held the
sarcophagus of Pope John XXIII (located less than 100 ft from the Tomb of St. Peter)
became the original tomb of Pope John Paul II, whose funeral was held on April 8, 2005.
Over the last six years, roughly 20,000 pilgrims visited his tomb every day. In his will,
John Paul II specifically wrote that he wanted to be buried on that site. His wish was to
be laid to rest on soil with a simple white marble slab. After his beatification, his remains
were transferred from the crypt to the basilica--as is tradition with popes, saints and the
blessed. John Paul II's remains were taken to the San Sebastiano chapel, next to
Michelangelo’s Pietá (the statue of the Blessed Mother holding her crucified son). San
Sebastiano is home to the remains of another beatified pope, Inocencio XI. The remains
of John Paul II are under this altar, covered with a gravestone and just four words:
"Beatus Ioannes Paulus II." Before dinner, we will have the opportunity for individual
exploration: some might want to sit quietly at an outside café to take it all in while others
will want to shop and savor the flavor of the “Eternal City.”
Day 9 – The Major Basilicas
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The
just shall live by faith (Paul in Romans 1:17).
Our day will start with Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The ceiling of this
basilica is said to be decorated with gold that Columbus brought back from the new
world. Santa Maria Maggiore, the largest basilica in Rome that is dedicated to the
Blessed Mother, is part of the day’s “Christian Rome” tour. This basilica has beautiful
Biblical mosaics, a marble floor, bell tower and one of the oldest shrines (containing a
relic from the manger of the infant Jesus) dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. We will also
visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the oldest of the major basilicas and ranks
first as the actual “parish church” of the Pope (Bishop of Rome). There, we will learn
about the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs). Tradition has it that these steps, said to be the
staircase leading once to the praetorium of Pilate at Jerusalem, are sanctified by the
footsteps of Jesus Christ during His Passion. Next, we’ll see the Basilica of St. Paul
Outside the Walls, which was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the
burial place of Saint Paul. Other sites on today’s itinerary include the oldest road from
Roman times (the Appian Way), the Baths of Caracalla, and the Arch of Drusus. Enjoy
some time at your leisure in Rome before our evening meal and our last night’s stay.
Day 10 – Return to the USA
We will let the power of the holy shrines, priceless relics, and Eucharistic Miracles in
Italy settle over us, then like other pilgrims of other times, go back to our lives with
renewed faith and readiness.
We leave our hotel and head for the airport to return to the US.
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