All seats are filled, hearts are full, and the journey is about to begin.
In just 30 days, JesCom’s The Word Exposed October pilgrimage has officially sold out—an overwhelming response that speaks to the hunger for more than just travel, but true spiritual transformation. For the pilgrims now preparing, the sacred path ahead promises encounters not only with iconic places but with the quiet presence of God in saints, shrines, and stillness.
This 13-day spiritual journey through Italy is thoughtfully designed: not rushed, but reverent. With extended stays in Rome, Assisi, San Giovanni Rotondo, Loreto, and Cascia, the itinerary offers time to pray, reflect, and be renewed in holy ground sanctified by lives of faith.
A Jubilee of Grace in Rome
The pilgrimage begins with a special two-morning retreat led by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, which is sets the tone for this journey of grace. The pilgrims then explore Vatican City, the very heart of the Jubilee Year of Hope. They will walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica—a profound symbol of moving from sin to grace. Visits to Rome’s four papal basilicas, including St. Mary Major where Pope Francis was laid to rest, invite quiet reverence and joyful hope in God’s mercy.
Assisi: City of Peace and Saints
In the hills of Umbria, Assisi welcomes pilgrims to the home of St. Francis and St. Clare, saints whose radical simplicity and love for the poor transformed the Church. Here too rests Blessed Carlo Acutis, the millennial teenager in jeans and sneakers who spread Eucharistic devotion online before dying of leukemia at age 15. Pilgrims will pause at the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, where both Blessed Carlo and St. Francis gave their yes to God.
San Giovanni Rotondo: With Padre Pio
In the humble town of San Giovanni Rotondo stands the Shrine of St. Pio of Pietrelcina: modern mystic, confessor, and bearer of the stigmata. Pilgrims will visit the old chapel where Padre Pio celebrated Mass, and the grand sanctuary built by pilgrims’ offerings, where his tomb rests in silent testimony to a life of deep suffering but deeper faith.
Loreto and the Holy House
In Loreto, pilgrims will stand before the Holy House of Mary, believed by tradition to be the very home where the Annunciation took place. Transported from Nazareth in the 13th century, it is now a sanctuary of Marian devotion and mercy, where generations have come to seek protection and peace.
Cascia: Saint of the Impossible
The Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia is a place of hope for the hopeless. Known as the “Saint of the Impossible,” Santa Rita’s life of suffering and forgiveness inspires those searching for healing. Her relics, housed beneath beautiful frescoes and baroque altars, continue to draw hearts to God’s power working through pain.
For the privileged few departing this October, this is more than a trip.
The journey into the heart of holiness, led by the saints and made sacred by stillness, now beckons.
The path is ready. Grace awaits.
