Fr. Alexander Thomas
May 5, 2025
Portugal, Spain, France, Italy
A pilgrimage is not like a vacation. In fact, making a pilgrimage to shrines is an eloquent expression of trust in God. Pilgrims carry in their hearts their faith, history, joys, anxieties, hopes, and particularly prayers. At shrines, we meet the tender love of the Father, who has mercy on all. And that mercy is so often made known to us through our Blessed Mother, Mary, who teaches us to welcome God in our lives.
~ Pope Francis
Mary, as a mother, knows how to place our needs before Jesus. Join a Pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines of Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy with Fr. Alexander Thomas on May 5 – 21, 2025.
Begin your pilgrimage with a Mass at Lisbon, Portugal’s Church of St. Anthony. In 1195, St. Anthony of Lisbon, also known as St. Anthony of Padua, was born on the spot where the Church of St. Anthony now stands. The Lisbon Cathedral, where St. Anthony was baptized, is located across from the church.
Next stop is Fatima, where you will stay at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima for two nights. The fame of this place is the result of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary to three shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta.
Journey on to Coimbra, the site of the Carmelite convent, where Sister Lucia, the last of the Fatima visionaries, lived and died. Head for Braga, the third largest city in Portugal. Visit the magnificent sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte (Shrine of Good Jesus on the Mountain), well-known for its intricate zigzag Baroque style staircase, about 600 steps, that leads up to the main basilica. Enjoy your two-night stay in Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not to be missed is your visit to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of the relics of St. James the Apostle, discovered in the ninth century.
Still in Spain, stop by the awe-inspiring Covadonga, home to the Santa Cueva de Nuestra Senora de Covadonga, where Our Lady of the Covadonga is enshrined. The next stop is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu, where St. Ignatius of Loyola spent a night in vigil and made his vow of chastity. For Ignatius, it was a time of great grace to strengthen his resolve to follow Christ.
Make your way to Lourdes, France, to spend two nights at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. Nestled in the majestic Pyrenees mountains, Lourdes is renowned for its breathtaking scenery and serene atmosphere. The sanctuary is the site of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary seen by Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, who was later canonized. Pray the rosary and spend time in quiet reflection at the Grotto of Massabielle, the Blessed Mother’s apparition site. Not to be missed is the evening rosary procession, where “Ave Maria” is sung in unison and the rosary is recited in different languages.
Enjoy a leisurely drive along the Mediterranean coastline of the French Riviera, where you will have an overnight stay in the elegant city of Nice. Continue with your pilgrimage to Assisi in Italy, hometown of Saints Francis and Clare. Assisi is a place where spirituality seamlessly blends with the natural beauty of the Italian landscape. Explore the quaint village where the spirit of St. Francis lingers by strolling along its narrow, cobblestoned alleys and sacred sites. See the breathtaking Basilica of San Francesco, which has been recognized as a masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Offer your intentions before the remains of St. Francis, which are kept in the basilica’s crypt.
Leave Assisi for Loreto to visit the Basilica of the Holy House, a shrine believed to be the house where our Blessed Mother was conceived and born and where the Holy Family lived.Head for Lanciano to visit the Church of St. Legontian, site of an eight-century Eucharistic Miracle. Journey on to San Giovanni Rotondo, where Padre Pio spent most of his life. Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Grace (Santa Maria delle Grazie), where Padre Pio used to say Mass and hear confessions. See also his cell, his confessional, and the crucifix from which he received his stigmata. Make your way to Manopello to visit and celebrate mass at the Santuario del Volto Santo (Shrine of the Holy Face), where a piece of linen cloth depicting the face of Jesus Christ is stored in the church.
Wind down your pilgrimage with a two-night stay in Rome, the heart and home of the Catholic Church. Dubbed the greatest open-air museum in Europe, Rome will steal your breath away. Head for the Vatican City and pass through the Holy Doors of the four Papal Basilicas: St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. John Lateran.
Visit and pray at different shrines dedicated to Our Lady, for it is Mary who shows us that being followers of Jesus always involves listening to His Word and meditating on it in our hearts. Join a Pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines of Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy with Fr. Alexander Thomas on May 5-21, 2025. May this pilgrimage help each pilgrim to be like Mary, to be listeners and doers of the Word.
Find time to immerse yourself in the BATHS in Lourdes, where water from a spring at the Grotto of Massabielle flows.
Light a candle and say a prayer for your loved ones on your visit to the churches and various holy shrines while on pilgrimage.
See the Eucharistic Miracle at Lanciano and believe that Jesus is truly present in the wine and host after the priest has blessed it during mass.
Shop for rosaries, medals, and other religious souvenir items while on pilgrimage, and let your pilgrimage chaplain bless them before heading home.
Find the time to go to confession during the pilgrimage, a requirement to obtain the plenary indulgence for the Jubilee Year.
Spiritually-focused journeys
Insightful pilgrimage chaplains
Quality accommodations
Expertly-crafted itineraries
Friendly and bonded groups
Senior citizen friendly
The whole pilgrimage is a new and fulfilling moment in my life. It’s a nice feeling being with the Lord in His important day. And also, gaining new friends and becoming my new extended family is something I will treasure. I hope that this is just the beginning and we’ll continue to get in touch with one another despite the distance.
Brenda
Hello Co-Pilgrims,
It was indeed a wonderful Pilgrimage: very rich in history, a thanksgiving of blessings, a spiritual renewal and nourishment, and finally ending in a test of Faith.
Thank you so much Pilgrim Leader, Ging Igual, for standing beside us up to the last stretch of our 13-day journey - more particularly in the handling of an unexpected situation (cancelled flight in Mexico and re-direction of flights to make sure the 38 Pilgrims reach LA for their respective flight bookings). Ging, you were an angel to us so blessed with energy, passion, love and Milagrosa. We really felt the presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe fielding angels every step of the way.
The Pilgrimage to California Mission Churches and Our Lady of Guadalupe gives me personal inspiration for the work and activities of the next chapter of my lifetime: farming with promotion of agriculture for millennials (inspired by the scenic view of farms in California), tourism (which is a major industry in all places we visited), and support for a favourite major seminary in Tagaytay and a scholarship fund for deserving individuals (thru a non stock non profit institution).
Thank you to my Co-Pilgrims and prayer partners for the prayer support, sharing of life experiences and friendships; Fr. Tony, thank you for your spiritual reflections and service; Fr. Jerry Orbos for an overflowing spiritual reflections and enabling us to have the needed personal encounter with Jesus and Mama Mary (it was like a 12-day Holy Retreat); and the Executive Resources for making a very nice pilgrimage package a part of our lifetime.
Ms. Emma
Lord, we cannot find words enough to say how grateful we are to You. Our pilgrimage made us realize that Your love for us is more than what we deserve.
To all our co-pilgrims, thank you for making us feel we belong to this new family. To Fr. Dante, thanks for your prayers and pieces of advice for our spiritual nourishment. To Sis Lea, for taking care of each one of us. To Sis Joy, thanks for the contagious joys and laughters.
To our prayer partners, Sis Maribel, Melvy and Didick and Bro Mon and Sis Jot, thank you for your prayers. We will pray for you, too!
To The Pilgrim’s Center - Executive Resources, thank you for accommodating us in this Eastern Europe Pilgrimage.
God bless us all always!
Albert and Adee
Dear Pilgrims' Center:
My husband Aldo & I would like to praise & commend our Pilgrim Chaplain Fr. Dante Venus & our Tour Leader Bro. Monty for the very successful & memorable pilgrimage to Italy & the Holy Land we were very fortunate to join on March 26-April 8, 2018.
It was very hectic to be sure, but still they managed our time very well that we were able to visit more places than was promised in the itinerary, and we are very appreciative of that. Likewise, the solemnity of the whole pilgrimage experience was still observed despite many of us in the group, myself included, often forgetting that we were pilgrims & not tourists 😉😉, taking photos, selfies, etc. instead of, or before focusing on what the local guide was explaining or on the scripture readings. I cannot fault us pilgrims on this because for many of us seniors, and I speak for my husband & I, that trip might be our first & last time to visit those places, so we made sure they were properly documented. Nonetheless, it was a truly spiritually uplifting & life-changing experience for us. We continue to thank our Lord for making that experience of a lifetime possible. Indeed, nothing is impossible for God! Thank you very much to Fr. Dante, Bro. Monty & to each of us pilgrims in the group for the prayers, love, care & concern shown to each other. Let us continue to pray for and with each other. It is my hope that we meet each other again soon, to strengthen our bonds of friendships.
Most sincerely, Leclec Cabusora
Leclec Cabusora
My husband and I just came back from a wonderful trip to Israel - with Franciscan Fr Reu Galoy. Thank you Pilgrim Center for the arrangements. We are so happy and satisfied with all that you have done for us. Kudos to Yanyan and Monty from Pilgrim Center, and Fr Reu and Ronin for your caring services. It was a spiritual journey and we felt the abiding presence of the Lord all throughout.
Ann Arguelles Cortes
Our pilgrimage was worth all the hardships (I was having leg pains). We had an excellent leader in the person of Adrian, two priests Fathers Val and Ron, who gave us very nice pieces of advice and homilies, and of course the members of the group who were all very nice. Looking forward to join another pilgrimage.
Emily Bautista
It was the most profound experience I had in my whole life....Walking with the Footsteps where Jesus walked made my life more grateful and humble....My faith become stronger as I express it...A growing faith is a sharing faith....TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!! SHALOM!
Carmen Nierra
Vir & I would like to express our gratitude for a wonderful pilgrimage we had from Sept 5-18. From checking-in last Sept 5 & all during the tour, we felt the care from a family. No words can ever describe how thankful we are.
I almost cried last Sept 8, (my birthday) when we (2 of us have the same birthday) were given a surprise mini celebration when after our dinner, we were given a cake. I really felt the love of a family then.
All these things made possible because of your capable coordinator Ms. Ging Igual. She's such a wonderful leader. Kudos to her.
Rest assured that i will refer your company to all my friends who are planning to go on pilgrimage .
Good day & may God always guide & protect all of you in the Pilgrims' Center/ Executive Resources, Inc.
Cora and Vir Franca
I am honored to be included in this pilgrimage. The Pilgrims' Center has very good itineraries worth remembering. No hours wasted. They took very good care of us in spite of our big number of 47 people. The daily mass and homilies of Fr. Manny Cruz held in different shrines and churches were very inspirational and transforming. Accommodations were nice most especially the one on top of the Mountain with an awesome view built in 1909. It's like travelling back in time. I definitely would want to do it again with Pilgrim Center.
Peter Joseph Mapua
The Pilgrims' Center always gives you the best. They let you feel like an Executive in terms of personal service & attention especially during pilgrimage. Their choices of pilgrimages and pilgrim chaplains are outstanding. You go back home very fulfilled and immersed...
Marlene Silvestre
with Fr. Godwin Tatlonghari
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