A Pilgrimage to
WORLD YOUTH DAY 2011 - MADRID, SPAIN
DESIGNED AND OPERATED BY CLUB EUROPA
13 Days including WYD 2011 plus Paris and Lourdes
It is not only Paris itself with its wonderful pilgrimage sites – the Basilicas and “La Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse” at Rue du Bac that makes us suggest this itinerary.
St Bernadette of Lourdes is greatly admired especially by young people, and the excursion to the place where she lived and became a lengend will be a true highlight.
This 13 day tour includes excursions to museums, castles, great cathedrals at Notre Dame, Lourdes and Madrid as well as the monuments in Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, and the Louvre. Our multi-lingual tour guides, will help you and your youth group truly experience the spiritual tradition and history of western europe.
Paris, Lourdes and Madrid ...
Day 1 - Aug 10 - Wednesday
Overnight transatlantic flight from the United States to Paris, France.
(in flight meals)
Day 2 - Aug 11 - Thursday
ARRIVAL at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport CDG.
Arrival and "meet and greet" by your multilingual CLUB EUROPA escort.
Private deluxe motorcoach for transfer to the city.
In case of early arrival: a lunch snack (soft drink, croissant, sandwich) will be included Panoramic sightseeing tour of Paris with local, licensed guide: we’ll see the Eiffel Tower, Arch of Triumph, Pompidou Center, Sorbonne University, the major museums, the Dome des Invalides (holding Napoleon’s tomb), etc....
Tour ends at hotel; Check in at hotel, time to relax and unwind.
Orientation meeting and welcome dinner.
 Dinner at hotel or local restaurant (included)
Overnight / PARIS
Day 3 - Aug 12 - Friday
PARIS and AREA
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning Sightseeing all of the famous sights of Paris are waiting for you: above all, plenty of time will be allowed for extensive visits of Notre Dame Cathedral and Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse at Rue du Bac.
Free time for lunch (on own).
A visit of one of the major museums (Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Rodin, Pompidou Center) is suggested for the afternoon. We suggest that you visit this unparalleled collection of fine arts.
Dinner at hotel or local restaurant (included)
Overnight / PARIS
Day 4 - Aug 13 - Saturday
PARIS > LOURDES
Breakfast at hotel.
Transfer from hotel to Gare de Lyon railway station.
Rail journey from Paris to Lourdes on the TGV superfast train,
(tickets 2nd class and seat reservations are included).
Private transfer in Lourdes from train station to hotel.
Check-in at hotel, time to relax and unwind.
Dinner at local restaurant (included).
Evening: participation in candlelight procession.
Overnight / LOURDES
 Day 5 - Aug 14 - Sunday
LOURDES
Breakfast at hotel.
After breakfast: local, licensed guide for sightseeing in Lourdes (walking tour!), including visits to Boly Mill (where Bernadette was born in 1844), Cachot Jail (where she lived), the Grotto of Massabielle (where the Blessed Virgin appeared to Bernadette), the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Upper Basilica), the Rosary Basilica, and the Basilica of St Pius X.
Free time for lunch (on own).
The afternoon is free for further sightseeing or other group and individual activities.
 If requested: a visit can be arranged to the village of BARTRES Bartres is situated 4 miles from Lourdes. It is a small village with an interesting parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist. Bernadette enjoyed coming to this church to pray.
- Twice in her life, Bernadette went to live with her foster mother Marie Lague at Bartres. The first time she was still a very young child, the second time she was thirteen years old.
- On her second stay, she was a worker on the farm and a shepherdess. Today in the picturesque village the places to see are the church, a sheepfold on the hillside where Bernadette tended to the sheep and a farmhouse; although not the original farm where she stayed, it has been furnished with artifacts from the period and with some of the original furniture.
Dinner at hotel or local restaurant is included.
Overnight / LOURDES
Day 6 - Aug 15 - Monday
LOURDES > MADRID
Early breakfast at hotel and early departure – it is a long journey!
Private deluxe motorcoach for transfer from Lourdes to Madrid.
Extensive stop in ZARAGOZA, visit of the city’s symbol and pride: the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, home of the ‘Virgen del Pilar’, patron saint of the entire Hispanic world!
Lunch in Zaragoza is on own.
Evening arrival in Madrid.
Dinner at hotel or local restaurant (included).
Overnight / MADRID
Days 7-13 - Aug 16 -21 Tuesday - Sunday
WORLD YOUTH DAY SESSIONS AND FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES
Theme: "Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (cf Col 2:7).
These days are kept free for the actual WORLD YOUTH DAY activities, beginning with the registration and opening Mass on August 16th, ending with final Mass in the presence of the Holy Father on August 21st. Daily breakfast at your hotel is included.
Day 7 - Aug 16 - Tuesday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
REGISTRATION DAY for World Youth Day
Lunch is on own
Afternoon: Opening Mass of Welcome with Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, the Archbishop of Madrid.
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
 Day 8 - Aug 17 - Wednesday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
The day is dedicated to World Youth Day activities
Lunch is on own
Morning: Catechesis, WYD Activities
Evening: Festivities and Holy Mass
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
Day 9 - Aug 18 - Thursday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
The day is dedicated to World Youth Day activities
Lunch is on own
Morning: Catechesis and Holy Mass
Afternoon: Welcoming Ceremony with the Holy Father
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
Day 10 - Aug 19 - Friday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
The day is dedicated to World Youth Day activities
Lunch is on own
Morning: Catechesis and Holy Mass
Evening: Way of the Cross
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
Day11 - Aug 20 - Saturday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
The day is dedicated to World Youth Day activities
Lunch is on own
Pilgrimage Walk and Ovenight Vigil with the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
Day 12 - Aug 21 - Sunday
MADRID
Breakfast at hotel
The day is dedicated to World Youth Day activities
Lunch is on own
Morning: Final Mass with the Holy Father and Eucharist takes place in Madrid at "Cuatro Vientos."
Dinner is on own or comes with your WYD “package”
Overnight / MADRID
Day 13 - Aug 22 - Monday
RETURN TO THE U.S.
Breakfast at hotel (in case of early departure this may not be a ‘full’ breakfast).
Services of private motorcoach for transfer from hotel to Madrid Barajas Airport Club Europa escort for transfer and check-in.
Return flight to the United States (inflight meals). |
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Paris, Lourdes and Madrid ...
The Paris, Lourdes, and Madrid churches, cathedrals and monuments have historical significance in the faith and devotion of Catholicism in Western Europe.
Two of Paris' most favorite sites for pilgrims are Notre Dame and he Basilica of the "Sacré Coeur".
Notre Dame's has been making history for a thousand years and longer.
In 1239, St. Louis brought the Crown of Thorns to the Cathedral. In 1430, Henri VI of England was crowned there. Mary Stuart, Queen of France was married to François II and crowned at Notre Dame. Napoleon crowned first himself, then Josephine at the chapel.
In this century, the Te Deum Mass celebrated the liberation of Paris there in 1944. In 1970, the Requiem Mass of General de Gaulle is held and in 1980, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in front of the Cathedral.
At 110 ft tall, Notre Dame was the first French cathedral built on a truly monumental scale. Its compact, cruciform plan, flying buttresses and vastly enlarged windows, made it the prototype for future French cathedrals.
The Basilique du Sacré Coeur is where the first martyrs of Paris met their death, and the site of a famous abbey of Benedictine nuns, visited by Saint Bernard, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, Berulle, Olier, Saint Theresa, Father de Foucauld, the poet Max Jacob, the painter Utrillo, Pius XII, and John XXIII.
The prayer of perpetual worship is the most important part of the life at the Basilica of the "Sacré Coeur". Chaplains and the Benedictine nuns of the Sacred Heart welcome pilgrims, the faithful and all who seek God.
The interior of the church contains one of the world's largest mosaics, and depicts Christ with outstretched arms. The bell in the tower is 19 tons, which makes it one of the heaviest in the world.
The Royal Palace of Madrid was built in the eighteenth century by order of Philip V, on an ancient fortress site, that had previously been a Muslim castle. Sachetti began the work in 1738, and it was completed in 1764. The base of the building is square with a large central courtyard.
The Principe (Prince) Doorway, on the east side of the building, leads to the central courtyard. The Sabatini gardens as well as the Campo del Moro (Moor's Field) are two other notable attractions of the Palace, along with all of its façades. There are conflicting views as to categorising it within a specific style, as some parts are more Baroque while others are Neoclassical - in essence depending on the architect.
The most outstanding of the inside rooms are Alabarderos Hall, Columnas (Columns) Hall, Espejos (Mirrors) Hall and the King Charles III of Spain's Room. Several of these rooms house paintings by Velazquez, Goya, Rubens, El Greco and Caravaggio.
The site on which Almudena Cathedral now stands was originally occupied by Madrid's first mosque, then by a church dedicated to one of Madrid's patron saints, Santa María de la Almudena.
In 1868, Madrid received permission from the archbishop of Toledo to construct a new church dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena. Construction began in 1883 based on a Neo-Gothic design. The first part to be 
completed was the crypt, which today still retains the 16th-century image of Madrid's patroness the Virgen de la Almudena. Construction on the cathedral progressed slowly and came to a complete halt during the civil war of the 1930s.
The process was picked up again in 1944, when a new architect introduced a Neoclassical style that would match the Royal Palace next door. Almudena Cathedral was completed in 1993 and consecrated by Pope John Paul II that same year; a statue of the pope in front of the cathedral commemorates the occasion.
These historical areas stand as foundation stones of the faith and truth for youth and elder alike.
Young Christians from around the world will be welcomed to Madrid Spain, in August 2011 for the 21th World Youth Day. They will participate in various papal activities and gatherings carrying on the special tradition in celebration of universal faith and fellowship.
Club Europa invites you and your youth group to participate in this wonderful pilgrimage.
