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Your Chaplain
Our pilgrimage begins today as we depart from Newark (EWR) on an overnight flight to Paris, with meals and refreshments served onboard.
By morning, we will arrive in Paris (ORY), before taking another flight to Toulouse. This afternoon, we will drive to Lourdes and visit the Grotto of Massabielle where the healing waters flow. We will take part in an evening candlelight procession in honor of Our Blessed Mother.
Overnight Lourdes
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, 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.
Overnight Lourdes
This morning, we will have Mass at the grotto followed by an excursion to Bartrès and the pilgrim’s path to Compostela, part of the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). This afternoon, we will depart for the dynamic French city of Toulouse where we will have dinner tonight.
Overnight Toulouse
This morning we will take an early flight to Lyon. Our first stop will be just north of the city at 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. We will journey further north to Paray-le-Monial, where we will visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and admire its Romanesque art and architecture.
Overnight Paray-le-Monial
We will begin the day with a short 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. This afternoon, we will make our way to the beautiful capital city of Paris.
Overnight Paris
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. Before checking into the hotel, 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.”
Overnight Paris
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.
Overnight Paris
We will set out this morning to Lisieux, northwest of Paris. 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.”
Overnight Lisieux
After Mass in the Basilica at Lisieux, we will depart for an excursion to Normandy to visit Omaha Beach, where allied troops landed on D-Day. This evening, we will visit a French winery for a special wine tasting and have a farewell dinner this evening.
Overnight Lisieux
With a deeper love for Mary, gratitude to God and wonderful memories of our pilgrimage, we will transfer back to Paris to board our plane for our flight home.
