OUR LADY OF THE ATONEMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Pilgrimage to Spain and France – Jan. 5-16, 2015
Monday, Jan. 5, 2015. Day 1: San Antonio to Madrid via Atlanta aboard Delta Airlines.
Day 2: MADRID. Approximate 8:30 a.m. arrival in Madrid. Morning sightseeing in Madrid,
including the world-class Museo Nacional Del Prado. There will be an afternoon excursion to the
Monastery and Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a World Heritage site. Mass will be offered
at a local church. Dinner and overnight in Madrid.
Day 3: MADRID/ ÁVILA/ SALAMANCA. Early morning drive to Ávila. (approx. 2 hour drive).
Visit the Monasterio de la Encarnación and the Convent of St. Teresa. Here, Teresa lived for 30 years,
and from where she put in place many of her reforms and had
mystical experiences. On the way to Salamanca, we will have a
stop at Alba de Tormes. Here, Teresa died at the convent she
founded. The Church of St. John of the Cross is here, too,
dedicated to the confessor of Teresa. There are interesting relics
here and the place for Mass. Continue to Salamanca (60 minutes
from Alba de Tormes). Afternoon sightseeing in Salamanca,
including the Old City, the “Old” Cathedral (12th C) and “New”
Cathedral (16th C.). Dinner and overnight in Salamanca.
The Old City of Salamanca was designated a World Heritage Site in 1988.
Day 4: SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Early morning drive to the place of the holiest shrine of Medieval Europe,
Santiago de Compostela, for a full day at the Cathedral and surrounding
town. We’ll have a special treat – the swinging of the Botafumeiro (the
giant censor), will be arranged for us. The Pilgrim Way of St. James was
traveled by hundreds of thousands of the faithful for many centuries, and
we will have a bit of a walk to remind ourselves of this devotional act which,
in some cases, took years to complete. Numerous emperors like
Charlemagne, popes like Calixtus II, kings like Alfonso II, brave knights like
the Spanish “El Cid” or the Knights Templar, noblemen, thousands of
priests, farmers, beggars, the sick, the blind, the lame, the rich, the
homeless; all of them were pilgrims to el Camino de Santiago. It will be a
highlight of our trip! We’ll have Mass, dinner and overnight in Santiago de
Compostela.
Day 5: LEÓN/ BURGOS. Depart for León (approx. 4 hours) where we will visit the magnificent
gothic Cathedral and have Mass. In 1188, the city hosted the first Parliament in European history as
part of the Kingdom of León. We continue on to Burgos (ca 3 hours), where we’ll visit the old town
and Cathedral of Our Lady, begun 1221, with spires completed in 1567, leaving it distinctly gothic in
style. It is the burial place of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (“El Cid”), and his wife Doña Jimena. The
Cathedrals of both León and Burgos were principle churches on the Way of St. James. Dinner and
overnight in Burgos.
Day 6: LOYOLA, SPAIN/ TOULOUSE, FRANCE. Depart for Toulouse, France (about 6 hours).
Before leaving Spain, we’ll stop at Loyola and visit the house where St. Ignatius was born. After being
seriously wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, Ignatius had a spiritual conversion after
experiencing a vision of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus at the shrine of Our Lady of Monserrat
in March 1522, where he laid down his military accouterments before the image. Then he led a period
of asceticism where he wrote his Spiritual Exercises before later founding the Society of Jesus. Mass
will be in the Chapel of the Conversion. Dinner and overnight in Toulouse, France.
Day 7: TOULOUSE/ LOURDES. Morning tour of Toulouse. This city has a long history; it was the
capital of the Visigoth Kingdom in the 5th C., and at the Battle of
Toulouse in 721, along with the Battle of Tours in 732, stopped the
Muslim conquest of Europe by the Umayyad Caliphate. We will give
thanks to God for our Catholic faith at the Basilica of St. Sernin,
(foundations 4th C.). Its importance increased enormously after
Charlemagne (r. 768-800) donated a quantity of relics to it, as a result
of which it became an important stop for pilgrims on the Way to
Santiago de Compostela, and a pilgrimage location in its own right.
We’ll also visit Notre-Dame de la Daurade (foundations 410AD) and
venerate the image of the Black Madonna, before travelling to Lourdes
(ca 2 ½ hours) for dinner and overnight.
Our Lady La Noire Shrine, Toulouse
Day 8: LOURDES. Lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains,
Lourdes is famous for the Marian apparitions which occurred in 1858 to
Bernadette Soubirous. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to this young girl
on a total of eighteen occasions, revealing herself as the “Immaculate
Conception.” Since then, Lourdes has become a major place of pilgrimage
and of miraculous healings. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected at
the site in 1864, and since then, an estimated 200 million people have visited
the shrine. The Catholic Church has officially recognized 69 healings
considered miraculous. Cures are examined using Church criteria for
authenticity and authentic miracle healing with no physical or psychological
basis other than the healing power of the water. Tours from all over the
world are organized to visit the Sanctuary. Connected with this pilgrimage is
often the consumption of or bathing in the Lourdes water which wells out of
the Grotto. We’ll have Mass here, offer a votive candle and we will have an individual opportunity to
spend time at all the shrines, including the Upper Church and the Rosary Basilica. The exterior facade
of the basilica has been modified in 2007 to include mosaics depicting the Luminous Mysteries, which
were added to the traditional fifteen by Pope St. John Paul II. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.
Day 9: CARCASSONNE/ BARCELONA. Morning departure for the fortified town and Citadel of
Carcassonne (ca 3 1/2 hours). Founded during the Gallo-Roman period, the citadel derives its
reputation from its 1.9 mile long double surrounding walls interspersed by 52 towers. The town has
about 2,500 years of history and has seen the Romans, Visigoths, Saracens and Crusaders. We’ll have
Mass inside the fortress walls of the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire (foundations
6th C., enlarged through 1330) and then continue to Barcelona (ca 3 1/2
hours) for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: BARCELONA/ MONSERRAT.
Morning sightseeing in
Barcelona including the entrance to Sagrada Família and the Barri Gòtic
(Catalan for “Gothic Quarter”) – the Centre of the old city of Barcelona.
Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as
the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Especially remarkable throughout the
city is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí. His best-known work is the
immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has
been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private
donations. Completion is planned for 2026. In the afternoon, we have a
special treat with a 30-mile excursion to Montserrat, where we will visit the Benedictine Abbey
housing the Shrine of the Virgin of Monserrat, located 4,055 ft. above the valley floor. We may be
privileged to hear L'Escolania de Montserrat, the boys of the choir school. Dinner and overnight in
Barcelona.
Day 11: ZARAGOZA/ MADRID. Morning departure to Zaragoza (ca 3 1/2 hours). Here we will
visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, praised as Mother of the Hispanic Peoples by St. John Paul
II. Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain attributing an
apparition to Saint James the Great, the apostle who is believed by tradition to have brought
Christianity to the region. Many of the kings of Spain, many other foreign rulers and saints have paid
their devotion before this statue of the Virgin Mary. Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Ávila,
and Saint Ignatius of Loyola are among the foremost ones. And so, we come full circle on the Pilgrim
Way of St. James. We will continue on to Madrid (ca 3 1/2 hours) for dinner and overnight when we
pack our bags for a return flight home.
Friday, Jan. 16. Day 12: Depart Madrid for San Antonio, via Atlanta. Approximate flight time is nine
hours to Atlanta. We have an excellent flight schedule both ways!
REGISTRATION: The price of $3,490.00 per person, double occupancy, covers roundtrip airfare
from San Antonio to and from Madrid, via Atlanta aboard Delta Airlines; daily breakfast and dinner,
first-class hotels throughout, portage for one suitcase, air-conditioned motor coach throughout Spain
and France, all entry fees to museum and special venues, airport and ticket taxes, and fuel surcharges.
The price does not include $150.00 in tips, per person. A Single supplement is $500.00. Please
read the fine print at the bottom of the registration form for important information.
Contact: www.AtonementOnline.com ● Deacon Orr at DnJames@AtonementOnline.com
A Pilgrimage to Spain and France -- Registration Form
Each person needs to fill out a separate form, even married couples traveling together.
Full name (as it appears on your passport*)
*The passport name and the name on the airline ticket must match exactly! Please do not use nicknames. You will not be
able to travel if these do not match! Please print.
____________________________________________________
Full name of the person travelling with you/or your rooming preference:
____________________________________________________
If you desire a separate room, and you are paying a single supplement of $500, please indicate this, by stating “I desire a
separate room.” -- __________________________________________. Please initial here ________.
Your home address:___________________________________________________________________.
Main email address: (Please print!)_________________________________________________________
Secondary email address: ________________________________________________________________
Your telephone numbers, with area codes: (Home) (
(Your Cell) (
) ___________________.
) ___________________. (Next of Kin Cell) (
) ___________________.
Your Passport Number: ___________________________________________
If you do not have a valid passport, you must obtain one. Please indicate here that you are applying for one: ___
Please note that a “valid passport” extends six months after you return to the States.
Valid Date of Passport Issue: ____________________ Date of Expiration: ______________________
Place the Passport was issued, (example: “Department of State”):_________________________________
Citizenship: ____ U.S.A. _____ Other (specify) __________________________________.
Your City and State of Birth: ________________________________________
Your birth date: (Day) _______ (Month) ___________________ (Year)____________
PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT!
Return this completed form with your deposit of $500.00 to: 15415 Red Robin Road, San Antonio, TX 78255 ¤ (210) 6952944 ph. (210) 695-9679 (fax), attention: Deacon Orr, or by email to DnJames@AtonementOnline.com. Please make
checks payable to “Our Lady’s Dowry,” and return to the above address, putting in the memo “Spain/France 2015.” Each
person is limited to one piece of checked luggage and one carry-on. Please consult the policy of Delta Airlines regarding
size and weight. The price of the trip is $3,490 per person, based on double occupancy. If you are requesting a single
room, please include $500 to secure that arrangement with registration. Tips of $150 per person are not included and
need to accompany the final payment by Nov. 10, 2014. There are no refunds after Nov. 21, 2014 on the airline portion of
your trip, and a penalty fee will be taken for the “land” portion upon cancelling after this date. If you are concerned about
your travel plans, we highly recommend taking out a travel insurance policy which may be purchased separately. Persons
are advised that this trip will involve a large amount of walking, and you should consider carefully your health situation
before travelling.