A Marian Pilgrimage to France, Spain, & Portugal with Venerable Fulton Sheen

Depart this evening on an overnight flight from Chicago to Paris. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane.

Welcome to France. Upon arrival at the airport, we are greeted by our English-speaking French guide. We board our motorcoach for a two-hour drive to Lisieux, the home of St. Theresa the Little Flower. Upon arriving at this lovely town in Normandy, we celebrate Mass at the Carmel Convent. We settle into our hotel for a good night’s rest. Dinner and overnight in Lisieux. (D)

Our exploration of Lisieux this morning includes visiting Les Buissonnets, the humble dwelling of the Saint. We see all the places associated with the lives of the beloved saint, including the magnificent Basilica of St. Therese and the Crypt where we celebrate Mass. Upon return to Paris we visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and time permitting Notra Dame Cathedral. Dinner is at leisure in Paris with an opportunity to enjoy local food or take the optional dinner cruise on the beautiful and historic Seine River, and be amazed at the view of Paris at night from the river.
Overnight in Paris. (B.) Optional dinner cruise $ 140.00 per person, reservations are required no later than June 10, 2024

This morning, we visit the Miraculous Medal Shrine for Mass and to see the incorrupt remains of St. Catherine. Nearby we see the heart of St.Vincent de Paul in the Chapel of the Daughters of Charity. We are transferred to the train station, where we board the bullet TGV train, which takes us across France to Lourdes. Upon arrival, we are transferred to our hotel in Lourdes. Following dinner, we join pilgrims from all over the world for the Candlelight Procession. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes. (B.D.)

We celebrate Mass, visit the Basilica and the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette. We visit the miraculous baths that have healed many with their healing water. Our 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, we pray Stations of the Cross, and we attend Blessing of the Sick in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes. (B.D.)

Following early Mass we depart from Lourdes to Madrid. Upon arrival we check into our hotel for dinner and an overnight. (B.D.)

We depart our hotel in Madrid driving south to the small village of Guadalupe, where we see the image of the dark skinned Madonna in the Monastery of the St. Mary of Guadalupe. Despite the remarkable similarities of their origin stories, Spain and Mexico’s respective Guadalupes are rarely mentioned together. St. Pope John Paul II brought the Spanish Guadalupe into the spotlight in 1982 when he became the first pope to visit the monastery, where her image is kept. There, he made a surprising confession. “The great esteem I have for the Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico is unquestionable,” the pope said. “But I realize that her origins are here. I should have come here before going to the Tepeyac Basilica to better understand Mexican devotion.” We visit the church, we hear a talk by Dr. Peter Howard and celebrate Mass in this sacred spot. Return to Madrid for dinner and overnight. (B.D.)

Avila, the magnificent walled city dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila, awaits us today. Here the atmosphere has changed very little since the days of St. Theresa, to whom the city is dedicated. St. Theresa the great mystic, was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. We will see the Cathedral and the Cuatro Postes (four columns), which commemorates St. Teresa, who, at the age of seven, convinced her brother to run away with her to die as martyrs in the land of the Moors. Their uncle caught them at the Cuatro Postes site and returned them home. Mass will be celebrated. We continue the day with a drive to Fatima. Dinner and overnight in Fatima. (B.D.)

We are blessed to have three full days in Fatima, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world, well-known for the story of the apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in 1917. Our walking tour of Fatima includes visiting Aljustrel, where the shepherd children lived, Valinhos, the site of Our Lady’s appearance after the children returned from prison, the Basilica, and the tombs of the children on the Cova da Iria. Mass is scheduled at the Little Chapel of Apparitions and at the Basilica. In the afternoon, we pray the Way of the Cross and see the Chapel of St. Stephen and Lucia’s Well, where the Angel spoke to the children. We will drive to the nearby Santarem to visit the Church of St. Stephen, containing the Eucharistic Miracle. In the evening we participate in the Candlelight and Blessed Sacrament Procession. Overnight and dinner in Fatima. (B.D.)

This morning we are transferred to the airport for our flights home. (B.)

This trip includes group airfare from Newark/JFK. Please note that "group airfare" means you are booked with other travelers in a block of seats that are assigned by the airline when you check in for your flight (24 hours prior to travel). If you require specific seats, we suggest that you upgrade after enrollment or book your own