A 10-day Pilgrimage to Poland Celebrating
the Film on St. Maximilian Kolbe

August 7-16, 2026

Join this special Catholic pilgrimage inspired by the acclaimed film Triumph of the Heart about St. Maximilian Kolbe. Led by the film's writer/director Anthony D’Ambrosio and his parents Susan and Marcellino D’Ambrosio (“Dr. Italy”), you'll trace the saints' paths from Warsaw to the Marian Shrine of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, then to Kraków—home to Sts. Maximilian Kolbe, John Paul II, and Faustina (Divine Mercy shrine).

The highlight is a Mass in Auschwitz on August 14, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s feast day. The trip concludes with the Solemnity of the Assumption in Wadowice, St. John Paul II’s childhood town. An optional extension offers several days hiking in the scenic Zakopane mountains, a favorite of John Paul II.

TRIP ITINERARY

Optional Extension to Zakopane

YOUR GUIDES:

Anthony D’Ambrosio

Writer & Director of
Triumph of the Heart

After four years of seminary and a fruitful tour of duty as a Catholic Youth minister, filmmaker, and business owner Anthony D’Ambrosio faced a crisis. A prolonged dark night of sleeplessness and anxiety came upon him that no doctor could treat or diagnose. This led to despair and loss of his faith. Hearing about Kolbe’s heroic quest to bring meaning to the suffering of fellow Auschwitz prisoners, Anthony rediscovered Christ and found meaning in his own suffering. In gratitude, he wrote and directed Triumph of the Heart, the great Catholic film of 2025 that shares Kolbe’s story with the world.

Susan & Marcellino (“Dr. Italy”) D’Ambrosio

Known on Catholic radio and TV as “Dr. Italy,” Dr. D’Ambrosio is a NY Times best-selling author and a renowned commentator on Catholic issues, appearing as a guest on national news and a variety of Catholic radio networks such as Relevant Radio, EWTN, and the Sirius Catholic channel. He’s hosted an EWTN series on the Early Church Fathers for nearly 20 years, and has partnered with Ascension Press on immensely popular book & video study series, including the Jesus: The Way the Truth and the Life study series. A doctoral student of the renowned Jesuit theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles, Marcellino is an expert on the history of the Church in Europe and has a special familiarity with the shrines we will be visiting on this unique pilgrimage. Dr. Italy will be our principal guide, providing expert commentary on the saints, sites, and shrines of our Danube River journey through Germany, Austria, and Hungary.

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