0822AA6 - Catholic France Pilgrimage 11 days from El Paso

Today we depart El Paso making our way to Paris. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft.

We arrive in Paris where we gather our luggage and are met by our guide and driver where we drive past several of Paris’s iconic landmarks, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and travel down the famous Champs-Elysees. We celebrate Mass at a church nearby before we transfer to our hotel for some relaxation or exploring our surroundings before dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Following breakfast, we start our day with a visit to the Miraculous Medal Shrine where St. Louise de Marillac is. Close by, we visit the Church of St. Francis Xavier, to visit the tomb of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. We then visit the tomb of St. Vincent de Paul. Next, we tour the magnificent, refurbished Notre Dame Cathedral and Museum. The afternoon is at our leisure for shopping and exploring the neighborhood around our hotel. Tonight, dinner is on our own as you experience nearby local restaurants & cafes, before returning to our hotel overnight.

This morning we depart Paris for our journey to Chartres to visit one of the most magnificent Cathedral in all of Europe! Known as Notre-Dame de Chartres, the earliest foundations of the original church date to the late 4th century! Known for the incredible relics and beautiful gothic architecture, it is 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 Flower, also known as St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus, where we spend some time in reflection in the village convent. We conclude our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we visit the Basilica dedicated to St. Theresa. 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. Following our visit, 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 fought and many who died defeating 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 Abby in the Diocese of Avranches, Normandy, France, is unquestionable the finest example both of French medieval architecture and of the 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 a height of 300 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 celebrate Mass in a nearby chapel. We conclude our day with dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Following breakfast, we travel to nearby Chambord, known by many in the western world for its famous raspberry liqueur but also know 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 the way. Lyon was a major Roman city with Amphitheater, chariot races, and Christian persecution as well. Many of the churches, cathedrals and basilicas are built on 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 by Muslim armies, as well as local uprisings against the church. We celebrate Mass while we are here. Dinner and 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 house 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 celebrate Mass while we are here. We stop for lunch on our own following our visit. Many famous theologians and early Catholic voices have visited here and most notable was Frederic Ozaman, who we all know as the founder of the society of St. Vincent de Paul! Another notable visitor was Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot who we all know as the founder of the society for the Propagation of the Faith. A worldwide organization which supports the works for numerous mission groups across the world! We finish our day with some free time before enjoying our dinner and overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast, we journey to nearby Ars-sur-Formans, known to most as simply “Ars: as the burial place of 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 1am 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 the 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 Duval and visit the local museum before concluding our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

We have an early breakfast as we depart Nevers headed to Palais de Versailles. Once the palace of French kings, this site combines over 5 centuries of French history on its grounds. Visit the Hall of Mirrors and the fabulous gardens, before returning to Paris for an evening not to be missed. To celebrate our last evening in Paris, prepare for a 3-course dinner on our floating river boat on the seine River, enjoying the sights and lights along the riverbanks. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast we depart Paris, heading to the airport to return home, filled with memories of a lifetime.