Pilgrimage to the Holy Sites in Italy

The West Catholic Pilgrimage to the Holy Sites of Italy strives to immerse our students (juniors and seniors) in a lived experience of their education and faith, preparing them for the next stage of their lives. Over the course of nine days, students and chaperones visit the eternal city of Rome, walk the streets of Assisi and attend a Papal Audience with the Holy Father. Along the way, they tour holy sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilicas of St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi, the catacombs, and the Vatican Museums while enjoying the best Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.

June 15-23, 2023
Cost: $3,800 (all inclusive)

Questions? Contact Jeanne Walch at [email protected] or Roots in Rome at [email protected].

Terms & Conditions

Registration Form

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 & 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Saturday

Depart Grand Rapids for Rome

Sunday

Land in Rome
Angelus with Pope Francis
Mass at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist of the Florentines
Explore Rome

Monday

Scala Coeli (where St. Paul was imprisoned in Rome)
Tre Fontane (where St. Paul was beheaded; in 2019, West Catholic pilgrims had the rare opportunity to touch the pillar on which he was beheaded as part of their veneration)
St. Paul Outside the Walls
Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (home to relics of the true cross, crown of thorns, nails of the crucifixion, the Holy Sepulcher and St. Thomas the Apostle)
Sancta Scala (steps from Pontius Pilate’s praetorium where Jesus walked and bled on his way to judgment)
St. John Lateran

Tuesday

Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica
The cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica
Tour and exploration of St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican Museum
Sistine Chapel

Wednesday

Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica
Papal Audience with Pope Francis
Sant’Andrea delle Fratte (Church of the Miraculous Medal)
Spanish Steps
Chiesa di Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola
Pantheon
Sancta Maria ad Martyres (St. Mary and the Martyrs)
Piazza Novona
Sant’Agnese in Agone

Thursday

Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica
Orvieto (including the magnificent Il’ Duomo)
The Dying City of Civita
Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi (including the Portiuncula of St. Francis of Assisi)

Friday

Mass on the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi
Tour of the Basilicas of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare (includes the Cross of St. Dominic)
St. Francis of Assisi’s home
Eremo (St. Francis’ mountain-top hermitage)