Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Meals will be served while on board.

Upon arriving at Pau or Toulouse airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Embark on the scenic drive to Lourdes. Check in to your hotel, and then relax or explore before dinner. Following dinner, you will have free time to pray the Rosary and to attend the candlelight procession (April-October only). These processions are lit by candlelight and guided by the Most Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel.

Over the next two days, you will stay in a small town, nestled within the Pyrenees Mountains. During your time in Lourdes, you will pray and meditate in a site of Our Lady’s apparitions. Our Lady first appeared to Bernadette in 1858 and announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception” near the Grotto of Massabielle. During the first two apparitions, little Bernadette prayed the Rosary with Our Lady and left without exchanging words. During the following apparitions, Our Lady emphasized God’s love for us and the necessity of performing acts of penance for sinners. Throughout your time in Lourdes, you will have the opportunity to attend Mass at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette. Watch a video presentation that explains, in detail, the story of Lourdes. Participate in the gesture of the miraculous spring by washing your hands and face, as well as drinking the water. Finish with a short prayer: Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St. Bernadette, pray for us. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Additionally, you will have the opportunity to experience Christ’s unconditional love, as you meditate upon the life-size Stations of the Cross that overlook the Grotto of Massabielle. In Lourdes, you will walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette. Your group will have the opportunity to see Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. Each evening following dinner, you will have an opportunity to attend the candlelight procession and pray the Rosary before a restful overnight.

Following breakfast, transfer to Toulouse. This southern French city was once a Roman colony home to numerous religious and historical treasures. While here, you will have the opportunity to view many of these rare artifacts, such as twenty historical pipe organs and the original burial place of St. Thomas Aquinas at the St. Sernin Basilica. One of the finest Romanesque churches in France, its exterior is constructed of red brick with white stone as a decorative accent. Following your visit to this magnificent church, continue north to Rocamadour, a town atop a rocky mountain. Upon arrival in Rocamadour, you will enjoy a delicious meal and a restful overnight.

This morning you will awaken in the town overlooking the Alzou Valley which was the home to the early Christian hermit, Zaccheus of Jericho. Zaccheus conversed with Jesus himself and was the husband of St. Veronica, the woman who wiped the face of Jesus as He climbed to Calvary. During your time at this sacred destination, you will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Rocamadour, a place of miraculous conversion. The Shrine consists of numerous religious structures and chapels centered around a statue of the Virgin Mary and the tomb of Zaccheus. After you visit this place of miraculous healing, your journey will continue to Paray Le Monial for dinner and overnight.

You will begin your day with breakfast. Following Mass, you will have some free time for prayer and reflection. You will then visit the Chapel of the Visitation. It is here that Jesus exposed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century. The apparitions allowed St. Margaret to rest her head upon Jesus’ Sacred Heart, during which she experienced Our Lord’s unconditional love for humanity. During your visit to this holy place, 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 in Paray Le Monial, we will drive to Nevers through the picturesque Loire Valley. Nevers is where St. Bernadette lived for twelve years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. The Saint suffered from several illnesses such as asthma, tuberculosis of the lungs, and a tubercular tumor in her right knee. For this, St. Bernadette received “the Last Sacraments” three times and eventually passed away in 1879, at the age of thirty-five. End the day with a visit to the Convent of Saint Gildard. Enjoy a delicious meal before retiring for the evening.

Upon waking up in Nevers, enjoy breakfast and Mass. Following Mass, you will depart for Chartres. Upon arrival, you will have free time for lunch in the quaint town. This afternoon, visit the massive Cathedral Notre Dame, known worldwide for its incredible stained-glass windows created in the twelfth and thirteenth century. A World Heritage site called the Cathedral “the high point of French Gothic art” and a “masterpiece” by UNESCO. Continue to Lisieux for dinner and overnight.

This morning you will transfer to the Normandy Landing beaches. The Normandy landings were the landing operations, which took place on June 6, 1944 (termed D-Day) by the Allies during World War II. As the largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control and contributed to the Allies’ victory on the Western Front. Continue to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France, honoring the American troops that died in Europe during World War II. Many of the brave American soldiers of World War II were buried here. It is encouraged to say a prayer in thanksgiving for their courage. Next, visit Mont St. Michel, where the Monastery of Le Mont St. Michel is located. The Monastery is called “The Wonder of the Western World”. The monastery is surrounded by a magnificent bay, which has one of the greatest tidal ranges in Europe, resulting in a breathtaking view. In 709, St. Michael the Archangel, requested that Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, build and consecrate this monastery. Since the ninth century, the Abbey has been home to a monastic community to ensure the continuation of a spiritual presence. For centuries, it has been a pilgrimage site for those seeking Eternal Life with God. You will return to Lisieux for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, you will explore the life of St. Therese. According to Pope Pius X, St. Therese of Lisieux was the “greatest saint of modern times”. Her extraordinary love for God and service to humanity will come alive as you walk in this great Saint’s footsteps. Visit the beautiful Basilica of St. Therese, and see its magnificent mosaics and stained glass. Following your visit to the Basilica, you will have the opportunity to view relics, clothing, and personal objects of St. Therese when you visit her family home, Les Buissonnets. Tour the parish of St. Therese, the Cathedral of St. Peter, and the Carmelite Convent which she entered in 1888, and where she is now buried with her parents. Your tour of the “Little Flower’s” life culminates as you board the bus to transfer to the “City of Lights”: Paris. Upon arrival, enjoy dinner and overnight.

Today, you will enjoy a sightseeing tour of Paris. We begin with Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, where we will celebrate Mass. After, we will have the opportunity to view the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure. The Saint’s guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her. During the apparitions, Our Lady repeatedly instructed the making and purpose of the Miraculous Medal, as well as the green scapular. According to the Blessed Virgin Mary, those who wear the Miraculous Medal and scapular will receive special protection and abundant graces. Following your prayerful and reflective experience, we will walk to Saint Vincent de Paul Church, and then continue on a tour of Paris. Our panoramic tour will take us to the most recognizable symbols of the city of Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, the L’Arch de Triomphe, and the Champ-Elysees, one of the world’s most famous boulevards. We will stop at La Madeleine, with the statue of Mary Magdalene carried to heaven by angels. Your busy day ends with a lovely meal and a comfortable overnight.

After an early breakfast and whole-hearted farewells, you will transfer to the Paris airport for your return flight(s) home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.