Today begins our adventure! You will make your way to your local airport where you will board your flight. Upon arrival in Boston, you will be met by the 206 Tours representative and transfer to your hotel. You have some free time before we visit the Saint Clement Eucharistic Shrine. Staffed by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMV), this is the focal Eucharistic Shrine of the Archdiocese of Boston and home to Our Lady of Grace Seminary. The Oblates, whose name means “offering”, were founded in early 1816 by the Venerable Fr. Pio Bruno Lanteri. From Northern Italy, he insisted that the Virgin Mary is the Foundress of the Congregation and is famous for saying “Even if I should fall a thousand times a day, a thousand times I will get up again, and say Nunc Coepi – Now I begin!” This evening you will enjoy a “Welcome Drink Reception” followed by dinner. Overnight Boston.

Following breakfast, we will visit The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy run by the Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. Consisting of 375 acres of land nestled in the beautiful Berkshire hills, the property is called “Eden Hill” because of its natural beauty. You will explore the grounds of the Shrine including the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine, the Shrine of the Holy Innocents, the life-size Stations of the Cross, The Holy Family Shrine and the Lourdes Grotto/ Immaculate Conception Candle Shrine. Thousands of pilgrims visit the National Shrine each year to encounter the message of Divine Mercy. At the 3:00 hour we will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the Shrine. Arrive at your hotel in time for our group dinner and overnight Stockbridge.

Today is a free day in Stockbridge to head back to the shrine for more prayer time, visit the Norman Rockwell museum, visit the beautiful Berkshire Botanical Gardens or any of the other local attractions. Group dinner and overnight Stockbridge.

Very early this morning after breakfast we will make our way to Baltimore. We’ll have a guided tour of the Basilica of the Assumption – America’s first cathedral also called the Baltimore Basilica. It was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States and is among the first major religious buildings constructed in the nation after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. We visit St. Mary’s Spiritual Center, which is housed in a three-story, Federal-style building that once served as the convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence, who worked at the seminary. Since 1791 the site has continued its rich tradition of ongoing spiritual and intellectual growth and development. Next, we celebrate Mass and after lunch on your own, we continue our tour to the home of Elizabeth Ann Seton and Shrine of St. Jude. Next, we explore St. Mary’s seminary. This was the first seminary founded in the United States of America after the Revolution. We continue to Washington DC, where we reside for the next three days. Dinner and overnight.

Gathering in the lobby of the hotel after breakfast, we start our day with a visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica. The Knights of Columbus has had a close relationship with the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception throughout the shrine’s history. The 329-foot bell tower is dubbed the “Knights’ Tower”, The Our Lady of Africa Chapel’s construction was funded by the Knights and a stained-glass window of Father Michael J. McGivney located in the Crypt Church sacristy. The Trinity Dome mosaic, the final stage of the architectural and iconographic plan for the basilica, was completed, thanks in part to the Order’s financial support of more than $1 million. There is an option to have lunch in the cafeteria at the Basilica. From there, you will have the remainder of the day free to spend however you wish. We will meet back at the hotel in the evening for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we will gather in the hotel lobby after breakfast. We participate in a public Mass, followed by a visit to the St. John Paul II National Shrine. From its conception, the Shrine was intended as a response to St. John Paul II’s call for a “New Evangelization”, which was repeated by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. It is meant to be a place of genuine encounter with God that leads to a renewal of individuals, families, societies, and cultures – a place where God, who “entered history” (John Paul II, Homily, December 24th, 1999), heals and renews every dimension of human life. Through liturgy, prayer, art, cultural events, and religious celebrations, you can enter into the patron’s deep love for God, and for man. The major, and permanent, exhibit highlights significant events in the life of Pope John Paul II and his momentous influence as the spiritual father of one (1) billion Catholics and as a world leader. The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is a major pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, a lay Catholic family organization with nearly two million members around the world. Faithful to continuing the mission and legacy of Pope John Paul II, the Knights in 2011 established a shrine to him in the nation’s capital. After five years of construction and the canonization of its patron, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims annually. The Shrine also hosts talks, days of reflection, special devotions, and other events to feed the minds and souls of its visitors. It is the Knights’ hope that this initiative will serve the life of the Church in the United States and will thus bear abundant fruit for the Universal Church and for the world. You will have the remainder of the day free to spend however you wish. Dinner at the hotel and overnight.

After breakfast, we make our way to The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America. Located on a hill called Mount Saint Sepulcher and anchored by the Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulcher, it includes gardens and replicas of various shrines throughout Israel. A replica of the catacombs in Rome, an archive, a library, as well as bones of Saint Benignus of Armagh, brought from the Roman catacombs and originally in the Cathedral of Narni, Italy. The remainder of the day is free to do as you wish. Based on individual arrangements, you may visit The Bible Museum and other Smithsonian museums. Gather back at the hotel for dinner and relax for the rest of the evening. You will have plenty of time to pack your luggage and prepare for departure the next day. Group farewell dinner. Overnight Washington.

Enjoy Breakfast in the morning, followed by a farewell Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary in the Old Town of Alexandria. Founded in 1795, the Basilica is the first Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia and West Virginia. President George Washington made the first contribution for the creation of the Catholic Parish. With heartfelt farewells to your fellow pilgrims, you will be dropped at the airport for your afternoon return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of places to be visited. Occasionally local religious holidays, national days, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of visits or the missing of certain visits.