In the Footsteps of Our Lady
Eleven days in Lourdes, Lisieux, Paris, Split and Medjugorje, with Fr. Biju Thomas and Mass along the way.
Your chaplain
Fr. Biju Thomas, SVD
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Fr. Biju Thomas is a priest of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), serving at Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, Arizona. He comes from Kerala, India.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
Luke 1:46-47
The Magnificat, Our Lady’s song of praise. We pray it from the Grotto at Lourdes to the hills above Medjugorje, where we spend three nights in prayer, with Mass at St. James Church.
St. James Church · Medjugorje
France, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 12 to 22, 2027
Eleven days, nine nights in Lourdes, Paris, Split and Medjugorje, with a day trip to Lisieux.
Begins in Lourdes and ends in Medjugorje
OvernightVisit
Nights: 2 Lourdes, 3 Paris, 1 Split, 3 Medjugorje.
Departure
Our pilgrimage begins this morning as we depart the United States on our overnight flight across the Atlantic to France, timed to land in the early morning hours so we can make the most of our first full day.
Arrival in Lourdes
We arrive in France in the early hours of the morning. Upon arrival at Pau or Toulouse Airport, our local professional tour escort greets us and accompanies us by motorcoach through the foothills of the Pyrenees to Lourdes. After check-in, we gather this evening for a welcome dinner to begin our pilgrimage together.
Lourdes
We spend our one full day in prayer and pilgrimage at the Lourdes sanctuary, where Our Lady appeared eighteen times to the young St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, announcing herself as the Immaculate Conception and revealing the miraculous spring whose waters have been associated with countless healings. We celebrate Mass at the Grotto of Massabielle, the very site of the apparitions, and take part in the water gesture, praying together in a spirit of faith and penance. We walk the life-size Stations of the Cross overlooking the Grotto, meditating on the Passion of Our Lord. We visit Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the Cachot, the abandoned prison cell where her impoverished family lived at the time of the apparitions. This evening we join the faithful for the Candlelight Marian Procession.
Lourdes & Paris
After breakfast we transfer to Pau or Lourdes Airport for our flight to Paris. Upon arrival, our motorcoach meets us for the transfer into the city and hotel check-in. This afternoon we enjoy a panoramic bus tour of Paris, taking in the great landmarks of the French capital before visiting the Eiffel Tower, the iconic iron lattice structure completed in 1889 for the World’s Fair and the most visited monument in the world.
Day trip to Lisieux
This morning we travel to Lisieux, the Norman town where St. Thérèse Martin entered the Carmelite convent at the age of fifteen and lived her hidden life of prayer until her death at twenty-four in 1897; declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II, she remains one of the most beloved saints of the modern era. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Thérèse, one of the largest churches built in the 20th century, its magnificent mosaics and stained glass depicting her life. We then visit Les Buissonnets, the family home where she grew up, where her personal relics, clothing, and belongings are preserved, and the Carmelite Convent where she entered religious life and is now buried. We return to Paris this evening.
Paris
After breakfast we celebrate Mass before spending the day in the Catholic heart of Paris. We begin at the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur atop Montmartre, built as an act of national penance and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose magnificent mosaic of the Risen Christ and remarkable Grand Organ draw pilgrims from across the world. We continue to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue du Bac, where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830, repeatedly instructing the making and purpose of the Miraculous Medal and promising special protection and abundant graces to those who wear it with faith; the incorrupt body of St. Catherine rests in the chapel. We walk to the nearby Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul before visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the supreme achievements of Gothic architecture and the spiritual heart of France, solemnly reopened in December 2024 following the devastating fire of April 2019. A panoramic bus tour takes in Les Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Élysées.
Paris & Split
This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to Split, on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. Upon arrival, our motorcoach meets us for the transfer into the city and hotel check-in. This afternoon we enjoy a walking tour through the old town and Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along the Riva waterfront promenade with its views of the Adriatic Sea, before an evening free at leisure.
Split & Medjugorje
This morning we bid farewell to the coast and transfer by motorcoach into Bosnia and Herzegovina, arriving in the village of Medjugorje, a renowned pilgrimage destination where reported apparitions of Our Lady have drawn pilgrims from around the world since 1981. After hotel check-in, we gather for dinner and our first evening in this place of peace and prayer.
Medjugorje
This morning we gather at St. James Church for Mass, the spiritual heart of the Medjugorje pilgrimage. Our local guide accompanies us as we follow the path up Apparition Hill, where the young visionaries first encountered Our Lady in 1981, pausing to pray before the statue that marks the spot of the first apparition; at the base of the hill, the Blue Cross marks the place where Our Lady is said to have appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the apparitions. This afternoon we have the opportunity to visit the Kravice Waterfalls, a dramatic cascade on the Trebižat River a short drive from Medjugorje, for a change of pace amid our days of prayer. This evening we join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the Rosary before the Croatian Mass, during which the apparition is said to take place at 5:40 PM (6:40 PM during daylight saving time), and the Blessing of the Sick is given. Our guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries as they are available.
Medjugorje
We continue our days of prayer and pilgrimage in Medjugorje. This morning we gather at St. James Church for Mass before climbing Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers erected a thirty-foot cross on the 1,900th anniversary of the crucifixion of Our Lord, praying the Stations of the Cross along the rocky path to the summit. We also visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, a community of young men and women on the road to recovery, whose testimonies of their journeys back to Jesus Christ have moved countless pilgrims. We pray before the bronze statue of the Risen Christ on the grounds of St. James Church before gathering this evening for a farewell dinner.
Return home
With hearts renewed by the grace of pilgrimage and the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Medjugorje, we bid farewell to Medjugorje and transfer directly to the airport at Dubrovnik or Split for our return flight home.
What’s included
Everything below is covered by the package price.
Your hotels in France, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Three-star hotels throughout: two nights in Lourdes, three in Paris, one in Split and three in Medjugorje. Hotels are subject to final confirmation; if a hotel changes, it is replaced with one of the same standard.
“Each one has been beautifully arranged and managed from start to finish.”
“It was so nice not to have to worry about any details, they took care of everything!”
“Each site was thought out about why and how to pray there.”
Questions pilgrims ask
Short answers to what most people want to know before they put down a deposit.
It is a touring pilgrimage by motorcoach, with flights from Lourdes to Paris and from Paris to Split. Expect about 2 to 3 miles of walking on a typical day. Days usually start around 7am and end back at the hotel between 5pm and 6pm. The paths up Apparition Hill and Krizevac Mountain in Medjugorje are steep and rocky, so bring sturdy shoes.
You can have a room to yourself, with a single room supplement of $995, or share a room. If you would like to share, we will do our best to match you with a roommate. If we cannot find a match by January 12, 2027, the single room supplement applies. Couples, families, friends and singles are all welcome, and plenty of pilgrims come on their own.
Lunches, donations at Masses, souvenirs and laundry, and the cost of a passport if you need one. A typical lunch costs about $15 to $20. Tips are at your discretion: as a guide, $8 to $10 per person per day for your tour guide and $6 to $8 for your driver. Travel insurance if you choose it, and a 3% fee if you pay by card. Abroad, we recommend paying for most things by credit card, which is accepted almost everywhere and comes with protection that cash does not; bring a couple hundred U.S. dollars in cash for emergencies. When a card machine or ATM asks whether to pay in dollars or in the local currency (euros in France and Croatia, convertible marks in Bosnia and Herzegovina), choose the local currency; it is almost always cheaper.
Cancel in writing. Up to January 12, 2027 (90 days before departure), everything you have paid is returned except $200. After that date, the $450 deposit and any costs we cannot recover are kept. Travel insurance may cover a cancellation, depending on the reason.
Fr. Biju Thomas, SVD, leads the group from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Prescott, Arizona.
More answers in the FAQ below and in our Support Center, or call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
Price per person
Per person, including roundtrip group airfare.
Shared rooms are always doubles with two beds. If you would like us to match you with a roommate, tell us when you book and we will do our best. Please note that if we cannot find you a match by the final payment date of January 12, 2027, the single room supplement will apply.
Couples, families, friends, singles, all are welcome!
Some pilgrims come as a couple, some bring the whole family, some come with a friend from the parish, and plenty come on their own. Everyone is welcome.
$200 per person is non-refundable.
Final payment is due 90 days before departure. Payment plans are available if you would like to make smaller payments before then.
Check
ACH bank transfer
Zelle
Cash, money order or cashier’s check
Lourdes, Paris and Medjugorje
April 12 to 22, 2027, with Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Fr. Biju Thomas, SVD. Reserve today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.
Questions? Call +1 (800) 653-0017 or email hello@canterburypilgrimages.com.
Secure your spot today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.
Frequently asked questions
This is an active program that covers a good amount of ground each day. Expect a wake-up call around 7am, departure by 9am and a return to the hotel between 5pm and 6pm. You should be able to walk 2 to 3 miles a day at a moderate pace, with uneven surfaces, stairs, cobblestones and some slopes. In Medjugorje the paths up Apparition Hill and Krizevac Mountain are steep and rocky, so bring sturdy shoes.
Expect spring weather: cool and changeable in Lourdes and Paris, with rain on some days, and milder on the Adriatic coast and in Medjugorje. Bring layers, a rain jacket or umbrella and something warm for the evening processions.
Yes. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the return date, and passport cards are not accepted for international travel. We need your passport details at least 90 days before departure. This trip crosses from Croatia into Bosnia and Herzegovina by road, so keep your passport with you on that day. Entry rules can change, so we will let you know before departure if anything new applies to your trip.
In September 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Francis, gave a nihil obstat to the spiritual experience at Medjugorje, encouraging pilgrimages there, without declaring the reported apparitions to be of supernatural origin.
Yes. The price includes group airfare; if you book your own flights, the price is reduced by $1,000. Tell us at registration so we can line your arrival up with the group’s in the Lourdes area on April 13 and its departure from Dubrovnik or Split on April 22.
Final payment is due on January 12, 2027, 90 days before departure. Payment plans are available if you would like to make smaller payments before then.
We strongly encourage travel insurance for all of our pilgrims, and we partner with Allianz Travel Insurance to offer affordable coverage. Most of our pilgrims choose the Classic Plan. Insurance can be quoted and purchased after registration.
A pilgrimage is not a vacation or excursion but a unique spiritual journey that provides many opportunities to deepen your relationship with God and enrich your Catholic faith by bringing Scripture to life. Pilgrimages offer the opportunity to let Christ draw you near.
More questions are answered in our Support Center, covering booking, payments, travel insurance, passports and what to expect on pilgrimage.