Experience France
- Explore Castles, Monasteries, and ancient ruins
- Bathe in the sacred waters of Lourdes - See the incorrupt saints of the Church - Visit the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower - Follow in the footsteps of St. Bernadette - Pray in Chapel of the Miraculous Medal - Share this experience with friends Package Includes
Round-trip airfare form your city to Paris, Transportation within France, two meals per day, hostel or convent lodging, entrance fees, JMJ Youth Pilgrimage Guide from arrival to departure.
Ste Chapelle was consecrated in 1248 for St. Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns. It was built in five years by one architect. The donation of the Crown of Thorns cost three times the church. The upper chapel is considered the pinnacle of stained glass. There are 15 panes which have 1100 biblical scenes. The crown of Thorns was housed here until the French Revolution. It was not until 1801 that the Church received the Crown again, but it was then deposited in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, just around the corner.
The Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the 200,000 individuals who were deported from France to the Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The memorial was built on the site of the former morgue, behind the Basilica of Notre Dame.
The Basilica of the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) was built between 1875-1914 and consecrated formally in 1919. During the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, Parisians made a deal with God. If they won the war, they would build a basilica in honor of Jesus’ Sacred Heart and have perpetual adoration until the end of time. They lost the war, but decided to build it anyway. Perpetual adoration has been taking place since 1884 non-stop. It is located on the Mount of Martyrs, formally known as the Mount of Mars.
The Catacombs of Paris are underground burial chambers that hold the remains of about 6 million people. There are many caverns and tunnels that are lined with bones 6 feet tall and 6 feet deep for kilometers. The tunnels were originally used for a limestone mine but were converted into the Catacombs in the 18th century. The tunnels are located beneath the streets of Paris, making it difficult to build large buildings in this region of the city. (optional)
Triple Basilicas of Lourdes were built on the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to a young peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous in February 1858. During the last apparition Mary asked Bernadette to drink from the spring, which was seen as dirt at the time, and that a chapel be built on the ground near the spring. A spring came up at the exact spot where Bernadette had washed herself in the dirt and since then, the waters have been known to miraculously heal people. This is located in the grotto of the sanctuary, which is the area of holy ground surrounding the basilica. Every evening a rosary procession takes place in front of the basilica, in multiple languages.
|
9 Day Itinerary
Day 1 Depart your city for Paris
Day 2 Arrive in Paris, check into lodging, walk the ancient center of Paris visiting Notre Dame (exterior only), Ste. Chapelle, evening at the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur Day 3 Pray at the shrine of the Miraculous Medal, witness the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure, followed by a visit to St. Vincent de Paul, evening at the Eiffel Tower Day 4 Day trip to Lisieux to enter into the life of St. Therese the Little Flower. Enjoy a free afternoon in this charming town, then return to Paris for the evening. Day 5 Morning train or bus to Lourdes, evening candle light procession in honor of Our Lady time permitting Day 6 Pray in the triple basilicas of Lourdes and the Grotto of Our Lady, walk the Stations of the Cross in the spirit of St. Bernadette Day 7 Take time for confession and to Bathe in the sacred waters of Lourdes, spend time with our Lord in Adoration and just being in this holy place Day 8 Morning train or bus to Paris, evening free in Paris Day 9 Depart Paris for home Mass will be celebrated daily within the itinerary. Specific locations and events within the daily itinerary are subject to change depending on actual dates of travel. Be P.o.P.E. Part of the Pilgrimage Experience
Notre Dame Cathedral is closed to visitors pending reconstruction following the fire of Holy Week 2019. Notre Dame was constructed between 1163-1345. Vandalism took place a few times throughout the 16th-18th centuries, especially during the French Revolution. In 1793, French Revolutionists rededicated the cathedral to the Cult of Reason and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being. Many of the treasures of the cathedral were destroyed or plundered. The stained glass windows were also broken, but were reconstructed in the 1840s, along with the rest of the church. This is the official church of the Archbishop of Paris. The reliquary houses some Catholic treasures, such as the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails from Christ’s passion. Our visit will be limited to the outside due to the devastating fire of April 15th, 2019.
The Miraculous Medal Shrine is a little chapel within the convent of the Daughters of Charity. Here, in 1830, the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, a novice preparing to enter the order. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to offer the world a medal that was intended for all people. It is said that in 1832 a deadly cholera epidemic broke out in Paris, claiming more than 20,000 lives. The Sisters began distributing the first medals and many cures were reported, along with protection and conversions. The people of Paris called the medal “miraculous.” St. Catherine Laboure’s body was exhumed in 1933 and found incorrupt. It is now in a glass case at a side altar in the little shrine.
The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower named after Gustave Eiffel whose company designed and built it. The tower was built in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Revolution. It stands 1063 feet tall, which is about the same as an 81-story building. There are three levels where visits can view the city. It was contracted that the tower would remain for 20 years and afterwards the city of Paris would dismantle it. The tower proved to be very valuable for communication purposes so they allowed it to remain after the expiration of the permit. It is now a well-known symbol of France and is the most visited paid monument in the world.
Chartres Cathedral was originally built in the 800’s as a place to house the veil of the Blessed Mother given to the bishop and people of Chartres by the Holy Roman Emperor. In the late 1100’s the Cathedral was mostly destroyed by a fire, because of its wooden structure. Miraculously the veil of the Blessed Mother was not harmed, nor were the stained glass panels with Mary and Jesus that contain the famous ‘Chartres Blue’. The community came together and donated time, materials, food, etc… so that they could build the greatest church in honor of Our Lady ever built. Even the architect completely worked for the glory of God, which is why to this day we do not know his name.
|
