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$5,150 *

$200 discount for check or Zelle payment

Fatima & Santiago de Compostela 
w/ Fr Chris Talbot
Sponsored by The Detroit Cursillo Movement

March 24 - April 3, 2025

BEST TIME TO GO

Spring  & Fall

TIME ZONE

ET +6 hours 

Fr Chris Talbot invites you to join members of the Cursillo movement on pilgrimage to Fatima. The Shrine in Fatima, Portugal commemorates the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children: Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, in 1917.  According to the children, the Virgin Mary appeared to them on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting from May until October. The messages conveyed during these apparitions included calls for prayer, penance, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The Sanctuary includes the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions, and the vast open square where pilgrims join in a nightly, candlelit Rosary procession.

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We will also pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the Apostle St James the Great is buried.  This is the termination point of El Camino (The Way) de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage trail that runs through France and Spain. Pilgrims have been making this journey to venerate the relics of St James since the 10th century, and we will too.  The Cathedral of St James is of particular importance to the Cursillo Movement in that it was a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela that brought forth the Cursillo ("short course" in English) in Christianity in preparation for this wonderful spiritual journey. This is a once in a lifetime journey of discovery, and we hope you will join Fr Chris!

DAYS 1 & 2: Detroit > Lisbon > Fatima
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We depart USA en route to Lisbon with complimentary meals and beverages served aloft.  Arrive in Lisbon where will be met by our guide and depart for Fatima.  On the way we will visit the captivating town of Óbidos for a half day tour.   Óbidos became home to Portugal’s queens after Afonso II gifted it to his wife Urraca of León in the 1200s. Many of the buildings and monuments in Óbidos were founded or funded by a queen. On a narrow ridge, the town’s weaving, carless streets are contained by the dominant walls of a medieval castle.  After lunch at a local restaurant, we depart for Batalha and a tour of the Monastery of the Dominicans.  The Monastery of Batalha was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.  We continue to our hotel in Fatima for dinner and overnight at the hotel.  (B|L|D)

DAY 3: Fatima
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At the center of Catholic faith and a place of world pilgrimage, Fatima is visited by thousands of people each year. We will visit the Basilica or Our Lady of the Rosary where the tombs of Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, the three children who were visited by Our Lady of Fatima, are located, Holy Trinity Church, as well as the Chapel of Apparitions.  We will celebrate Holy Mass and visit the Fatima Sanctuary, where Our Lady of Fatima appeared in 1917.  Since then, millions of pilgrims go there to pray or just to feel its mystical strength. The Sanctuary Square is so big that it can only be described by numbers: it can receive simultaneously 300,000 visitors and it's twice the size of St. Peter's Square in Rome.  Back to our hotel for dinner before returning to the Sanctuary for the Candlelight Procession.  Overnight in Fatima.  (B|L|D)

DAY 4: Fatima
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After breakfast and Holy Mass, today is ours to spend on our own in Fatima.  (B) 

DAY 5: Fatima> Coimbra >Santiago de Compostela
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After breakfast we depart for the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela. Along the way we will stop for lunch in the wonderful town of Coimbra for a half-day tour.  Coimbra offers a rich history, a beautifully preserved medieval old town, and other hidden architectural gems for us to discover.  Included is a guided tour of Coimbra University, one of the oldest universities in the world. We will celebrate Holy Mass and venerate the First Five Franciscan Martyrs at the Monastery of the Holy Cross.  It was here the Franciscan friars met a young Fernando de Bulhões, the future Saint Anthony of Padua, and here where the friars were brought after their deaths in Morocco. After lunch on our own, we will continue to Santiago de Compostela and dinner at a local restaurant. (B|D)

DAY 6:  Santiago de Compostela
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This morning is free to enjoy Santiago de Compostela before we meet at the Cathedral for the Pilgrim's Mass.  For those who wish, there will be an optional walk along the traditional pilgrimage trail, El Camino, that will end at the Cathedral.  This is a three mile, moderately difficult walk that will take about an hour. After Holy Mass, we will have lunch at a local restaurant followed by our half day tour. including the magnificent Santiago de Compostela Arch Cathedral Basilica - the burial place of St James the Great and termination point of El Camino de Santiago.  The remainder of the afternoon is free with dinner on our own.  (B|L)

DAY 7: Santiago de Compostela>Braga>Porto
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After breakfast, we depart Santiago de Compostela for Porto with a stop in Braga for a half day tour including the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte (funicular ride included), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  After Holy Mass, lunch is on our own. We will continue to Porto with the afternoon at leisure before dinner at a local restaurant. (B|D)

DAY 8: Porto
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Today we will enjoy a half-day guided tour of Porto, one of Europe’s oldest cities, that will include the "Porto Six Bridges River Cruise" on the Douro River.  We will visit the city's most emblematic monuments in a colorful urban landscape.  With many centuries of history, we will visit the most picturesque corners of Porto and witness the magnificence of the great architectural symbols of the “Cidade Invicta” (The Unvanquished City), like the Cathedral, the neo-Classical Stock Exchange Palace, the Cathedral Quarter and Church of St. Francisco where we celebrate Holy Mass.  After lunch in a local restaurant, the rest of the day is ours to relax and enjoy dinner on our own. (B|L)

DAY 9: Porto > Nazere > Lisbon
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This morning we depart Porto and make our way back to Lisbon. On the way, we will stop in the beautiful seaside town of Nazare for lunch and Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré .  Upon arrival in Lisbon, we check-in at the hotel and the rest of the afternoon and evening is ours to explore this wonderful city.  (B|L)

DAY 10: Lisbon
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After breakfast we celebrate Holy Mass at St Anthony's Church.  After Mass, we visit the Jerónimos Monastery whose construction started in 1501 and completed 100 years later.  The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style in Portugal.  We will also visit the Tower of Belem. Built in 1520, the Tower served to defend the Tagus riverbank.  The tower had been given different functions such as a customs control point, a telegraph station, a lighthouse and even a political prison.  Both the monastery and the Tower were classified as “Cultural Heritage of All Humanity” by UNESCO in 1983.  After the visits we will visit the local bakery and try the most famous Portuguese pastry – Pastel de Belem (it’s pastel de nata but made at the bakery owning the original recipe; located in the Belem Quarter) or pastel de nata (same pastry provided in several great bakeries all over Lisbon) with coffee or tea The rest of the afternoon free before our Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. (B|D)

DAY 11: Lisbon > Detroit
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Today we say, “tchau” after an incredible pilgrimage to these holy sites of Portugal and Spain. (B)

What’s Included 
· Round trip airfare from Detroit to Portugal
· Meeting/assistance upon arrival and departure at airport
· Catholic, English speaking Tour Escort for entire pilgrimage
· 9 nights in beautiful 4* hotels
· Daily breakfast, 5 dinners (including wine) and 5 lunches
· Porterage at hotels
· Luxury air-conditioned coach
· Daily Holy Mass w/ Fr Chris
· 9 full days sightseeing as per program w/ select English speaking local guides
· Entrance fees as per itinerary including a Douro River Cruise
* Price is for double occupancy - single supplement is $775. $200 discount for check or Zelle payment (all payments must be check or Zelle, otherwise full price applies)
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