St. Monica Catholic Church • Indianapolis, Indiana
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are overjoyed to invite you to join us on this life-changing pilgrimage to Italy and Poland — from the heart of our Catholic faith in Rome, where the blood of martyrs became the seed of the Church, to the homeland of St. John Paul II and the birthplace of the Divine Mercy devotion. Together with Fr. John McCaslin and your fellow parishioners of St. Monica, you will walk in the footsteps of St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Carlo Acutis, and the Apostles Peter and Paul — and then stand where St. Faustina received the message of Divine Mercy, where a young Karol Wojtyła prayed every day, and where St. Maximilian Kolbe laid down his life for a stranger.
From the humble beauty of Assisi to the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica, from the sacred stairs Christ Himself ascended to the chapels carved from salt beneath the Polish earth, this pilgrimage will immerse you in two thousand years of faith made visible in stone, art, and sacrament.
With over 30 years of experience, Tekton Ministries guides Catholic pilgrims not as tourists collecting photos but as seekers encountering the living God. Every detail of this journey — from daily Mass at sacred sites to the carefully chosen reflections for each day — is designed to lead you deeper into relationship with Christ.
A pilgrimage is not a vacation with churches. It is one of the most ancient spiritual disciplines in the Christian tradition — a physical journey that mirrors the interior journey of the soul toward God. The difference between a tourist and a pilgrim is not the itinerary; it is the posture of the heart.
Italy and Poland together tell the story of the Church across two millennia. In Rome, Peter and Paul gave their lives for Christ; in Assisi, Francis stripped himself of worldly wealth and Carlo Acutis gave his short life to the Eucharist. In Poland, Faustina received the message of Divine Mercy, Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward at Auschwitz to take a stranger’s place, and a boy from Wadowice became the pope who told the world, “Be not afraid.” To walk these sacred places as a pilgrim is to let the faith of the saints become your own.
Before you leave, write down 3 to 5 specific intentions — a vice you want conquered, a person you need to forgive, a virtue you desperately need. Do not be vague. “Pray for my family” is a start; “Pray for my daughter’s return to the sacraments” is a pilgrimage intention. Carry these with you to every sacred site, and place them before the image of Divine Mercy at Łagiewniki.
Before departure, choose one or two saints whose sites you will visit — St. Francis, St. Carlo Acutis, St. John Paul II, St. Faustina — and read about their lives. Ask them to intercede for your intentions. When you stand where they stood, you will feel the communion of saints in a way no book can teach.
Our visit to Auschwitz is not a museum tour — it is an act of witness. The day will be heavy, and it should be. Let yourself feel the weight of it. Offer your sorrow as a prayer for all who suffered there, and recall that in the midst of that darkness, St. Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place.” This is what grace looks like in the face of evil.
Read about St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Carlo Acutis, then St. John Paul II, St. Faustina, and St. Maximilian Kolbe. Their lives will turn every shrine from history into encounter.
Arrive in a state of grace. Schedule Confession before departure and ask for a blessing for your pilgrimage journey.
“By A Different Way: A Catholic Guide to Pilgrim Spirituality” by Fr. Clinton Sensat.As an Amazon Associate, Tekton Ministries earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Fr. McCaslin and your fellow pilgrims will gather for Pilgrim Heart — A Pre-Pilgrimage Retreat (7 Sessions), preparing your heart for the journey long before you board the plane.
The Eucharist celebrated in the basilicas of Rome and the shrines of Poland is the heart of this pilgrimage.
Keep a small journal. Write what moved you, what surprised you, what challenged you.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet, especially at the 3 PM Hour of Mercy, is particularly powerful on this pilgrimage. Bring a chaplet.
Throughout this journey, we will pray for:
This pilgrimage is physically demanding with periods of extensive walking between basilicas, shrines, and holy sites. Days may begin early and end late, with little rest time at the hotel during the day. Terrain includes the cobblestone streets and hills of Assisi and Rome, extensive stairs (including the Scala Santa and the descent into the Wieliczka Salt Mine), and the roughly 2.5-mile walk among the chapels of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. Up to 5–6 miles (15,000 steps) per day. Please bring comfortable, broken-in walking shoes.
Our pilgrimage begins as we depart on our overnight flight to Rome. Meals and refreshments will be served aloft. Use this time of transition to begin setting your heart on what lies ahead — pray your intentions, read the preparation materials, and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to what He wishes to show you in the land of the saints.
The hilltop town of Assisi rising above the Umbrian countryside
After our arrival in the “Eternal City,” we will be met by our Italian Pilgrimage Manager at the airport and drive north through the beautiful Umbrian countryside to Assisi, a town which welcomes us in the spirit of Sts. Francis and Clare. We will visit St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, site of the Porziuncola, the tiny church in the woods where St. Francis began his ministry and where St. Clare was consecrated. Then we’ll continue on to our hotel to check in for dinner and overnight.
The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
We begin our day in the heart of Assisi at the Basilica of St. Francis, where we venerate this saint’s burial place. Continue to the Shrine of Renunciation within the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. This shrine was built to commemorate the spot where St. Francis renounced his wealth and family and began his life of poverty and service to the Lord. It is now where the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis lies. St. Carlo was recently canonized as the first Millennial Saint. He dedicated part of his short life to cataloging Eucharistic Miracles from around the world.
Afterwards we visit the Basilica of St. Clare, which holds the famous San Damiano Crucifix that spoke to St. Francis, and where the golden locks of St. Clare’s hair and St. Francis’s poor patched tunic are kept. We then depart for Rome where we will check into our hotel, our home for the next four nights.
The statue of St. Paul the Apostle before St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
Today we join thousands of pilgrims from around the world to be with the Holy Father at his Papal Audience at the Vatican. Always subject to the Holy Father’s schedule, this unique event lets us listen to his words and receive his blessing in person.
In the afternoon, travel to St. Paul Outside the Walls, originally built by Constantine in the fourth century over the site of St. Paul’s tomb. We then descend into the lives of the martyrs as we visit the Catacombs. Here Christians celebrated the Mass in secret and buried the martyrs, including several popes. We’ll return to our hotel with the balance of the day free, including dinner out on our own.
Bernini’s magnificent Baldacchino inside St. Peter’s Basilica
Our day today is filled with wonder and awe as we steep ourselves in the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica. We will see the life-like Pietà statue by Michelangelo, stunning paintings, and the chapel of Eucharistic Adoration renovated under the direction of St. John Paul II. Afterwards, journey to St. Mary Major where we venerate the crib of Christ, pray at the tomb of Pope Francis, view the famous icon attributed to St. Luke, and see inestimable artwork that makes Rome renowned throughout the world.
The balance of the day is free to explore on your own. Perhaps visit the Spanish Steps, a favorite people-watching site in Rome, throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain in hopes of returning to this glorious city, or return to a site we’ve already seen for more personal time. Afterwards, return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
The Scala Santa — the Holy Stairs Christ ascended at the palace of Pontius Pilate
After breakfast we head to the Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs, which are prayed by climbing them on your knees because they are so sacred. Christ walked on these 28 marble stairs at the home of Pontius Pilate to be condemned to death. For those who cannot climb the stairs on their knees, parallel stairs also lead up to the chapel. Our prayerful experience continues with a visit to St. John Lateran, the Mother Church of the Roman Catholic faithful and the oldest basilica in Europe.
The afternoon is yours to encounter more of the Eternal City. Options include the Colosseum, where early Christians were publicly executed for their faith, the Pantheon, a former temple to the pagan gods of Rome, made into a Catholic church dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs, or visiting the charming neighborhood of Trastevere, with medieval cobblestone streets and religious shrines decorating doorways. This evening return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Early this morning we make our way to the airport and catch our flight to Poland. Upon arrival in Kraków we will be met by our Polish Pilgrimage Manager, who will remain with us for the duration of our time in Poland. Kraków was, thankfully, largely untouched by World War II and is an important focal point of Polish Catholicism. Depending on arrival time, we will be free to explore the Old Town on our own before transferring to our hotel for check-in and dinner.
Wawel Cathedral on Wawel Hill — Poland’s second most important pilgrimage shrine
This morning we’ll explore Kraków’s magnificent Old Town and see the main Market Square, the Church of St. Mary, City Hall Tower, Kanonicza Street where Pope John Paul II resided while living in Kraków, and the courtyard of the Collegium Maius where he was a student. Afterwards, proceed to Wawel Hill and the Cathedral of St. Stanisław, Poland’s second most important pilgrimage shrine. We will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Following breakfast, we will travel to Auschwitz to pay respects at the remains of this Nazi concentration camp where over a million people were killed during World War II. Both St. Edith Stein and St. Maximilian Kolbe were sent here, along with hundreds of thousands of other innocent Jews, Christians, and Poles. Afterwards we return to Kraków and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring more of the Old Town on our own before we return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
St. Kinga’s Chapel in the Wieliczka Salt Mine — carved entirely from rock salt
We begin today with a drive to Wieliczka to visit one of the oldest salt mines in Europe, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground caverns including a rich interior of decorated chapels, some dating to the 17th century.
This afternoon we will experience a highlight of our pilgrimage when we travel to Łagiewniki, where Saint Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, lived and died. Enjoy a guided tour of the Divine Mercy Shrine and venerate the image of Divine Mercy and St. Faustina’s tomb. We will have some time for personal prayer and exploring the grounds. Afterwards, pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together by a relic of St. John Paul II in the “Have No Fear” center, reflecting on the Divine Mercy our Lord offers each one of us. Return to our hotel in Kraków for dinner.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska — one of St. John Paul II’s most beloved pilgrimage sites
Today we walk in St. John Paul II’s footsteps as we retrace much of his early life, beginning with his hometown of Wadowice where we visit the Gothic Basilica of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where he received Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. See the Baroque nave and the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in front of which the future saint prayed daily. Get to know the former Karol Wojtyła in a new way as we explore the museum located in his family home, containing relics of his youth and personal belongings from when he was a local priest.
Our next stop is a place that was one of John Paul’s favorite pilgrimage sites from his youth and young adult years, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. This unique location began in the 17th century, when the Palatine of Kraków founded a Bernardine Monastery and built a replica of the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The complex grew over the years to encompass replicas of the Tomb of Christ, the Mount of Olives, the Home of Caiaphas, and other sites in the Holy Land, to provide a place of more local pilgrimage for those who could not journey to Jerusalem. Today, 43 chapels and shrines honoring the Way of the Cross, the Mysteries of the Rosary, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary are scattered across the hills and valley over roughly 2.5 miles.
Afterwards, return to Kraków where we will gather for our farewell dinner at a local restaurant this evening.
Early this morning we transfer to the airport in Kraków to board our flight back to the U.S., taking with us the memories and graces from this blessed pilgrimage.
Like the Magi who “returned to their country by a different way,” we go home not merely as tourists with photographs, but as pilgrims carrying seeds of grace that will continue to bear fruit in our lives, our families, and our parish community at St. Monica. The poverty of St. Francis, the Eucharistic love of St. Carlo, the trust of St. Faustina, and the courage of St. John Paul II now live within us — calling us to deeper discipleship and bolder witness.
This pilgrimage is physically demanding with periods of extensive walking between basilicas, shrines, and holy sites. Days may begin early and end late, with little rest time at the hotel during the day. Terrain includes the cobblestone streets and hills of Assisi and Rome, extensive stairs (including the Scala Santa and the descent into the Wieliczka Salt Mine), and the roughly 2.5-mile walk among the chapels of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. Up to 5–6 miles (15,000 steps) per day. Please bring comfortable, broken-in walking shoes.
“To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendor and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”— Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
| Base price per person (double occupancy) | $4,695.00 |
| Air taxes / fuel surcharges | $708.53 |
| Total Per Person | $5,403.53 |
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Compare Plans & EnrollAverage conditions for late April and early May in Italy and Poland
Dress in layers. Modest attire is required at all sacred sites (shoulders and knees covered). Comfortable walking shoes are essential — the cobblestones of Rome and Kraków can be unforgiving.
“A tourist looks for souvenirs; a pilgrim looks for seeds of grace. The difference between the two determines whether your trip becomes a dusty photo album or a profound turning point in your life.”— “By A Different Way: A Catholic Guide to Pilgrim Spirituality”
A plain summary of what we will see and do each day. Mass locations are subject to availability and may be adjusted by our Pilgrimage Manager. For the full reflections and photographs, return to the main itinerary.