Summer 2023
Young Adults Theology of the Body Pilgrimage
The Greatest Theological Teaching of the New Millennium Brought to Life
The popular culture seems hell-bent on the absolute destruction of the family. As the Church, our job is to live our lives of holiness and truth. Following in the example of that giant of a man and great saint, Pope Saint John Paul II, venture with us through the breathtaking mountains and basilicas where the beginnings of Pope Saint John Paul’s momentous Theology of the Body was born.
A Life-Changing Catholic Adventure
The Theology of the Body Program is a combination outdoor retreat and pilgrimage for postgraduate young adults through Pope Saint John Paul II’s beloved Krakow and Tatra mountains.
Each day is filled with deep prayer, beautiful adventure, authentic fellowship, and an in-depth seminar by a PhD specialist on Theology of the Body: a scripture-based vision of human dignity, sexuality & the vocation to love.
Details on Dates and Cost Coming Early Fall
Highlights
Inspired by the Saint
This itinerary was inspired by none other than Pope Saint John Paul II! Join us as we walk in his footsteps throughout Kraków, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the Marian Shrine of Częstochowa, and finally, three days hiking and kayaking in the mountains! Inspiring, refreshing, and empowering – let’s pursue sanctity together!
Christian Formation
Throughout the course of the trip we will enjoy daily sessions and discussions on the Theology of the Body, examining Pope Saint John Paul II’s incredible response to the Culture of Death. The purpose of these sessions is to help each other grow as young people, ready to pursue chastity and holiness in the modern world.
Faith & Spirituality
Each day features private Mass and prayer. You’ll find that each touring program, learning session and excursion has been designed to bring you closer to Christ, and furthermore to inspire you to pursue the beautiful life of chastity, holiness and joy even in today’s world, inspired by Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body!
Introducing
Father Zack Swantek
Our Chaplain & Seminar Leader
Fr. Zack is a native of New Jersey. He majored in Literature and Religious Studies at Drew University, and worked in the business world for several years. He attended seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark in 2014. After ordination he was sent back to Rome for a Licentiate (S.T.L.) at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, and is currently completing his doctorate at the Pontifical University of Saint John Paul II in Krakow. Fr. Zack has extensive experience serving young people. He currently serves as the full-time chaplain at Princeton University.
Previously, he has served as a parish priest, as a college chaplain at Stevens Institute of Technology and Seton Hall University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences campus, as a professor at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, and as a high school teacher and chaplain at Seton Hall Preparatory School. When not reading, Fr. Zack loves hiking, kayaking, bicycling, and making pilgrimages. This is the second year we have the honor of welcoming back Fr. Zack to our young adult pilgrimage, who was so beloved among our first TOB pilgrims. He will be sharing his expertise on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as the seminar leader, and sharing the grace of God with us as the pilgrimage chaplain…and his insider scoop on all things beautiful, enriching, delicious, and refreshing in Krakow!
Perhaps now more than ever, our world needs to discover the truth, goodness, and beauty of Saint John Paul II's vision of human love. The JPII Project immerses the next generation of young people in this treasure, forming them to become effective missionaries across the globe.
- Jason Evert
Founder, chastity.com
