Medjugorje Pilgrimage & Rome Pilgrimage Tour

The pilgrimage was great. The pace in Rome was fast, and it required a lot of walking. The Medjugorje part of the trip was awesome. Catholic Journeys staff were excellent. The guides were excellent.  Rome bathrooms were fantastic and Hotel locations were excellent.  Breakfast at the Rome hotel was the best in my life! We had a great journey.

I am so glad that I went on this pilgrimage! I have wanted to go to Medjugorje since the late 1980’s. It truly is the most peaceful place on earth – far exceeding what I had expected.

Terry and De Paul Smith were very friendly and knowledgeable guides, as well as Marco, our local guide. Even though I knew no one when I signed up for the pilgrimage, everyone in my group was very friendly. The food at our hotel was amazing; everything was so fresh.

I was glad there was a zoom call a couple of weeks before in addition to the emails. I was grateful that flying out of Lincoln (LNK) was an option.

I thought the price was reasonable considering current airfares and inflation. There was plenty of food in the two meals if one didn’t want to purchase a third meal each day.
Thank you for making it a great experience.

It was an exciting journey to Rome and to finally be standing in front of the Vatican in St Peter’s Square! I was amazed by the art and architecture of past artists and could feel the presence of history and real holiness. We waited in anticipation to view the procession of Bishops, Cardinals and Pope Leo XIV. I felt blessed to be in an audience with people from all over the world as the Pope celebrated the Mass and provided His Papal Blessing.
In Medjugorje, I felt the authentic spirituality of the area. St James Church provides access to Masses in many languages, Adoration, Rosary and Confession on a daily basis. Their property not only contains the church, but also outside seating with two giant screens broadcasting whichever event is occurring.
I was taught practices vital to making my way to Heaven. The lore of the land, original buildings/churches and pathways to the sightings of the Blessed Virgin Mary were extraordinary! I loved the country setting and many walks among the villages and in the mountains.
Our guide, Dragon, provided us with the history of the region. He explained the vigilance of the Slavic Tribes against Communism and their dedication to prosperity.
Dragon also provided detailed information about the appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the recipients of the aspirations, instrumental Priests and how the various holy sights were created.
The Tatyana House was a perfect setting for our stay in Medjugorje. It provided close access for all the holy sights and churches. It was a clean, comfortable place with hosts who cooked homemade meals! I felt secure, satisfied and like part of a big family!
In closing, I commend Marcelle and Jacie for their ability to answer questions, check our enrollment process, Zoom Meeting, and encouraging words in the administrative process. Their efforts allowed me to look forward to the trip without anxiety!

We had a wonderful time but please note that if you arrive in Rome early you are unable to check into the hotel until 3pm. Rome was faced pace and crowded during the Jubilee but it was an experience to last a lifetime and we were able to enter through all the Holy Doors and see Pope Leo. Medjugorje was more relaxed and spiritual and truly an amazing place to journey to. It was a great experience. Our Guides were great, Hotels were great and Flights were great!

This pilgrimage was our first pilgrimage and didn’t exactly know what to expect aside from reading the itinerary and reading about Medjugorje. We were excited to join other pilgrims from other parts of the US on this pilgrimage.
First, we thank you for providing this opportunity to visit these 2 amazing places. Since it is our first time going to a pilgrimage, it was stress-free as we didn’t have to plan where and how to go anywhere, with the help of our guides.
Rome was very nice. But because Rome was very crowded due to the Jubilee, I felt more like a tourist than a pilgrim, except when we were at Mass with Fr. Tom, our priest accompanying us. The visit and Mass at the Catacombs was a big boost to our spiritual journey.
While in Rome, we were taken very well cared for by our guide Emiliano Palomba. His smiling face welcomed us at the airport and took us to the hotel. He even gave us a walking tour of the surrounding area on our first day. He has a very pleasant demeanor, always smiling and kind and very attentive to all of us. He never left us alone, always accompanied anyone who had to go to the bathrooms while we were waiting for the Pope at St, Peter’s Square. He is the PERFECT guide.He was on top of all our daily schedules. Made sure we all knew what we were doing and what time, where we’re going to meet, etc. He wrote a schedule in the hotel lobby, made sure to go over the schedule on the bus or before we ventured out, and sent it to the What’sApp group. No way to miss it or to not know about it. He was a perfect guide who took care of all of us. On top of that, he took care of our priest, Fr. Tom. He took us to the airport on the way to Split, all the way to our gate and counter before bidding goodbye.
Medjugorje is wonderful. I wish we stayed longer to truly experience the spiritual journey we were seeking. Our guide Marko gave us a brief history of the place while we were on the bus from the airport to the hotel. At that point, we were all very tired and sleepy.
At Medjugorje, we were given a schedule on the board at the lobby, for the activities that we did as a group, like walking to Church for the Mass, or to Apparition Hill or Cross Mountain. But other than that. We were on our own to follow the schedule at Medjugorje for the day. It was a complete opposite from our Rome pilgrimage where we did things together as a group and where our guide always took care of us. Most of us used the WhatsApp chat group to find out where everyone is, or where to find what. We went home on our own, either by cab or finding our way back by walking. But it was a very spiritual place.