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In celebration of the Jubilee Year, the Apostles of the Interior Life will be guiding a special pilgrimage for young men & women (ages 20-30).

May 14-26, 2025

Registration is now closed

“A tourist travels distances to be greatly informed; a pilgrim is called to journey forth and be transformed!” 

Rome

The year to visit the Eternal City is during a Jubilee Year. Walk through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica to receive special graces for your discipleship journey. Pray at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. See the Pope and visit numerous holy and historical sites.

Assisi

Visit the medieval gem where St. Francis and St. Clare received their call from God to found the Franciscan Order and Poor Clares. Take a day retreat in the peaceful city of Assisi as you pray in the same places St. Francis & Clare prayed. 

Turin

In the summer of his canonization, visit Pier Giorgio’s stomping grounds and pray at his tomb. Turin also was the home of Don Bosco. The Shroud of Turin is also kept in the Basilica and it may be open for viewing in the Jubilee Year.

Varese

An Italian trip wouldn’t be complete without an experience of the people. Stay with a host family in the hometown of 4 AVI Sisters as you learn more closely what the Italian culture is like.

A more detailed itinerary

The itinerary plans are as follows but may be subject to change due to ongoing organization that will carry out in the months ahead. Let’s say these are our hopes of what we will be able to do in those days! 
Day 1 – May 14th – Travel day to Rome
Flights to Rome. Remember that everyone is responsible for getting their own ticket. The bonus with this is that you could consider traveling to other places before or after the days of the pilgrimage with us.
Day 2 – May 15th – Rome 
Arrive in Rome in the morning.
Visits to St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica, bus tour to see historic Rome around the Colosseum area.
Day 3 – May 16th – Rome 
Vatican City Day – in particular, St. Peter’s Basilica.
Day 4 – May 17th – Rome 
St. John Lateran Basilica, Holy Stairs
Afternoon – Choose your own adventure among the possible four options:
1) St. Lawrence Basilica where St. Lawrence is buried and nearby Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo
2) Downtown Rome Churches where you pray at the tombs or relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Monica and more.
3) Dominican adventure with our Dominican chaplain, Fr. Greg Dunn!
4) St. Cecilia Church (where she is buried) in famous historic neighborhood of Trastevere
* These ideas still need to be worked out – but I think this list gives you a good idea of what there is to see in Rome.
Day 5 – May 18th – Rome 
St. Mary Major’s Basilica and House Church (Church of one of the first Christian communities in Rome where many martyrs are buried)
Angelus with the Pope
Days 6 & 7 – May 19th & 20th – Assisi 
St. Francis Basilica, St. Clare Basilica, Church which holds the Portiuncula Chapel, Church which holds the body of Blessed Carlo Acutis, Hermitage of St. Francis
Days 8 & 9 – May 21st &22nd – Turin 
Visit the sites relative to St. John Bosco and the Cathedral where the Shroud of Turin is located along with the body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Day 10 – May 23rd – Pollone and Mesero
Visit the house of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and sites relative to St. Gianna Beretta Molla, also where she is buried.
Days 11 & 12 – May 24th & 25th 
Days in Northern Italy with a fuller immersion in Italian culture with the Italian people. Visit Lake Maggiore and the Holy Mountain Shrine. We will visit sites relative to St. Charles Borromeo.
Day 13 – May 26th – Travel day from Milan 
Flights from Milan to go back to the States. You can also choose to travel onwards to other places in Italy or European countries by train or by air.

Cost: $1,975

Does not include the cost of the flight. Each pilgrim will be independent in buying flights so that each person can find the best deal that works for them. This also can allow for additional travel on your own before or after the pilgrimage. This trip is meant to be very affordable for young adults. The average price of land-only pilgrimages in Italy for the Jubilee ranges from $3,500-$4,000 depending on the itinerary. The cost of our pilgrimage includes room and board (breakfast and one other meal per day), bus travel, and guided tours for a 11-day stay in Italy.

Any questions? Email us at pilgrimage2025@apostlesofil.com

$475 deposit due upon registration. The rest of the payment $1,500 -due on February 1, 2025.

Waitlist for pilgrimage

Testimonials from previous participants on AVI young adult pilgrimages

 “The most impactful grace of the pilgrimage was the opportunity to tangibly encounter the Mystical Body of Christ in so many ways… and all at the same time. Almost every day at Mass, we could hear Jesus in the Gospel, receive Him in the Eucharist, give the sign of peace to each other – the mystical members of His Body – all just yards away from the graves of His saints, the members that have gone on before us. The sense of communion was so real. It was moving to see just how near Christ can make himself to us.”

– Grant 

“What a gift to share together the beauty of the Catholic faith and the universality of the Church. Spending time with the Community in Induno was such a bonding experience for all of us. We were able to witness Christ not only in the beautiful churches that we saw throughout all of Italy, but in the people we encountered in this town as they opened up their homes to share their joy and generosity with us.”

– Shannon 

“Walking in the footsteps of saints gave me a great but simple realization. Learning about their lives, there was a common theme between them all. No matter the circumstance, they continued to say ‘yes’ to God. They struggled, like we all do, but what made them a saint was saying ‘yes’ from the little to big asking’s. This realization made the answer to sainthood so real to me: just say ‘yes’ and God will take care of the rest…I do not believe I have ever felt more like God’s daughter than I do now thanks to the pilgrimage to Italy.”

– Alyssa

 

Meet the Pilgrimage Team

Sr. Tatum McWhirter

Sr. Tatum McWhirter

Coordinator of registration & of the time we are in Rome

Amount of time you have spent in Italy: 7 years

What is your current assignment?
I serve the community in various ways, but one way is through event coordinating and exploring new ways to share our charism and ministry outside of our presence at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, TX. Hence, doing this pilgrimage with the hopes that it can represent young people from many places.
What are you most looking forward to about the pilgrimage? 
Receiving the graces of the Jubilee Year, in particular by going through the Jubilee “Holy Doors” of the Major Basilicas in Rome. My hope is that everyone can entrust their vocations to Jesus, Mary, and the Saints and thus receive many graces for whatever journey lies ahead!
What Italian phrase do you think would be helpful to learn in preparation for this pilgrimage? Grazie mille (Thanks a thousand, literally). Prego (You’re welcome).
Sr. Elena Morcelli

Sr. Elena Morcelli

Coordinator for the part in Northern Italy

Amount of time you have spent in Italy:

Well, it is hard to count. I was born in Italy, indeed I am a true native!
What is your current assignment?
After 19 years of service on campus at KU and Texas A&M I am currently in Rome, helping with the programs for the young adults in Italy.
What are you most looking forward to about the pilgrimage? 
As an Italian I can’t wait to “show off ” the beauty of our country, not just Rome or Assisi but the north with its natural beauty of the Lakes and shrines and let you experience life in hosting family there for two days and see from within how Italians live life!
What Italian phrase do you think would be helpful to learn in preparation for this pilgrimage? E’ stato un piacere conoscervi (It was wonderful to get to know you!)
Sr. Cherise Klekar

Sr. Cherise Klekar

Coordinator for the part in Assisi

Amount of time you have spent in Italy: 6 years
What is your current assignment?
I am currently living in College Station, TX where I walk with college students in their faith journey by serving in campus ministry at St. Mary’s Catholic Center.
What are you most looking forward to about the pilgrimage? 
I am most looking forward to our time in Assisi, that peaceful Italian countryside which gave life to so many saints, from Saint Francis to Blessed Carlo Acutis. One of my favorite things to do there is hike up to the Franciscan Hermitage and pray in the same small caves that Saint Francis himself prayed in back in the 1200s.
What Italian phrase do you think would be helpful to learn in preparation for this pilgrimage? 
Mi scusi. (excuse me – formal tense)…it will come in handy when we are trekking through crowded streets in Rome and might accidentally bump into somebody or simply need to kindly make our way through!
Sr. Kate Cropp

Sr. Kate Cropp

Coordinator for the part in Turin

Amount of time you have spent in Italy: 5 years
What is your current assignment? 
I am doing ministry in Rome where I lead a youth group and collaborate with various parishes and their young people!
What are you most looking forward to about the pilgrimage?
I received so much from when I went on my own pilgrimage with the AVI in 2017 and I can’t wait to help provide the same experience all those who want to come and encounter the Church in a new way. I am really looking forward to going to the Turin, where the tomb of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is located. I’m excited to walk the same streets as he did, and to see the mountains he saw that helped him fall so in love with our Lord.
What Italian phrase do you think would be helpful to learn in preparation for this pilgrimage?
Dov’è il bagno? (Where’s the bathroom?)

Fr. Greg Dunn, O.P.

Chaplain

Amount of time you have spent in Italy: I am excited to be travelling to Italy for…the first time!
What is your current assignment: I am a Dominican friar and serve as the chaplain of the Raider Catholic student center in Lubbock, TX.
What are you most looking forward to about the pilgrimage? 
I met the Apostles of the Interior Life when I was a student at Texas A&M, and so I am looking forward to being with them on this Pilgrimage!
When I read through the itinerary of what we have planned, I am just ready to go!
I hope this pilgrimage will be a deep encounter with the Lord for all who are part of it.
Also, I love (almost Saint) Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, and am looking forward to visiting the places where he lived and served with such joy.
What Italian phrase do you think would be helpful to learn in preparation for this pilgrimage?
Well, when I was a freshman at A&M the Sisters taught me the phrase “Ciaody”…which is the combination of the word “Ciao” and “Howdy”!

The pilgrimage team is available to answer your questions at

 pilgrimage2025@apostlesofil.com

“Do not be like superficial sightseers, blind to the beauty around you, never discovering the meaning of the roads you take, interested only in a few fleeting moments to capture in a selfie. Tourists do this. Pilgrims, on the other hand, immerse themselves fully in the places they encounter, listen to the message they communicate and make them a part of their quest for happiness and fulfillment. The jubilee pilgrimage is meant to be the outward sign of an inward journey that all of us are called to make toward our final destination.”

Pope Francis

The Pope’s Prayer for this Jubilee Year: 

Father in heaven, 
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread 
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen

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