Shrines of France

A coach will be arranged from Welwyn Garden City to Luton Airport, leaving from Our Lady, Queen of Apostles Church at around 03:00. Car parking will be available at the church. Board our flight to CDG Airport in Paris, departing at 06:05 and due to arrive at 08:25. By setting out in the early morning, we can make the most of our day in Paris. Meet with your English-speaking guide at the airport and with your coach driver. Our tour of La Ville Lumiere (the City of Light) begins on the Rue du Bac to visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal where we will have Mass. Afterwards we will walk to the Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul where his body can be viewed within a silver reliquary. After free time for lunch we continue our tour inside the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur, then onto the Basilica of St. Denis and finally to the most recognisable symbol of the city, Notre-Dame Cathedral. The iconic cathedral can only be viewed from outside due to the fire in 2019. Check in to our hotel then dinner will be served in a nearby restaurant. Overnight in Paris.

In the morning depart for Lisieux with your guide. Upon arrival you will discover the life of St. Therese of Lisieux who, according to Pope Pius X, was the “greatest saint of modern times”. We first visit the Basilica of St. Therese with its distinctive mosaics and stained glass windows. Mass here. After free time at lunch we then proceed to the Carmel of Lisieux. It is in this monastery that St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, canonised in 1925, spent her religious life from 1888 until her death in 1897. While in Carmel we enter the Chapel of the Tomb to view the shrine to St. Therese with her relics on display and statue shown as resting in peace above her casket. We continue at the Cathedral of St. Peter, where St. Therese attended Mass every Sunday during her youth, before finishing at Les Buissonnets, the Martin family home where she lived from the age of 4 until entering Carmel at 15 years old. Check in to our hotel then dinner will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight in Lisieux.

After breakfast depart for Tours with your guide. Firstly you will visit St. Gatien Cathedral dedicated to its namesake St. Gatien, the first bishop of Tours. We will then visit the Cloister of La Psalette, built against the northern side of the cathedral. Completed in the 16th century, the cloister took its name from the sound of psalms being sung in the adjoining school, famous for its musical and religious education for children. The cloister is the setting for the short story The Vicar of Tours by Honoré de Balzac. After free time at lunch, we continue our pilgrimage at the St. Martin of Tours Basilica built over the tomb of St. Martin following his death in 397 AD. Celebrate Mass either here or in St. Gatien Cathedral. In the afternoon, we enjoy a group wine tasting exploring the Touraine vineyards, considered the heart of the Loire Valley. Check in to our hotel then dinner will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight in Tours.

Our day begins as we depart for Paray-le-Monial with your guide. Visit the Chapel of the Visitation where Jesus exposed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, which allowed her to experience the unconditional love for humanity. During your visit here, you will have the opportunity to view relics of the beloved saint, located beneath a wax figure of her image. After free time for lunch we arrive at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mass here. Check in to our hotel and dinner will be served here. Overnight in Paray-le-Monial.

After breakfast, depart for Lyon with your guide. In the heart of the city stands one its most important churches, the Basilica of St. Bonaventure. In 1226 it was a convent church for a community of Franciscan friars known as the Cordeliers. After St. Bonaventure died and was buried here in 1274, he was canonised by Pope Sixtus IV in 1482 who wrote, “Bonaventure was great in learning but no less great in humility and holiness”. The church was renamed after him shortly afterwards and, as true today as before, the minor basilica remains at the heart of the faith of the people of Lyon. Mass will be celebrated here. After free time for lunch we depart for Rocamadour, famous for its sanctuary with the Chapelle Notre-Dame with the Black Madonna and for being constructed on the side of a cliff which offers pilgrims breathtaking views. Check in to our hotel then dinner will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight in Rocamadour.

After breakfast, we walk up the Grand Staircase to visit the sanctuary with our guide. It is believed that Rocamadour is named after the founder of the ancient sanctuary, Saint Amator the tax collector of Jericho. For centuries it has been a traditional stopover on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. We will have Mass here then there will be free time to explore and enjoy the tranquillity of the sanctuary until our new coach arrives to take us to Lourdes. Check in to our hotel in Lourdes, just a short walk away from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes where we stay with full board service. Dinner at the hotel then we may attend the candlelight procession in the evening. Overnight in Lourdes.

Following breakfast we walk to the sanctuary and onward to St Pius X Basilica for International Mass at 09:30. Lunch will be served at the hotel. In the afternoon we have a guided tour led by a nun from the sanctuary, visiting the Parish Church of the Sacred Heart where we view the font that St. Bernadette was baptised in and, if time allows, the St. Bernadette Museum, Bolly Mill and the Cachot. We will then do Stations of the Cross in the sanctuary (or the lower stations depending on the group). Dinner at the hotel and then we attend the candlelight procession at 21:00. Overnight in Lourdes.

Before breakfast suitcases will be left securely in the luggage room. We will walk to the sanctuary for our Mass. Depending on availability, the plan is to have an early morning Mass at the Grotto of Apparitions led by Canon Norbert. Afterwards there will be free time for prayer and reflection then we rendezvous at the hotel for early lunch before our coach takes us to the airport. Depart on our flight from Lourdes-Pyrenees to London Stansted. Upon arrival, a coach will be arranged to take the group back to Welwyn Garden City and onto Luton Airport if required.