LOYOLA - PAMPLONA - XAVIER - MANRESA - MONTSERRAT
- BARCELONA - ROME
Travelling in the Footsteps of Ignatius the
Pilgrim, will give us an opportunity to focus on what made
the man tick , and why he developed a spirituality which has
stood the test of time. As well as travelling to some most
interesting and beautiful places in Europe we shall also be
concentrating upon how the upbringing of Ignatius affected
the Exercises and what later became known as Ignatian Spirituality.
In Rome we hope to have an expert in Ignatian Spirituality
consider how Ignatius himself lived the spirituality that
today we call Ignatian.
Day 1
Our arrival day, will be spent settling in to our accommodation.
Day
2
We shall visit the Santa Casa, the family
house of Iñigo. We shall also visit the Sanctuary and
the nearby town of Aspeitia to the church where Ignatius was
baptised.
Day 3
We travel to Javier the quiet and beautiful
village with its castle where St Francis Xavier was born.
Day 4
Our visit today will be to Azpeitia and the
shrine of Olaz
Day 5
Over the narrowest part of Spain from the Basque
area, briefly through a Spanish speaking area to Catalunia and
the banks of the Cardoner. The route is scenic and takes us
through Pamplona where the fateful canon ball struck Ignatius.
We shall stay in the Jesuit Spirituality Centre at Manresa.
The site overlooks the river Cardoner and the rugged crags of
Monserrat in the distance.
Day 6
A tour of the Ignatian sites of Manresa.
The Santa Cueva (Holy Cave)
The Hospital where he worked
and lived for some time,
and the great 'Seo' basilica.
We shall also visit the nuns at the convent
of Santa Clara where Ignatius used to go to hear the beautiful
singing of the office.
Day
7
We shall travel the short distance from Manresa to Montserrat
up the rack and pinion railway to see the Black Madonna and
hear the celebrated boys choir and to attend Mass with the monks.
Day 8
Ignatian Barcelona. With a visit to see the original sword left
at Montserrat, the magnificent church of Santa Maria del Mar
where Ignatius begged for biscuits and the old Cathedral and
centre and new Gaudí buildings.
Day 9
We leave Spain and travel to Rome.
We shall do a walking tour of Rome by night; along the
Tiber, visiting the famous Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza
Navono. We might squeeze time for a cappucino or ice cream.
Day 10
Members of the 2009 pilgrimage
chat with Fr Adolfo Nicholás, the Jesuit Superior General
on the roof of the Jesuit Curia.
We shall visit the Gesú and St Ignatius'
rooms attached to this famous church and celebrate Mass in his
small chapel.
Hopefully too we shall meet the Jesuit Superior
General Fr Adolfo Nicholás for a photograph on the room
of the Jesuit curia overlooking St Peter's.
We hope to get permission to take those who wish to see the
excavations under St Peter's.
Day 11
The afternoon will be free to see the sites. For those who
wish a walking tour to the Coliseum, forum and ancient Rome
will be offered.
Day 12
The morning will be taken up by a visit to
the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.
Day 13
Return to St Beuno's
ACCOMMODATION
All accommodation will be in single rooms, unless twin rooms
are requested, and most have en-suite facilities. 
TRANSPORT OVERLAND
will be by hired coach.
FOOD
In Spain we have booked full-board, in Italy half-board. Because
of itinerary sometimes it might be necessary to take a packed
lunch.
We cannot guarantee that all special diets can be catered for,
but we shall do our best. Please let us know well in advance
of any particular requirements.
ENTRANCE FEES
Included in the cost are entrance fees to the Holy House, Loyola,
Xavier Castle, the Vatican Museum and the Ignatian Rooms in
Rome. The excavation under St Peter's and any museums in Montserrat
or Barcelona are extra.
COST
£950 in single rooms, £910 each for two people in twin rooms
excluding airfares. Airfares will be payable at cost (about
£150 in 2009)
THE SMALL PRINT
Because of UK Civil Aviation Authority regulations,
St Beuno's does not offer a packaged tour, therefore flights
have to be charged directly to individual customers. So you
will be invoiced for the flight separately from the rest of
the programme. The costs of flights will be deducted from your
deposit. We shall book as a group.
INSURANCE: Travel and health insurance can
be provided via St Beuno's costing from £17. St Beuno's
can take no responsibility for theft or loss of property; and
we cannot pay medical expenses; neither can we be held responsible
for cancellation or delay for whatever reason by the airlines.
HEALTH CARD We recommend that EU travellers
carry the EU health card.
VISA REQUIREMENTS:
Both Italy and Spain are EU countries in the Schengen area.
It is likely that if you need a visa to get to the UK, then
you will need another one for this trip. One visa is sufficient
for both Spain and Italy, but it is advisable to apply to Spain
as the country of first entry and longest stay.
Exempt countries include: All of the European
Union, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei,
Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary,
Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania(1),
Salvador, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea,
Switzerland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela
Countries that do need visas are most of Africa, Philippines,
Russia. Prospective visitors from most of Asia and Africa will
find it difficult to get a visa from the Spanish Government,
don't assume you will get one and please allow up to 8 weeks
in your country for processing a visa. A single entry visa should
be sufficient for our trip. More
details on visas
