12 Days Poland and Prague Divine Mercy Tour - July 17-28, 2023 From Atlanta, GA (ATL) - Led by Dcn. Keith Kolodziej and Fr. David Dye

Day 1, July 17th, 2023 (Monday): Departure – Atlanta – Gdansk Poland

• Depart your overnight flight to Poland. Meals will be served on board!

Day 2, July 18th, 2023 (Tuesday): Gdansk arrival

• Arrive at Gdansk Airport by our scheduled flight and claim the luggage.
• Celebrate Mass at a local church (time permitting)
• Drive to the hotel for check-in. Welcome dinner and overnight at the hotel in Gdansk (D)

Day 3, July 19th, 2023 (Wednesday): Gdansk – Gdynia – Sopot - Gdansk

• Breakfast at the hotel. Begin the day with a Mass at a local church
• Have a half-day guided tour of Gdansk to include the Gothic majesty that is the St. Mary's Church (entrance included) – the largest brick church in the world. Proceed to the dark and threatening Jailing Tower before setting your feet upon the Royal Route. The Golden Gate and its proud statues and inscriptions, then we head down towards the water. German and Dutch-style townhouses flank you and hustle you towards the famed Neptune statue, a landmark here in Gdansk. Finally, get a feel for pre-war Gdansk on the charming and totally original Mariacka Street (known worldwide for its unique architecture) before completing your journey on Dlugie Pobrzeze, the street that runs alongside the calm Motlawa Canal
• Lunch on your own
• Arrive Gdynia for a panoramic tour with tour escort. Gdynia what was only a humble Kaszubian fishing village less than 100 years ago, has since become one of Poland's economic miracles. The rapid rise of Gdynia has resulted in a massive shipyard, a proud maritime university.
• Continue on to Sopot to include it’s ‘molo’ – wooden pier (entrance fee included) considered longest on the Baltic Sea.
• Drive back to Gdansk. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Gdansk (B, D)

Day 4, July 20th, 2023 (Thursday): Gdansk – Torun – Plock - Warsaw

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
• Drive to Torun. See the Torun Old Town, starting with the Leaning Tower, part of the city’s medieval walls. Left undamaged by World War II, the Old Town of Torun was inscribed by UNESCO in 1997 for its largely intact medieval street plan and outstanding buildings. (exterior visits)
• Lunch on your own
• Continue to Warsaw, stop in Plock to visit the convent where Sr. Faustina lived in 1931. It is here where Jesus appeared to her bringing the wonderful message of Mercy for all of mankind and asking her to “paint a picture according to the image that you see.” Faustina arranged to have the vision painted into the picture with the inscription “Jesus, I trust in You!”
• Continue to Warsaw, and on arrival celebrate Mass at the congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on Zytnia St., where St. Faustina first joined the order of nuns (subject to confirmation).
• Check into the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Warsaw (B, D)

Day 5, July 21st, 2023 (Friday): Warsaw

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Enjoy a guided city tour of Warsaw. Visit the bustling Old Town Square, where horse-drawn carriages carry visitors past beautifully rebuilt Baroque houses and Renaissance-style storefronts. Traditional Polish cafes and shops surround the square, which has been restored to its 13th-century charm. Walk past the Royal Castle, a magnificent example of baroque architecture, built on this site originally for the Mazovian Dukes and now, a museum housing furniture, and various objects of art. (exterior views)
• Lunch on your own
• Continue to the Popieluszko Museum at Stanislaw Kostka Church and view a special exhibit dedicated to Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko (entrance fee included). This priest was a great personality of the Catholic Church, and was killed by communists in 1984. In 1987, Saint John Paul II visited here to pray in front of Fr. Popieluszko's tomb.
• Celebrate Mass at Stanislaw Kostka Church (subject to confirmation).
• Later visit Warsaw Rising Museum (entrance included) – chronicling the events of the Warsaw Uprising that began on Aug 1st, 1944 - Using interactive displays featuring the weapons of the uprising, love letters, actual footage, and many other artifacts, relive this, one of the most harrowing events in Polish History in one of Poland’s most important museums.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Warsaw (B, D)

Day 6, July 22nd, 2023 (Saturday): Warsaw – Czestochowa – Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• Depart for Czestochowa
• Lunch on your own upon arrival
• Visit Jasna Gora (entrance fee included), the monastery that withstood the repeated onslaught of overwhelming Swedish Forces during the religious wars of the 17thcentury. Since then, its Black Madonna is venerated as the “Queen of Poland” and has become the country’s national symbol.
• Celebrate Mass at one of the Sanctuary’s chapels – subject to confirmation
• Continue to Krakow
• Check into the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 7, July 23rd, 2023 (Sunday): Krakow - Wieliczka Salt Mines – Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Wieliczka
• Enjoy a guided tour of the world-famous Wieliczka Salt Mine (entrance fee included). Known for its beautiful underground constructions made of salt, the mines include Biblical icons and a statue of Pope St. John Paul II. It is a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created chambers with richly decorated chapels.
• Lunch on your own
• Return to Krakow
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 8, July 24th, 2023 (Monday): Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel. Following breakfast, proceed to Wawel Hill to see Wawel Royal Castle (exterior view, free entrance to the patio) and visit the Cathedral (entrance included) which is one of the most beautiful Renaissance residences in central Europe. Continue to Krakow's Old Town to see the main Market Square, the Church of St. Mary (entrance included), Cloth Hall, City Hall Tower, Kanonicza Street where Pope St. John Paul II resided while living in Krakow, and the Collegium Maius (courtyard view) where he was a student.
• Celebrate Mass at St. Mary’s church (subject to confirmation)
• Enjoy lunch on your own in the center of Krakow
• Free evening to enjoy this magnificent city
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 9, July 25th, 2023 (Tuesday): Krakow - Lagiewniki (Divine Mercy) – Have No Fear Saint John Paul II Centre - Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Lagiewniki , the capital of the Divine Mercy. It was here that the message of the Divine Mercy originated, which Christ Himself wished to pass on to our generation through the mediation of St. Faustina. The Sanctuary houses grace working image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of St. Faustina. As we visit the Shrine of Divine Mercy we will see St. Faustina's convent chapel and her Tomb.
• Have a guided tour with one of the sisters
• Celebrate Mass at one of the chapels – subject to confirmation
• Visit the newly constructed Shrine of Divinity dedicated by Pope John Paul II on his last visit to Poland in 2002. We celebrate Mass at the Shrine before we visit the new center "Have no Fear" where we pray by the relic of Saint Pope John Paul II.
• Lunch on your own.
• Return to Krakow.
• Free afternoon at leisure.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 10, July 26th, 2023 (Wednesday): Krakow – Auschwitz – Wadowice - Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Auschwitz
• Visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp (guided tour included) where St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) faced martyrdom and St. Maximilian Kolbe died in the Death Block from starvation after volunteering his life for that of a fellow prisoner.
• Lunch on your own
• Then we will drive to Wadowice to visit the birthplace of Pope John Paul II and his childhood home which is now a museum (entrance fee included). and the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary where he was baptized.
• Celebrate Mass at the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (subject to confirmation)
• Return to Krakow
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 11, July 27th, 2023 (Thursday): Krakow – Zakopane – Krakow

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
• Transfer to Zakopane.
• Make our way to the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Fatima, a chapel constructed in 1999 in gratitude for Pope John Paul II’s survival of an assassination attempt.
• Celebrate Mass at the chapel (subject to confirmation)
• Lunch on your own
• Enjoy a funicular ride to the heights of Mt. Gubalowka (entrance fee included / subject to confirmation upon weather conditions) for a stunning view of the Tatra Mountains and the town of Zakopane.
• We have some free time for lunch and shopping at Krupowki Street in the local bazaar.
• Return to Krakow.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 12, July 28th, 2023 (Friday): Krakow  departure

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• Drive to Krakow Airport for your return flight. (B)

Attention: The schedule on this day is subject to change depending on flight details.