"If you want to make God laugh, make plans.”
That well-known phrase about change has probably been spoken by countless travelers heading to Rome this week, travelers who still might be thinking and praying about whether heading to Italy is still worth the time, effort, and money.
And who could blame them?
After all, they’re facing myriad changes in their original travel itineraries due to the death of Pope Francis and the subsequent postponement of the canonization of Carlo Acutis this coming Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27th.
If tourists and pilgrims are willing, however, to put aside their feelings of disappointment and frustration, they could be opening themselves up to what just might be a glass that’s not just half full versus half empty, but one that just might be overflowing with appreciation and a deeper understanding of the Papacy and the Catholic faith thanks to what they will witness in the Eternal City.
“As in all aspects of life, the more we meticulously plan, the more God can surprise us with His plans! While your visit to Italy, and in particular, Rome may not be the exact experience you planned, I believe it is an opportunity to have a far more profound and beautiful experience,” said John Hale, President of Corporate Travel Service in Southeastern, Michigan.
According to the Vatican, over 80,000 teens have registered for this weekend’s Jubilee of Teenagers.
The jubilee events will go on, minus the canonization, of course, but with an opportunity, as Hale stresses, to be part of something that has profound significance, in the Catholic Church and the world.
“These will be historic days in Rome, and the ability to witness the continuity of the Catholic Church for nearly 2000 years will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I suggest you surrender your plans to a higher set of plans that could be transformative for you and your life, Hale added.
Corporate Travel is practicing what they preach as they work closely with several high-profile groups arriving in Rome this week, including the Catholic executive group Legatus, FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), as well as 200 pilgrims being led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.
While keeping those plans along with being open to new and different possibilities, top of the list of action items or must-dos when it comes to journeying to Rome during late April and early May, here are a few other suggestions that can also have a profound impact on your pilgrimage:
1) Spend more time in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
This important church is one of the four major basilicas in Rome and is typically part of any Christian Rome tour. It is also the place where Pope Francis will be buried. It houses the famous Marian icon, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvific Health of the Roman Peoples), so special to Francis that he would stop there to pray before and after each journey.
So why not follow the late Pope’s example and ask for the Blessed Mother’s intercession for your own journey, including the new one suddenly set before you?
2) Find a view from above.
With limited access to Saint Peter’s and the dome of the basilica during the visitation and funeral of Pope Francis, consider heading to another location to get a view of history, possibly taking in the sights and sounds from above.
The roof of Castel Sant'Angelo, along the Tiber River and down the street from the Vatican, offers an incredible vantage point on any given day. Imagine what it will look like to see so many people from around the world lined up along the Via della Conciliazione (Road of Reconciliation), the main road leading to the Vatican?
Just one of the many moving moments you might have missed had you decided to stay home and watch the events on TV.
3) Stop texting and start talking.
If you plan on waiting in the long lines to pay your respects to the Pope, why not honor Francis by embracing his prayer intentions for April, in which he focused on the use of new technologies.
In his message released April 1, 2025, he said that he longed for Catholics and others to reconnect with one another via actual facetime, minus cell phones and laptops.
“How I would like for us to look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more. Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cellphones than with people. The screen makes us forget that there are real people behind it who breathe, laugh, and cry.”
So why not use the waiting as an opportunity to make new friends, talk about your Catholic faith, and again honor not only the memory but some of the heartfelt concerns of the 266th Pope?