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.

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 breakfast, depart for Nevers by way of the picturesque Loire Valley to view the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette. After taking the veil in 1867, St. Bernadette lived for 12 years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. At least three times during her short lifetime, she received the last Sacraments. In addition to asthma, she was gradually struck by other illnesses, among which were tuberculosis of the lung and a tubercular tumor in her right knee. St. Bernadette eventually died at the age of 35. St. Bernadette’s incorrupt body at the Convent of St. Gildard, is miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. You will have some free time before enjoying a delicious meal and retiring for the evening in Nevers.

After breakfast, we continue our travelling on to Paray le Monial, the place where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the 17th century. In revealing His Heart to her, Jesus said: “Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing but has been poured out totally and consumed as proof of its love”. After celebrating Mass in the Shrine of Paray-le-Monial, we will start a guided visit that features the Chapel of Apparitions, the place where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the 17th century, the room of the relics of St. Margaret Mary, the Diorama of St Margaret and the Eucharist Museum. Other highlights include the Basilica of Sacre Coeur and the Chapel of St. Claude in honor of St. Margaret Mary’s Spiritual Director. After the visit, you will have free time for lunch on your own. Depart Paray Le Monial to continue on to Lyon. Dinner and an overnight.

After breakfast, we depart for La Salette located in a high alpine pasture in the French Alps. La Salette is the site where the Virgin Mary appeared in 1846 to two shepherds, Melanie Matthew and Maximin Gird. Our Lady appeared to these shepherds crying, lamenting over the lack of observance of Sundays and the profaning of her Son’s holy name. A spring forever marks the spot where the Virgin appeared and where millions of pilgrims come, in order to drink the fresh spring water and to pray. The stunning mountain scenery and lush mountain trails make La Salette one of the most spectacular pilgrimage sites in France, with a beautiful Basilica built to honor the Virgin Mary. In 1996, La Salette celebrated the 150th anniversary of Our Lady’s first appearance. We return to Lyon for dinner and overnight.

Enjoy a nice breakfast before we start our day. Lyon stands on the site of the ancient Roman city called Lugdunum, founded in 43 BC, which was the capital of Gaul, and later, became a major Christian center. This city is filled with renowned history, culture, and architecture. This morning we will enjoy a tour of Lyon, including a visit to the Basilique Notre-Dame of Fourviere, which was built after the Franco-Prussian War when the people of Lyon had vowed to create a Marian sanctuary if their city was spared. The Basilica is a blend of Gothic and Byzantine styles with a richly decorated interior. Fourviere Hill provides a sensational panoramic outlook onto the city of Lyon. The views extend to the Croix-Rousse and the Terreaux districts, the Quartier Saint-Jean and the Place Bellecour. In the afternoon, we will depart towards Ars where we will visit the Shrine dedicated to Saint Jean Marie Vianney, the patron saint of the priesthood. In Ars, we will be able to visit the presbytery and the Basilica where we will find the incorrupt body of the Cure of Ars, and to enjoy a short documentary about his life. Return to Lyon for a delicious meal and restful overnight.

This morning, you will begin with breakfast and continue with a transfer to the Lyon 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.