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Your Chaplain
Our pilgrimage begins today as we depart from Chicago (ORD) on an overnight flight to Paris, with meals and refreshments served onboard.
Upon arrival in Paris, we will gather our bags and meet our tour manager. We will board our bus and transfer to Lisieux to check-in at our hotel before enjoying a welcome dinner for our pilgrimage in the evening. Dinner and overnight in Lisieux, France.
Today we will get to visit the home and Carmelite Monastery of St. Thérèse, the youngest saint named a Doctor of the Church, known as the “Little Flower.” We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Thérèse. Next, we’ll board the bus and drive to Rouen where we will see where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on May 30th, 1431. Return to Paris, France for dinner and overnight.
Today our tour escort will give us an overview of the City of Light, where we’ll see the Champs-Élysées, the Seine River, Les Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. Next, we will visit the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue de Bac and have Mass. Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré and asked her to have a medal made with the inscription, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Dinner and overnight in Paris, France.
Following breakfast, we will celebrate Mass in the Romanesque and Byzantine Sacré-Coeur Basilica on top of Montmartre Hill. We’ll visit the Gallery of the Kings, its many chapels, and the Rose Window. We’ll also visit the famous Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, an architectural marvel, standing on the site of an early Christian Basilica which, in turn, had been built on the site of a Roman era temple. This afternoon, there will be leisure time to visit the Latin Quarter and Luxemburg Gardens. Dinner and overnight in Paris, France.
We will begin the day with a journey to Nevers, where we will have Mass and visit the Convent of St. Gildard. There, we will have a moment of prayer while viewing St. Bernadette’s incorrupt body. The town itself offers narrow cobblestone streets, old churches, and a riverside promenade for us to explore. We continue the Paray-le-Monial, France for dinner and overnight.
Today we wake up in the “City of the Sacred Heart” After breakfast we will visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and admire its Romanesque art and architecture. This Basilica is where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received the four Visions and messages of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Our next stop is the town of Ars-sur-Formans, to visit the Basilica of Ars, where we can pray before the incorrupt body of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of clergy. After our visits we will transfer to Lyons and board our flight to Toulouse. Upon arrival we will transfer to Lourdes, France for dinner and overnight.
Today our spiritual director will celebrate Mass for us at the grotto. After Mass, we will have a guided tour of St. Bernadette’s home, the basilica, the Basilica of St. Pius X, and her environs that will give us a deeper understanding of St. Bernadette’s life and her relationship with Mary, the Immaculate. This afternoon we will have leisure time around the premises at Lourdes to walk, attend adoration, or shop. We will gather this evening for a Eucharistic Procession. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes, France.
This morning, Mass at the shrine and an excursion to Bartrès and the pilgrim’s path to Compostela, part of the Way of St. James. Afternoon at leisure in Lourdes. This evening, we attend the candlelight procession one last time in honor of the Blessed Mother… “Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!” Dinner and overnight in Lourdes, France.
Today we depart Lourdes and bid farewell to Our Lady, but with the consolation that she’s always with us as we continue our pilgrim way, for no pilgrim ever leaves Lourdes untouched by Mary. With a deeper love for Mary, gratitude to God and wonderful memories of our pilgrimage, we will transfer to the airport and board our plane for our flight home.
