Classic Travel - by Malgosia and Jurek Majcherczyk

Day 1: Tue. 9/03       Flight: Newark -  Warsaw

Meet at Newark Airport at 8:30pm. We will board LOT flight departing at 10:50pm to Warsaw. Dinner and breakfast will be served aboard the new 787 Dreamliner plane.

Day 2:  Wed. 9/04      Arrival in Warsaw

Arrive in Warsaw in the early afternoon, where we will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to our Pilgrimage House at the Warsaw downtown.

5:00pm - Short walk in the city centre. 19.00 Welcome Dinner. (D)

Day 3:  Thu. 9/05     Warsaw City Tour & Niepokalanów

After breakfast, we will start guided tour of Warsaw: Park Łazienkowski (Royal Baths Park) with the Frederic Chopin monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street, the Old Town (listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO), St. John’s Cathedral. The Old Town was completely destroyed during World War II and reconstructed thanks to the commitment of the Polish nation. At 2:00pm. Visiting Saint Stanislaw Kostka's Church. It's the burial site of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by communist militia officers in 1984. We will visit the museum dedicated to Bl. Jerzy. The theme of this part of the journey is: 'The Church during Communism'.  3:30pm Short visit to Niepokalanow –founded by Father Maximillian Kolbe in 1927. Sightseeing in the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, which was Here St. Maximillian Kolbe and his Franciscan brothers published dozens of weekly and monthly periodicals to promote the Roman Catholic faith.  4.30pm. Holy Mass in Niepokalanow – St. Maximilian chapel. Retun to Warsaw. Back to our Pilgrimage House for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 4:  Fri. 9/06      Warsaw - Licheń - Wroclaw

Morning drive to Licheń to the shrine of Our Lady of Licheń. We’ll visit the old church and new basilica – one of the largest in Europe. In 1967, the portrait of Our Lady of Licheń received the crown of Pope Paul VI. In 1999 Pope John Paul II blessed the new shrine of Our Lady of Sorrow. In the evening we’ll arrive at our Pilgrimage House in Wroclaw. (B, D)

Day 5:  Sat.  9/07     Wroclaw City Tour

After breakfast we  begin a full day city tour of Wroclaw - the capital of Lower Silesia is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland. Situated, upon the Odra River and cut through by its numerous tributaries and canals, it is an exceptional city of 12 islands and 112 bridges. Wroclaw originated in the 10th century AD at the crossroads of trade routes and was first governed by the Polish Piast kings. (B,D)

Day 6:  Sun.  9/08    Wroclaw - Kotlina Klodzka - Nysa

After breakfast we begin full day trip to Kotlina (Valley) Kłodzka, where we will visit Town of Kłodzko, Wambierzyce and Kudowa Zdrój. In Kłodzko we will see old town from XI century and a famous stone bridge from XII century. In Wambierzyce – known also as a Jerusalem of Kłodzko Valley, and very popular pilgrimage destination, we will visit Basilica with miraculous statue of Mary, which was crowned by the Pope John Paul II in 1980. Kudowa Zdrój is one of the best places where heart and circulation system diseases are cured. In the centre of the town there is a park with exotic plants and mineral waters pump room. We will also visit The Chapel of Skulls with 24 thousand skeletons and The Moving Crib in Czermna. In the afternoon drive to Nysa situated at the foot of the Sudety Mountains Dinner and overnight in our Pilgrimage House in Nysa. (B,D)

Day 7: Mon.  9/09      Nysa - Częstochowa

Morning short tour of Nysa. Then drive to Czestochowa. We will visit famous and most holly sanctuary in Poland - Black Madonna Shrine. You will be introduced to the Jasna Góra Monastery, its history which begins in 1292, treasures and the miraculous icon of the Black Madonna, the Queen of Poland. In 1930 Karol Wojtyla came here for the first time with his father and prayed to the Black Madonna. He visited Jasna Gora seven times as a Pope. Dinner and overnight in our Pilgrimage House. (B, D)

Day 8: Tue.  9/10     Częstochowa – Auschwitz - Kraków

After breakfast and morning mass we will depart Czestochowa and drive to Krakow. On the way we will visit German/Nazi Auschwitz Concentration Camp (now a martyrdom museum). Dinner and overnight in a Pilgrimage House in Krakow. (B, D)

Day 9:  Wed.  9/11     Kraków - Wadowice - Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - Kraków 

After breakfast we will take a drive to Wadowice – native town of John Paul II and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska “Polish Jerusalem”. In Wadowice we will visit the family home of Karol Wojtyla, and the church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where he was baptized. In Kalwaria we will pay a visit to the oldest and most famous Way of the Cross in Poland. Here in 1929, where Karol Wojtyla's mother died, his father took him to Kalwaria. In 1979 John Paul II visited the Sanctuary and garlanded the main church the title of "Basilica". We will also visit Bernardine Monastery, where you will find the "Calvary Paths", a favorite trail of Karol Wojtyla. Overnight and dinner in Pilgrimage House in Lagiewniki. (B, D)

Day 10:  Thu. 9/12      Kraków - Wieliczka – Łagiewniki -  Kraków

In the morning we will visit 800-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine, the oldest salt mine in Europe. Walk through the under-ground salt stone world - splendid St.Kinga’s chapel with salt sculptures and reliefs, corridors housing the original constructions and post excavation chambers as well as the subterranean salt lakes. Short visit to the sanctuary of Lagiewniki, where Sr. Faustina was living.

Late afternoon walk tour of Krakow Old Town. Not destroyed during the II World War, Krakow is a treasure house of architecture and art since X century. Today’s walking tour includes the Old Town surrounded by defense walls with Barbican; Market Square dominated by St. Mary’s Church with the famous XV c. linden wood altar, then the Cloth Hall, housing of souvenir shops. (B, D)

Day 11:  Fri. 9/13   Kraków City Tour 

Today we visit to Wawel Hill - tour of the Royal Castle and Coronation Cathedral, burial place of kings and famous Poles. In the royal chambers you can discover the priceless collection of Flemish tapestries. Tour of Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest in Europe. Free afternoon for your own city exploration and/or shopping. Evening - Farewell dinner. (B, D)

Day 12: Sat. 9/14    Flight: Kraków - Warsaw – Newark

Free time for packing before transfer to John Paul II Airport in Kraków. Departure at 2:00pm on LOT flight with an arrival in Newark Airport at 5:45pm.  

* * * End of our pilgrimage tour * * *       

Abbreviations: B - breakfast; L - lunch; D - dinner

NOTE:  

Our pilgrimages at times require lots of standing/walking.  Pilgrims who have problems walking must plan accordingly, especially if a caretaker is required. Such assistance is not included in trip cost.

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly 260 kilometres (160 mi) from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2012 was estimated at 1,802,398 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 6th most populous city proper in the European Union. The area of the city covers 516.9 square kilometres (199.6 sq mi), while the city's agglomeration covers 6,100.43 square kilometres (2,355.39 sq mi).

Warsaw is an Alpha- global city, a major international tourist destination and an important economic hub in Central Europe. It is also known as the "phoenix city" because it has survived many wars throughout its history. Most notably, the city had to be painstakingly rebuilt after the extensive damage it suffered from World War II, during which 90% of its buildings were destroyed. On 9 November 1940 the city was awarded Poland's highest military decoration for heroism, the Virtuti Militari, for the Siege of Warsaw (1939).

Warsaw is the source for naming entities such as Warsaw Confederation, the Warsaw Pact, the Duchy of Warsaw, the Warsaw Convention, the Treaty of Warsaw, the Warsaw Uprising, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Warszawianka is widely considered the unofficial anthem of the city.

Częstochowa

Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants (June 2009). It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (administrative division) since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship (1975–1998). However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not of Silesia, and before 1795, it belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship.

The town is known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Góra, which is the home of the Black Madonna painting (Polish: Jasnogórski Cudowny obraz Najświętszej Maryi Panny Niepokalanie Poczętej), a shrine to the Virgin Mary. Every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come to Częstochowa to see it. The city was became home to the Frankism religion in the late 18th and 19th Century. There is also a Lusatian culture excavation site and museum in the city and ruins of a medieval castle in Olsztyn, approximately 25 kilometres (ca. 16 mi) from the city centre.

Kraków

Kraków also Cracow, or Krakow, is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła) in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important economic hubs. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1596; the Grand Duchy of Kraków from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1999. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

The city has grown from a Stone Age settlement to Poland's second most important city. It began as a hamlet on Wawel Hill and was already being reported as a busy trading centre of Slavonic Europe in 965. With the establishment of new universities and cultural venues at the emergence of the Second Polish Republic and throughout the 20th century, Kraków reaffirmed its role as a major national academic and artistic centre. The city has a population of approximately 760,000 whereas about 8 million people live within a 100 km radius of its main square.

After the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany at the start of World War II, Kraków was turned into the capital of Germany's General Government. The Jewish population of the city was moved into a walled zone known as the Kraków Ghetto, from which they were sent to extermination camps such as Auschwitz and the concentration camp at Płaszów.

In 1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Kraków, was elevated to the papacy as Pope John Paul II – the first Slavic pope ever, and the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Also that year, UNESCO approved the first ever sites for its new World Heritage List, including the entire Old Town in inscribing Cracow's Historic Centre.

Lichen

Licheń Stary is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ślesin, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south-east of Ślesin, 14 km (9 mi) north-east of Konin, and 99 km (62 mi) east of the regional capital Poznań.

The village's name means "old Licheń"; it is often referred to as simply Licheń.

Licheń Stary is the site of Poland's largest church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, completed in 2004, which houses the icon of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland. It was constructed to accommodate the large number of pilgrims (ca 1 million each year) who come to venerate the image of the Virgin Mary, which according to tradition has been miraculous.

Licheń Stary is also the site of Poland's largest organ (157 stops, 6 manuals and pedalboard, created by prof. Andrzej Chorosiński and manufactured by Polish organbuilder "Zych - Zakłady Organowe"); this instrument is also the fourth largest in Europe and thirteenth largest in the world. It is located in the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń.

Wroclaw

Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Sudeten Mountains to the south. As of 2023, the official population of Wrocław is 674,132 making it the third largest city in Poland. Population of the Wrocław metropolitan area is around 1.25 million.

Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia. Today, it is the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The history of the city dates back over 1,000 years; at various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia and Germany, and has been German-speaking since the Middle Ages, until the town became part of Poland in 1945 as the result of territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II.

Cost $3,550 with flights from Newark

• prices listed per person in 2-person room
• single supplement: +$490

Price includes:

• Flights: EWR- WAW / KRK - WAW - EWR
• All transfers in private deluxe bus with English speaking guide
• Most meals (9 breakfasts & 9 dinners - half board)
• Accommodations in pilgrimage houses
• Entrance fees to all attractions as listed in itinerary
• Daily masses

Price excludes:

• Services not mentioned in itinerary
• Insurance   
• Tips and gratuities
• Optional tours

NOTE:

Price may change due to fluctuation of USD:PLN

Additional details:

THIS PILGRIMAGE IS ORGANIZED FOR:

ST. JOSEPH CHURCH in Oradell, NJ

Contact to the parish: 1-201-261-0148

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