1104AA5 - Catholic France Holy Year Pilgrimage 10 days from New York, JFK

Today, we depart from JFK for our overnight flight to Paris. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast while aloft.

This morning, we arrive in Paris where we are met by our Tour Manager. We tour the sites of Paris, including a visit to the most enduring symbol of the French capital, the Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile de la Cité. While there, we also make a stop at Sainte- Chappell, which is believed to hold the Holy Relics,” including nails and pieces of wood from the Cross of Calvary, procured by King Louis IX. This afternoon, following a break for lunch on our own, we enjoy an orientation tour of the city passing by the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and travel down the famous Champs-Elysees, and down the Boulevard of Saint Michel, where we find the famous Duret statue of St. Michael at the St. Michael Fountain. The remainder of the afternoon is free for relaxation, shopping before we continue to our hotel for our “welcome” dinner and overnight.

Today, following Mass at the Miraculous Medal Shrine of St. Catherine Laboure, we head west to Chartres to visit one of the most magnificent Cathedrals in all of Europe! Known as Notre-Dame de Chartres, the earliest foundations of the original church date back to the late fourth century! Known for the incredible relics and beautiful gothic architecture, it is a truly a jewel of our Catholic faith! From Chartres, following a break for lunch on our own, we continue as we journey to Lisieux, the home of St. Therese, the “Little Flower,” also known as “St. Therese of the Infant Jesus,” where we spend some time in reflection in the village convent. We also visit the Basilica dedicated to St. Therese. The Basilica is the objective for pilgrims from around the world, who come to kneel in solemn prayer to St. Therese. While here, we visit Les Buissonnets, where St. Therese lived as a child. We conclude our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we head west to Colleville sur Mer (on the sea), to visit the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, the site of the famed Allied landing on D-Day in 1944 (known as Operation Torch). We pause here and pay our respects to those who changed the course of history and defeated the enemy. Afterwards, we break for lunch on our own before we continue along the coast of France to celebrate Mass at Mont St-Michel with the Monks. This Benedictine Abbey in the Diocese of Avranches, Normandy, France, is unquestionably the finest example both of French medieval architecture and of a fortified abbey. The buildings of the monastery are piled round a conical mass of rock that rises abruptly out of the waters of the Atlantic to the height of three hundred feet. We conclude the day at our hotel, where we enjoy dinner and overnight.

Today, we head south to the Loire Valley region of France to Orleans. We admire the gorgeous French countryside along the way. Orleans is the birthplace of St. Joan of Arc and is also known for the opulent castles that dot the region’s countryside. We enjoy lunch on our own along the way. While in Orleans, we visit the grand Cathedral de St. Croix. We conclude our day with dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning we travel to nearby Chambord, known by many in the western world for its famous raspberry liqueur but also known for the stately Chateau de Chambord, a magnificent castle with surrounding grounds as impeccable as the castle! Following our visit to the castle we continue south to Lyon. We break for lunch on our own on our way. Lyon was a major Roman city with amphitheaters, chariot races, and Christian persecution as well. Many of the churches, cathedrals and basilicas are built of the ruins of places where early Christian martyrs were buried. Our first stop is the Basilica of Saint- Martin d’Arnay. This Romanesque style church was originally built as a Benedictine Abbey in the ninth century AD and rebuilt numerous times over the centuries after destruction but Muslim armies, as well as local uprisings against the church. We conclude our day with a visit to one of Lyon’s popular local restaurants, as this evening our dinner will be on our own. Overnight at our hotel.

Today, we start our day with a visit to the Church of Saint-Nizier. This site was built over the second century ruins of a building which housed the relics of the 48 Martyrs of Lyon, who were originally fed to the lions in the early persecutions of the Christians but when the lions miraculously failed to eat them, the Roman governor ordered them tortured to death. Their bones were tossed into the nearby river but retrieved by other Christians and stored here. We stop for lunch on our own following our visit. Many famous theologians and early Catholic voices have visited here and most notably was Frederic Ozaman, who we all know as the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul! Another notable visitor was the Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot, who we all know as the foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, a worldwide organization which supports the works of numerous mission groups across the world! Though now located in Rome, its offices were here in Lyon for many years, with 2022 marking the 200th anniversary of this organization! We finish our day with some time for leisure before enjoying our dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, we journey to nearby Ars-sur-Formans, known to most as simply “Ars” and as the burial place of the pious St. John (Jean-Marie) Vianney, the patron of parish priests! He was born in the small farming village of Dardilly, located nearby. We visit the Basilica of Ars and the tomb of this beloved saint, who was known to hear confessions for 8 to 9 hours a day and relied on as little as two hours of sleep before rising at 1 am every morning to start his morning prayers! Though St. Vianney only had the resources for starting one school, numerous religious organizations have schools, convents, and seminaries right here in Ars, because of his example! We enjoy Mass at a chapel while here and pause for lunch on our own. This afternoon, we journey north and stop at Nevers, the town associated with last 13 years in the life of St. Bernadette. Here, we view her barely corrupt body in the Convent of St. Gildard, We view the Palais Ducal and visit the local museum before concluding our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we make the short journey back to the “City of Lights” and our final day in Paris, with free time for us to enjoy the local fare, plan an adventure or take in some shopping before heading back to our hotel for our “farewell” dinner. Overnight at our hotel.

Today, we transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always.