Day 1: Depart home country
Overnight flight toward Chennai. Begin reading the tradition of St Thomas in India.
Opening commissioning prayer at the gate.
Day 2: Arrive Chennai · transfer to Mahabalipuram
Land in Chennai and transfer directly south along the Coromandel coast to Mahabalipuram (about 60 km, 1.5 hours), a UNESCO World Heritage site of 7th-century shore temples and rock-cut monuments. Check into a beachside resort — a far more restorative base than the city after the overnight flight. Gentle walk along the shore and early rest.
Opening blessing of the journey; evening prayer by the sea.
Day 3: Pondicherry — the French colonial enclave
Drive south to Pondicherry (about 100 km from Mahabalipuram), the former French territory whose Ville Blanche still feels like a corner of Provence on the Indian coast. Visit the grand Sacred Heart Basilica, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, and the old French quarter with its mustard-yellow colonial buildings and bougainvillea lanes. The deep Catholic history here runs alongside Hindu ashram culture in a uniquely peaceful coexistence. Return to Mahabalipuram for the night.
Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pondicherry; evening prayer on the seafront promenade.
Day 4: Chennai — St Thomas sites
Drive north to Chennai for a full day at the heart of the St Thomas tradition: San Thome Basilica built over the Apostle's tomb, St Thomas Mount where tradition holds he was martyred by a spear, and Little Mount where he prayed in a cave. A day at the origin of Indian Christianity.
Mass at San Thome Basilica; pray at the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle.
Day 5: Chennai to Velankanni
Travel down the Coromandel coast to Velankanni, the 'Lourdes of the East', a Marian basilica drawing pilgrims of every faith. Arrive for evening devotions.
Join the evening candlelight procession at the Velankanni shrine.
Day 6: Velankanni
A full day at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health — the shrine, the healing tank and the museum of devotion. A deeply prayerful coastal day.
Mass at the Velankanni Basilica; pray for healing and take the shrine water.
Day 7: To Kerala — the ancient Church
Travel west into Kerala, heartland of the St Thomas Christians, toward Kochi (Cochin). Settle ahead of exploring the oldest Christian communities in India.
Evening prayer; reflection on the world's oldest continuous Christian communities.
Day 8: Kochi & the Syrian Christian heritage
Old Kochi: St Francis Church (where Vasco da Gama was first buried), the Santa Cruz Basilica, and the ancient Syrian Christian churches of the region. A rich half to full day.
Mass at a Syro-Malabar church; reflection on the apostolic faith in India.
Day 9: Kerala backwaters & churches
The tranquil Kerala backwaters by houseboat or cruise, weaving past riverside churches and villages — a restful, beautiful day amid living Christian culture.
Quiet prayer and reflection on the waters; evening rosary.
Day 10: Kerala to Goa
Travel north to Goa, the former Portuguese capital and centre of Catholic India. Evening at leisure.
Evening prayer of arrival; reflection on St Francis Xavier's mission.
Day 11: Old Goa — the basilicas
Old Goa's UNESCO churches: the Basilica of Bom Jesus housing the incorrupt body of St Francis Xavier, and the Sé Cathedral. A full devotional day among the great churches of the East.
Mass at the Basilica of Bom Jesus; pray before the relics of St Francis Xavier.
Day 12: Goa — rest & the beach
A day of genuine rest at a beachside resort on one of Goa's quieter stretches — the calmer shores of South Goa (Palolem, Colva) or North Goa's Candolim. Swimming, reading, a long lunch at a beach shack. A pilgrimage also needs its Sabbath — time for everything absorbed on the journey to settle before the journey home.
Morning prayer of gratitude; informal evening thanksgiving by the sea.
Day 13: Depart from Goa
A final morning before the transfer to Goa International Airport for the journey home.
Closing Mass and a blessing for the road home.
