John Paul the Great Italy – August 2025

Pilgrimage to Italy

Trip Date:
Aug 6, 2025
- Aug 15, 2025
Group Type
Private
Activity Level
Difficult
Price
From $4,840
Hosted by
St. John Paul the Great HS

Trip Overview

Join St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School and Verso Ministries to experience the richness of life and the beauty of the Catholic Church. Intentionally handcrafted with an eye towards the Dominican presence in Italy, the journey will take you exploring the sacred sites of Rome, Orvieto, and Assisi. This pilgrimage offers inspiring encounters with the Pope, enriching walks through history, and a taste of Italian cuisine and hospitality.

What’s Included?

  • Local, licensed tour guide(s)
  • Round-trip airfare
  • Airport and hotel transfers
  • Private transportation on motor coach
  • All tickets and donations for included activities listed on itinerary
  • Simple accommodations in double, triple, or quad-occupancy rooms
  • Daily Mass
  • Gratuities for guide(s), driver(s), hotel staff, and meals
  • Meals as indicated on itinerary
  • Verso pilgrimage booklets and pilgrim kits
  • Audio headsets
  • John Paul the Great shirts & waterbottles

Itinerary

August 6, 2025
  • Depart U.S. on a group flight from Washington Dulles International Airport
August 7, 2025
  • Arrive in at Rome Fiumicino Airport and transfer to hotel
  • Welcome Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls
  • Welcome Dinner in a local restaurant
  • Overnight in Rome
  • Accommodations: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Meals included: Dinner
August 8, 2025
  • Mass in the Crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a tour of the Basilica (including the tomb of Pope St. John Paul II) and time for personal prayer
  • Free time for lunch and exploring Vatican City
  • Scavi Tour underneath St. Peter’s Basilica, with the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. Peter (pending availability)
  • Dinner in a local restaurant
  • Overnight in Rome
  • Accommodations: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Meals included: Breakfast
August 9, 2025
  • Visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme to see and pray with the relics from Christ’s Passion
  • Pray on the Holy Stairs that Christ climbed on his way to his trial, brought to Rome from Jerusalem by St. Helena
  • Visit to the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and where a relic of the table of the Last Supper is held
  • Group lunch in a local restaurant
  • Tour of the Basilica of San Clemente, run by the Irish Dominicans, including the ancient excavations beneath the modern church
  • Mass at San Clemente
  • Free evening to explore Rome and dinner on your own
  • Overnight in Rome
  • Accommodations: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
August 10, 2025
  • Free morning in Rome
  • Pray the Angelus with the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Square (pending Holy Father’s travel schedule)
  • Mass at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena is, followed by free time to explore center city churches and sites, such as the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, San Luigi dei Francesi, the Gesù, and more
  • Group dinner in a local restaurant
  • Overnight in Rome
  • Accommodations: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
August 11, 2025
  • Mass at the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, followed by a tour of the catacombs
  • Visit to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominican Order
  • Group lunch in a local restaurant
  • Visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which holds a relic of the manger, followed by a stop at the Angelicum
  • Free evening to explore Rome and enjoy dinner on your own
  • Overnight in Rome
  • Accommodations: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
August 12, 2025
  • Early morning entrance to the Vatican Museums
  • After lunch on your own, depart by bus for Assisi
  • Visit to St. Mary of the Angels and the Porziuncola, with Mass
  • Check in and dinner at hotel in Assisi
  • Overnight in Assisi
  • Accommodations: Monastero Santa Colette or similar
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
August 13, 2025
  • Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis
  • Guided tour of the Old City of Assisi, including the Basilica of St. Francis and Basilica of St. Clare
  • Group lunch in a local restaurant
  • Free afternoon in Assisi to explore the peaceful medieval town and visit Santa Maria Maggiore and the tomb of Bl. Carlo Acutis, San Damiano Monastery, the Cathedral of San Rufino, Chiesa Nuova, or the fortress of Rocca Maggiore
  • Dinner on your own
  • Overnight in Assisi
  • Accommodations: Monastero Santa Colette or similar
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
August 14, 2025
  • Depart Assisi for Orvieto, and visit the Church of San Domenico, where St. Thomas Aquinas lived from 1263-1264
  • Celebrate Mass at the Duomo in Orvieto, the majestic Basilica housing the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena, which was the inspiration for Thomas Aquinas’s Eucharistic hymns
  • Conclude the pilgrimage with a Farewell Dinner
  • Overnight in Rome near the Airport
  • Accommodations: Hotel Isola Sacra or similar
  • Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
August 15, 2025
  • Transfer to the airport and depart Rome on a group flight
  • Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodations

Standard Accommodations

  • Rome: Casa Ravasco San Pietro
  • Assisi: Monsstero Santa Colette
  • Rome (Fiumicino) Hotel Isola Sacra

Pricing

Package Cost
$4,840

Optional Add-ons

Single room supplement (limited availability)
$621/person
Chaperone Package
Please see Fr. Tipton
Travel protection
Quotation provided upon request*

Pricing listed per person in double, triple, or quad-occupancy rooms and does not include airfare.
The number of available single-occupancy rooms is limited.

*Travel protection premium is calculated based on a variety of factors and optional plans are provided by Travel Insured International”

Please see Fr. Tipton for pricing if you are a chaperone.

Rates assume a minimum of 20 full-paying pilgrims.

More Details

  • Verso Pilgrimage Director (included if group is 40 pilgrims or larger)
  • Passport, visa, or luggage fees
  • Any personal purchases
  • Any meals not indicated on itinerary
  • Any required COVID tests or vaccinations
  • Recommended travel protection with Cancel for Any Reason coverage
  • Anything else not explicitly mentioned as included

Payment Schedule 

  • Deposit due upon registration – $375/person
  • Payment due 180 days prior to departure – $1,000/person
  • Final balance due 120 days prior to departure – Final balance

As part of the Explorer Package, Verso Ministries only collects payments from the group leader/organization. All pilgrims should pay the group leader/organization, who in turn will pay Verso. To secure your space, Verso requires a group deposit, payable by the group leader/organization. This deposit is applied to the group invoice for the contracted number of pilgrims.

All final balances are due 120 days before departure. Group payments can be made by check or bank transfer (note: for bank transfer, payment fees apply).

 

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation fees apply to organizing groups if the original number of pilgrims is reduced below the contracted amount at the rate of the group deposit multiplied by the number of pilgrims reduced. Verso will assess this fee at the 120 day payment deadline. If the group chooses to cancel its pilgrimage in its entirety, Verso Ministries retains the group deposit and will provide any eligible refunds, depending on when cancellation by the group occurs. If an individual pilgrim chooses to cancel from the pilgrimage, the refund amount will depend on when the pilgrim cancels and is subject to the cancellation schedule below.

All cancellations of individual pilgrims must be made in writing (email or letter) to Verso Ministries. Individual pilgrims should cancel with their group leaders, who are then responsible for notifying Verso Ministries in writing (email or letter). Cancellations are possible at any time, but refunds are subject to cancellation fees at the rates listed here. Cancellation fees are for individual pilgrims. Any cancellation charges incurred from other suppliers or vendors (flight, lodging, ground transportation, tickets, etc.) may come in addition to the administrative fees listed here. All group flight airline tickets, optional excursions, trip options, pre/post extensions, private transfers, and additional hotel nights are non-refundable 100 days or less prior to departure unless otherwise noted. We highly recommend the purchase of individual travel insurance.

  • After deposit & 91 days or more from departure: Deposit is retained
  • 90-61 days prior to departure: 25% of trip cost is non-refundable
  • 60-31 days prior to departure: 50% of trip cost is non-refundable
  • 30 days or less prior to departure: 100% of trip cost is non-refundable

*Final package pricing may adjust based on confirmed accommodations and/or any significant changes in currency exchange rates.

**Group Deposit guarantees a minimum number of full-paying pilgrims and secures all Verso services. Any cancellation charges incurred from other supplies or vendors (flight, lodging, ground transportation, etc.) will come in addition to the administrative fees listed within this contract. Cancellation fees will be charged per person, per booking. Cancellation fees apply to individual pilgrims who cancel their booking or organizing groups if the original number of pilgrims is reduced and the group size is altered.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Verso Ministries prepare me for my journey?

We know from experience that preparing for a journey is just as important as the journey itself. From pre-departure spiritual formation emails and webinars hosted by the Verso trip leader, to providing you with a pilgrim kit to bring with you on your journey, we accompany you through the entire process – before, during, and after the pilgrimage – to prepare your mind and heart for what you’ll encounter. And of course, we’re always available by phone or email to answer and assist with any questions you might have.
Read More

What is the Jubilee Year? Why is it important?

Click here to learn more about the Jubilee Year and why Jubilee pilgrimages are important in the life of the Church. Additionally, check out our Pilgrim Support Center for answers to more frequently asked questions!
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What is the latest I can register?

Registration closes when the pilgrimage reaches the maximum number of pilgrims. If the pilgrimage is filled when you register, you will be added to our waiting list, and contacted in the event that space on the pilgrimage becomes available. Don’t miss your chance – register now and begin your journey!
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Why should I travel with Verso Ministries?

At Verso, we believe in crafting pilgrimages that offer you a view of God’s world and his work in it that you can’t get anywhere else.    We believe that everything – from the holy sites, to the meals, to daily Mass, to your fellow pilgrims – shape the ways God can speak to you, which means we’re intentional about it all.  We believe a pilgrimage isn’t just the days you travel, but it’s how you prepare – from the moment you sign up, to the days and weeks after you arrive home. We shepherd you through the entire process so you can achieve the most transformative experience possible.  We’re not just travel experts; we’re experts in Catholic pilgrimage.
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Resources

This will be a list of blog articles from their site that the user can view for more information on the location or the trip. We’ll probably need a about 3-5 items listed here

In Via: Journey Through Rome’s Station Churches

Pope Saint John Paul II

Pope John Paul II and the Great Jubilee 2000

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model pilgrim.

3 Reasons Why Our Lady Is the Model Pilgrim

What Our Pilgrims Have to Say

Father Kuhn

Jocelyn

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