France brochure

PURPOSE

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church and the Saint Benedict Institute invite you to join them on a

A two-week pilgrimage to various holy sites in France with the aim of growing in our faith through the inspiration of the French saints who have gone before us. Most days will include a spiritual reflection based on the saints/sites we are visiting, continue with visits to holy places, allowing for time for group and personal prayer. Mass will be offered most days.

PILGRIMAGE TO

FRANCE JUNE 10 - JUNE 23, 2017

TIME FRAME June 10 – June 23, 2017

SIZE OF GROUP 30

WHO CAN COME? Students, families, couples, singles

TEAM CHAPLAIN/ CO-LEADER Father Bill Vander Werff

TEAM CO-LEADER Brian Piecuch

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church Photo credits: istockphoto.com

Saint Benedict Institute

ITINERARY

ACCOMMODATIONS

Day 1: Bus from Holland, Michigan to Chicago O’Hare. Overnight flight from Chicago to Paris.

Three nights in hotels, the rest of the trip in guest houses run by religious communities.

Day 2: Arrival in Paris, transfer to our hotel in Rouen. Time to relax followed by Mass and dinner.

Day 3: Morning visit to the Cathedral of Rouen and the Shrine to St. Joan of Arc. Travel to Lisieux to visit the Basilica of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Carmelite convent where St. Therese lived.

Day 4: Travel to Chartres Cathedral, the best preserved example of Gothic architecture in France.

Continue on to Paris where we will visit the Montmartre neighborhood and Sacre-Coeur Basilica. We will also have a bus tour of the city.

Day 5: Visit to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the shrine of St. Vincent de Paul and the nearby Rue du Bac, site of the Miraculous Medal apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to St. Catherine Laboure.

Day 6: Day free to visit the many beautiful sites of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay museums, the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, the many beautiful churches of Paris.

Day 7: Visit to the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette of Lourdes in Nevers, continue on to Paray-le-Monial where we will visit the church where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Day 8: Bus to Ars, the village where St. John Vianney served as a priest. Visit the parish church, now a shrine dedicated to the Cure of Ars, as well as his humble residence. Continue to Avignon, the medieval city of the popes.

Day 9: Bus from Avignon to the southern French city of Toulouse, where we will stop to visit the tomb of St. Thomas Aquinas. Continue to Lourdes. We will spend the next four nights at a guesthouse near the sanctuary.

Days 10-12: Three full days in Lourdes. These days will take the form of a retreat. There will be plenty of time for prayer, silence, visits to the grotto where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette, praying before the life-size Stations of the Cross, hiking in the nearby mountains, and the candlelight procession at night.

Day 13: High-speed train back to Paris. The remainder of the afternoon will be free. Gather in the evening for a final dinner and a boat ride on the River Seine.

Day 14: Transfer to the airport to catch our return flight to Chicago. Return to Holland by bus.

Note: Itinerary subject to change.

TRAVEL Combination of bus and train.

COST $2800 (Deposit needed by Dec. 1, 2016) The total cost includes: ··

Round-trip coach travel from Holland, Michigan to Chicago O’Hare.

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Round-trip airfare from Chicago to Paris.

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Transfers to and from the airport in Paris.

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Travel by coach in France.

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Nine nights in guest houses in Lisieux, Paris, Paray-le-Monial, and Lourdes.

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Three nights in hotels in Rouen, Avignon, and our final night in Paris.

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High-speed train from Lourdes to Paris.

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All breakfasts and dinners.

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Most lunches For more information, contact: Brian Piecuch 616-392-6700 ext. 119 brian.piecuch@saintbenedictinstitute.org or Father Bill Vander Werff bvanderwerff@stfrancisholland.org