Rome Pilgrimage

Following on from the 5th Symposium, we are proposing a pilgrimage, animated by the Emmanuel Community, from the evening of 27 January – the afternoon of 31 January. 

Those who wish can discover Rome of the martyrs and the saints, and pray with the great missionaries – priests, bishops, or lay people – who have marked the history of the Church and of the mission.

In the steps of the saints : priests and lay missionaries in Rome

Proposed Programme (provisional)

Wednesday 27 January

Introduction to the pilgrimage, after dinner.

Thursday 28 January

Morning with Saint Peter, first pope, and martyr. Mass in the Vatican crypts. Prayer at the tomb of John Paul II. Visit St. Peter’s basilica, where we will pray before the tomb of Saint Peter, and the body of John XXIII; Adoration in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, in the heart of the Church. We shall also visit St. Peter's Square.

Afternoon with Saint Paul, apostle to the nations. Visit the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls. Pray at the abbey of Tre Fontane, place of Saint Paul’s martyrdom.

Morning: Discovering saints in the centre of Rome. After visiting the tomb of Saint Philip Neri at the Chiesa Nuova, we walk to the place where Saint Agnes was martyred in the Stadium of Domitian at Piazza Navona. At the church of Saint Augustine, we will pray near the relics of his mother, Saint Monica, and celebrate Mass. After a brief stop at the church of S. Louis de France, we go to the church of Saint Mary Magdalene, which is associated with Saint Camillo de Lellis. Passing by the Pantheon, we visit S. Maria sopra Minerva, where Saint Catherine of Siena and Blessed Fra Angelico are buried.

In the afternoon we go to the two Jesuit churches of S. Ignazio (also associated with Saints Aloysius Gonzaga, John Berghmans and Robert Bellarmine) and the Gesù (where Saint Ignatius Loyola is buried and where there is a relic of Saint Francis Xavier). We will visit the rooms where Saint Ignatius lived next door.

Morning: We first make a brief stop at S. Vitale, which was the parish church of Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quatrocchi, a married couple beatified by Pope John Paul II. From there we walk up Via dei Serpenti to S. Maria ai Monti to visit the tomb of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Passing by the Colosseum, we visit San Clemente, with the relics of Saint Cyril, patron of Europe and evangelist with his brother Methodius of the Slav peoples, and we explore the extensive archaeological remains from early Christian and ancient Rome under the present medieval church.

Afternoon: We visit the Lateran basilica, the cathedral of Rome. Mass today will be in the Lateran Baptistery, followed by a renewal of our baptismal vows. In the afternoon we go to San Salvatore in Onda, for Adoration and to visit the tomb of Saint Vincent Pallotti.

In the morning we celebrate Mass and visit the Catacombs of Priscilla, going from there to the church and tomb of Saint Agnes. 

In the afternoon there will be prayer at S. Maria-Maggiore and a visit of this important basilica. The pilgrimage will end at 4.00 pm, after prayer before the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at the church of S. Alfonso Liguori. 

Further information : contact the Pilgrimage Organisers