top of page
Paris1.jpg

In the Footsteps of St. Mother Theodore Guerin and Highlights of

Northern France

July 12-22, 2023

visiting: Chartres, Ruillé-sur-Loir, Etables-sur-Mer, Mont St. Michel, Bayeux, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Lisieux, Paris and more!

Program Cost from Chicago

$4,849.00 per person - double occupancy

A limited number of single rooms may be available at a supplemental cost of $969.

Price is based on a minimum of 27 group members.

Deposit Schedule

• $500 per person due with reservation
•An additional $1200 per person is due by February1,2023

• Final payment is due by April l1, 2023

Wednesday, July 12 - Chicago Departure: Late this after- noon we will gather at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to begin our journey to Europe. Dinner and beverages will be served during our overnight flight.

Thursday, July 13 - Arrive Paris / Chartres: On arrival in Paris this morning we will meet our professional tour manager and coach driver. After boarding our private motorcoach we will drive the short distance to Chartres, where the Cathedral of Notre Dame is one of France’s most important places of pilgrimage and became a beacon of Christianity through the Middle Ages. Our tour of the Cathedral will reveal the treasures of this Gothic masterpiece, most famous for the vivid colors and narrative quality of its stained glass windows. Later we will check into our Chartres hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Friday, July 14 - Chartres (Excursion to Ruillé-sur-Loir): Today we will begin our journey in the footsteps of St. Théodore Guérin with a visit to the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Providence at Ruillé-sur-Loir. We will celebrate Mass, enjoy a guided visit of the Motherhouse and enjoy a lunch of regional specialties with the local Sisters. Late this afternoon will return to Chartres for a free evening. (B, L)

Saturday, July 15 - Chartres / Alencon / St. Malo: This morning we will journey to Alencon, famous for its lace since the 18th Century. It was here that St. Therese of Lisieux was born in 1873 to parents Louis and Zélie Martin, the first spouses to have been canonized in the Catholic Church. We will visit the family home of the Martin fam- ily, where St. Therese was born, and the Basilica where her parents were married. There will be free time for lunch be- fore we cross the border into Brittany to visit picturesque St Malo - lovingly reconstructed after World War II, with the original medieval ramparts still bearing witness to its ancient history. Dinner and overnight in St. Malo. (B, D)

Sunday, July 16 - St. Malo (Excursion to Étables-sur-Mer, Pléhédal and Ile de Bréhat): After breakfast we will continue our journey in the footsteps of the founders of the Sisters of Providence and travel through the heart of Brittany. We will visit Pléhédal, where the first Mother Superior, Marie-Madeleine was born, and then cross to the Ile-de-Bréhat where her successor, Mother Marie Lecor was born. And of course we will see the village of Étables-sur-Mer, the birthplace of St. Théodore Guérin, who led the first Sisters to Indiana. After our journey of discovery, we will return to St. Malo for an evening at leisure. (B)

Monday, July 17 - St. Malo / Mont St. Michel / Bayeux: Our first stop on today’s journey brings us to the dramatic island village of Mont-St-Michel, rising majestically off the Normandy coast, with the Abbey crowning its summit. After our formal tour of the Abbey, there will be free time for lunch and to wander the winding, cobbled streets, filled with delightful shops and cafes, before we continue to Bayeux in

the early afternoon. Here we will see the unique tapestry which records the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. We enjoy dinner and overnight in Bayeux. (B, D)

Tuesday, July 18 - Bayeux (Excursion to D-Day Beaches and Museum): Today will be dedicated to exploring the sites associated with the heroic events of D-Day - June 6, 1944. Our visits will include the D-Day Landings Museum at Arromanches-les-Bains, to gain an insight into the background of the invasion, the Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach, as well as the American Cemetery at St. Laurent-sur-Mer. At the end of a poignant and moving day, we will return to Bayeux in the late afternoon for a free evening. (B)

Wednesday, July 19 - Bayeux / Lisieux / Paris: This morning we will drive to Lisieux, where our sightseeing is dedicated to the life of St. Therese, with visits to her birthplace, the convent where she made her vows at the age of 15 and the Basilica which houses her tomb. In the late after- noon we will continue our journey to Paris for the last three nights of our tour. (B, D)

Thursday, July 20 - Paris: This morning’s sightseeing tour of the French capital and ‘City of Lights’ will include such famous sights as the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, under reconstruction following the devastating fire of 2019. With our guide we will visit the Sainte-Chapelle, which was built to house sacred relics, including the Crown of Thorns, fragments of the True Cross and the Holy Lance, and where almost every square inch of wall is filled with stained glass, so that the interior radiates with iridescent light. The afternoon and evening are free for shopping and individual exploration. Try the Musée d’Orsay for its Impressionist masterpieces, the iconic Louvre, the artists’ district of Montmartre, or per- haps the ascent of the Eiffel Tower, if the weather is good. Overnight in Paris. (B)

Friday, July 21 - Paris: Today we will take an excursion to the magnificent extravagance of Versailles, the very symbol of French pride and monarchy. To all intents and purposes, the palace was the capital of France for 150 years from the time it was built by Louis XIV to the outbreak of the French Revolution under his great-great-great grandson Louis XVI. Although relatively devoid of furnishings, the luxury of the State Apartments still reveals the excess and opulence which would eventually result in the Revolution. There will be time to explore the gardens and the Petit Trianon, playground of Queen Marie-Antointette, before we return to Paris. This evening we will enjoy our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B, D)

Saturday, July 22 - Paris / Chicago: This morning we will transfer to the airport to begin our journey home. We arrive in Chicago early this afternoon. Welcome Home!!

B - Breakfast, D - Dinner

Program Highlights

• Round trip air transportation from Chicago, including taxes and fees in effect as of November, 2022

• 9 nights accommodations in first class (3 & 4 star) hotels

• Breakfast daily

• 1 lunch and 5 dinners as noted in the itinerary

• Professional tour manager to accompany the group in Europe

• European transportation via private motorcoach

• Comprehensive sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary, including applicable entrance fees

• Porterage of one suitcase per person at European hotels

bottom of page