Fr. Herbie Cañete, RCJ
Bro. Bo Sanchez
September 24, 2024
Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary
Grab the opportunity to visit five of Europe’s most beautiful countries and see this rare combination of Eastern Europe’s most intriguing cities: Budapest, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, and more. Be blessed by the powerful graces of the great Shrines of the Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki and the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. Join a 14-day Pilgrimage to Eastern Europe (Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary) with Fr. Herbie Cañete, RCJ led by Bro. Bo Sanchez on September 24 – October 7, 2024.
Begin your pilgrimage with a 3-night stay in the charming city of Prague, the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic. Visit the Baroque Church of the Nativity, a Marian pilgrimage site and replica of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy. This Loreto treasure houses a rare collection of liturgical objects and other votive gifts from the 16th to 18th centuries, the most famous of which is the “Prague Sun,” a monstrance encrusted with 6,222 diamonds. Celebrate Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Victorious, which houses the original image of the Sto. Nino del Praga.
Retrace the places and graces of Pope St. John Paul II on your visit to his hometown, Wadowice in Poland. Take a guided tour of the Pope’s Family Home, now a museum. Across the house is the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Sacrifice, where Karol Wojtyla was baptized and served as an altar boy. Head for the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, home to the beloved icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. A very famous painting of the Blessed Virgin holding the Child Jesus, legend has it that this was painted by St. Luke on a piece of cedar tabletop built by St. Joseph.
Next stop is Lagiewniki to visit the Shrine of the Divine Mercy. At the heart of the shrine stands the chapel where the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina are found. Head for Krakow and visit its postcard perfect Old Town, which comes complete with Europe’s largest medieval market square and a fairytale castle overlooking the river.
Continue your pilgrimage to Slovakia for a sightseeing tour of Banska Stiavnica, one of the best preserved old royal towns in Slovakia with historical gold and silver mines dating back to the 17th century. Take a short drive to the neighboring village of St. Anton to visit the manor house of Antol, the former summer residence of the Bulgarian Tsar, Ferdinand Coburg. Celebrate Mass at the Chapel of the Manor.
Depart Slovakia and drive to the city of Esztergom in Hungary, believed to be the birthplace of the first Hungarian King and Saint, Stephen I. Visit the Esztergom Basilica, also known as the Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest and the seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary.
Spend two nights in Budapest, the capital and most populous city of Hungary. Often described as the “Little Paris of Middle Europe,” Budapest is ranked as “the world’s second-best city” and Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live. Budapest is famous for its monuments reflecting its 1,000 year old culture. The capital has two sides, Buda and Pest, stretching along the banks of the Danube, representing two different characters of the city. En route to Vienna, stop at Mariaremete to celebrate mass at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The shrine houses an image of the Blessed Mother placed there by a woman, which became a pilgrimage site after a blind woman regained her sight around 1800. St. John Paul II once prayed at the site.
Wind down your pilgrimage in Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Not to be missed is a drive around Vienna’s Ringstrasse, the most beautiful boulevard in the world and home to many of Vienna’s best-known sights.
Embark on a 14-day Pilgrimage to Eastern Europe (Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary) with Fr. Herbie Cañete, RCJ led by best-selling author and renowned preacher, Bro. Bo Sanchez, on September 24 – October 7, 2024. This unforgettable pilgrimage promises to be a encounter with history, culture and prayer in the most significant devotion centers of Eastern Europe.
PROCESSING TIME: 15 – 30 days
VISA FEE: Php 7,000.00 *
*Subject to change without prior notice!
1) A US$ 1000.00 deposit is required upon reservation together with a photocopy of a passport (valid for 6 months from date of departure), Pilgrim’s Profile with a passport-size photo, visa, and travel insurance payment.
2) Full payment in U.S. dollars is required before ticketing but in no case shall it be later than 30 days before departure date.
3) The following cancellation charges will apply:
> 45 days before departure date – US$ 500.00
> 30 days before departure date – 50% of the Tour Cost
> 20 days prior to departure date – Full tour cost will be forfeited.
> US$ 1000.00 Admin Fee for any visa denial.
BASIC TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Visa fees and documentation expenses, travel insurance, hospitalization, and other medical expenses, tours and transportation during free periods, porterage of extra pieces of luggage in excess of maximum allocation of one (1) piece of luggage, drinks and beverages taken during meals, items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone, fax, room service and other expenses not mentioned in the itinerary terms and conditions.
THE PILGRIMS’ CENTER by EXECUTIVE RESOURCES, INC. has arranged for the various tour services to be performed under the responsibility of various contractors. The company, its employees or its subagents therefore only act as agents for the contractors providing the various services described in the tour and accept no responsibility or liability in connection with losses or accidental expenses due to delays of schedule, overbooking, defaults or “force majeure”. All tours and arrangements are subject to the general conditions specified by each contractor. Tour itineraries and prices are subject to change without prior notice. When making a tour booking, the passenger acknowledges and accepts the foregoing conditions.