France 2024

SWIFT24 Registration

France with Airfare:
     Double Occupancy: $4,250 
     Single Supplement: + $850

France - LAND ONLY
     Double Occupancy:  $3,350
     Single Supplement:  + $850

Deposit:
     Non-refundable deposit of $300 pp
     is due at registration.

Final Payment:
     Final balance due by:
     Friday, June 7, 2024

• Roundtrip transportation to/from St. Mary of the Lakes, Medford to Newark Airport
• Roundtrip transatlantic flights
• Services of a professional English-speaking tour escort/guide
• Listening Headset for entire tour
• Daily Mass
• All breakfasts and dinners according to the program
• Deluxe motor-coach for scheduled transfers and sightseeing
• First-class accommodations at all hotels
• Admission fees for all included sightseeing according to the itinerary
• Porterage for one suitcase per person
• All Tips for Driver/Guide, hotel staff and restaurants

• Travel Insurance / Additional Medical Insurance
• Visas needed for travel
• Meals not mentioned above
• Items of personal nature, private transportation or other expenses not included in the itinerary
• Stipends to the churches

• Lisieux:
  • Grand Hotel de l’Esperance
• Paris:
  • Hotel Paris Neuilly
• Paray le Monyal:
  • Hotel Des Trois Pigeons
• Avignon:
  • Novotel Avignon Nord
• Lourdes:
  • Hotel Gallia et Londres

Spiritual Director:  Rev. Dan Swift, Pastor
St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, NJ

Day 1. Sunday, September 22: Transatlantic flight to Paris, France.

Day 2. Monday, September 23: Paris, Lisieux

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

Day 3. Tuesday, September 24: Lisieux, Omaha Beach

This morning, visit the places relating to the life of St. Therese. Her extraordinary love for God and service to humanity come alive as you visit the Cathedral of St Peter, and Les Buissonets, her family home. On display are relics, clothing, and personal objects belonging to the "Little Flower." View the statue depicting the Virgin Mary who smiled at St. Therese during an ecstasy before curing her illness. Combine your prayers in the Carmel Chapel with those of the Carmelite sisters, just as St. Therese did before her death in 1897. Continue to Bayeux and celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Notre Dame de Bayeux. Time for lunch on your own in Bayeux. Continue to Omaha Beach, used by the American troops during the D-Day landings of 1944. Visit the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer and take time to pay your respects to the soldiers buried there. Return to Lisieux for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 4. Wednesday, September 25: Lisieux, Paris 

After breakfast we depart Lisieux and travel to Paris, stopping in Versailles for lunch. Continue to Paris with time to explore the Montmartre Quarter, followed by a visit to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, where perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has taken place uninterrupted since 1885. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Take a panoramic bus tour of the “City of Light” to see of some of the city’s most iconic sites, including Champs Elysees, Arch de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral (outside views only for all stops). Take a Seine River cruise this evening. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Paris. (B, D)

Day 5. Thursday, September 26: Paris

This morning, celebrate Mass at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. See the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure whose guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed Virgin displayed a vision of the Miraculous Medal and later the Green Scapular. Visit the Church of St. Vincent de Paul. Time for lunch on your own. This afternoon is at leisure. Dinner and overnight Paris. (B, D)

Day 6. Friday, September 27: Nevers, Paray Le Monial 

This morning departing Paris, we drive to Nevers, where St. Bernadette lived for twelve years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. The Saint suffered from a number of illnesses, such as asthma, tuberculosis of the lungs, and a tubercular tumor in her right knee. For this reason, St. Bernadette received "the Last Sacraments" three times and eventually passed away in 1879, at the age of thirty-five. We visit the Convent of Saint Gildard and celebrate Mass.  This evening we will enjoy dinner and overnight in Paray le Monial. (B, D)

Day 7. Saturday, September 28:  Paray Le Monial, Ars

We begin our day with a visit to the Chapel of the Visitation, where Jesus exposed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century. These apparitions allowed St. Margaret to rest upon Jesus' Sacred Heart and experience unconditional love for humanity. During our visit to this Holy place, we will have the opportunity to view relics of the beloved Saint, located beneath a wax figure of her. In the afternoon, we drive to Ars where we visit the Shrine dedicated to St. Jean Marie Vianney, the patron saint of the priesthood. We will visit the presbytery and the Basilica, where we will find the incorrupt body of the Cure of Ars. Here we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in Paray Le Monial.  (B, D)

Day 8. Sunday, September 29:  Paray Le Monial, Avignon 

This morning we depart for Avignon, the city once known as the Capital of the Catholic Church, as it was the Papal seat for most of the 14th century. We visit the Palace of the Popes with its many steps and celebrate Mass before settling into our hotel. Overnight Avignon (B, D) 

Day 9. Monday, September 30: Lourdes 

Following breakfast, we transfer to Lourdes. After time to check into our hotel, we celebrate Mass at the Basilica. In the afternoon, we have a walking tour of the Sanctuary, including the Grotto and the Basilica, and watch a video presentation explaining the apparitions of Lourdes. This evening we join the Candlelight Procession. Overnight in Lourdes. (B, D)

Day 10. Tuesday, October 1: Lourdes

Today we celebrate Mass at the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette; we drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed many and we visit the healing baths. 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 at the Stations of the Cross, and attend Blessing of the Sick in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes. (B, FD)

Day 11. Wednesday, October 2: 
This morning we are transferred to the airport for our flight home.  Arrive back in the USA this same day.

(B) Breakfast; (D) Dinner; (FD) Farewell Dinner

*In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.