Alternative Spring Break 2024

Pilgrimage to Mexico’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

You are invited to join us on a 6-day pilgrimage of the Shrines of Mexico, March 2-7, 2024! This pilgrimage is open to current students, alumni, staff & faculty, parents, and parishioners.

  • NON-STUDENT COST: $2500
  • SPECIAL STUDENT RATE: $2250

The cost includes round-trip airfare from Charlotte, first class hotel accommodations, a medical protection plan, all land transportation, tour guides, entrance to all sites, and breakfast and dinner each day. It does not include lunch and tips.

A $300 deposit is due at the time of registration. The balance is due before November 23, 2023. This pilgrimage is being arranged for us by Nativity Pilgrimage, a faith-based tour operator that has been in business since 2012.

In 1531, while the Church in Europe was being torn apart by the Protestant rebellion, the Virgin Mary appeared in Mexico City to a humble Aztec Christian named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on Tepeyac Hill. She identified herself as Our Lady of Guadalupe and asked that a church be built on that spot in her honor. This apparition was the catalyst of conversion that would change the course of the history of Catholicism in both North and South America.

On this special pilgrimage we will be visiting that church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, viewing the tilma that bears her image, as well as related historical sites in the vicinity.

Itinerary

March 2: Fly from Charlotte to Mexico City
Your pilgrimage begins today by boarding your flight to Mexico. After arriving, you will meet your guide and board the tour bus for the trip to your hotel. After check-in, relax and enjoy your dinner and overnight accommodations.

March 3: Mexico City & Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
We start our day after breakfast by celebrating Mass at the Shrine of Guadalupe. We will spend a full day praying, observing, walking around, and shopping. Later, we will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.

March 4: Holy Family & Historic Center
We begin our day by visiting the Church of la Sagrada Familia and the Museum of Father Pro. We will celebrate Mass and continue to Tlatelolco, where we will visit the Plaza of the 3 Cultures and the baptismal site of St. Juan Diego. Next, we continue to the Zocalo, or main square, and view Diego Rivera’s murals at the National Palace. Next, we will go to the Metropolitan Cathedral, where inside, you will visit the Chapel of the Miraculous Cross of Poison. Afterward, return to your hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.

March 5: Tulpetlac & Teotihuacan
This morning, we will celebrate Mass at Tulpetlac, the site of the 5th apparition. Following Mass, we will visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan. We will see the pyramids of the Sun and Moon, the Quetzal butterfly temple, and more. We will break for a buffet lunch at a nearby local restaurant with live music, Aztec dancers, and traditional décor. Afterward, we will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.

March 6: Puebla
After breakfast, we will board the tour bus and travel to the colonial town of Puebla. At St. Francis of Assisi Church, we view the uncorrupted body of the Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio. Next, we will celebrate Mass at the Church of Santo Domingo, whose chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary is one of the most exquisite in Mexico. A hearty lunch awaits us at a traditional restaurant in Puebla before returning to our hotel in Mexico City for dinner and overnight accommodations.

March 7: Return Home
After breakfast, if time permits, we will have a farewell Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Afterward, we will transfer to the airport to catch our return flight home.