1 SAMPLE DAY BY DAY I TINERARY Day 1, Sunday, November 29: Depart for Paris Michel's resolute resistance inspired the French, especially Joan of Arc. Fol- Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight lowing this visit we make our way to Lisieux, enjoy some free time before flight(s). Your meals will be served on board. dinner. Day 2, Monday, November 30: Arrive Paris-Reims Day 8, Sunday, December 06 Lisieux Upon arriving at Paris airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and After breakfast at the hotel, we will see the beautiful Basilica of St. Therese, collect your luggage and then proceed to the arrival's hall, where you will be and the magnificent mosaics and stained glass that are contained within. St. greeted by your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel. Therese was heavily influenced by Joan of Arc writing two plays “The Mis- After check in we will visit Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, one of Europe's sion of Joan of Arc” and the other, “Joan of Arc Accomplishing Her Mis- most important Gothic structures. A World Heritage site, the 13th century sion.” The same passion that drove Joan of Arc to defeat all odds and save cathedral has characteristics all its own, in particular its lighting, statuary and France kept alive the flame of love in the heart of Thérèse. We will continue unity of style. with visit of her family home Les Buissonets as well as the Carmelite Con- Notre-Dame boasts an exceptionally rich statuary. The cathedral is adorned vent, where she entered in 1888, and is currently entombed in with her par- with 2,303 statues, including the famous Smiling Angel, whose jovial expres- ents. In the museum of the Carmelite Convent the custom that Saint Therese sion reflects the Champagne School of the 13th century. In French, Notre wore when she played Joan of Arc is on display. Dame means “Our Lady”, so the literal translation of the cathedral’s name is Our Lady of Reims. The pinnacle of Joan of Arc's career occurred on July 17, Day 9, Monday, December 07: Lisieux – Rouen – Paris 1429 when Charles VII was crowned King of France in the Cathedral of This morning we depart to Rouen. Located less than two hours from Paris, Reims. Joan was later described as kneeling before Charles while embracing Rouen and the Seine Valley are a haven of peace for locals and foreigners. his legs and through tears of joy looking up at him and saying: "Noble King, With its many monuments, the tallest cathedral in France, its cultural heritage, now is accomplished the pleasure of God, who willed that I should raise its gastronomy and local products, its events and its central location, only the siege of Orleans and should bring you to this city of Reims to receive Rouen could be the capital of Normandy! We can’t talk about Rouen without your holy coronation, thus showing that you are the true King, him to mentioning its symbolic figure Joan of Arc, who is given the place of honor in whom the throne of France must belong." the city of a hundred Spires. The Duke of Bedford, John of Lancaster, bought All the kings of France were crowned in Reims Cathedral. Dinner and over- Joan of Arc her liberty from the Duke of Burgundy who had been keeping her night in Reims. in jail since May 1430, she was sent to be tried in the city during Christmas 1430. After a long trial by a church court, she was sentenced to be burned at Day 3, Tuesday, December 01: Reims – Domrémy-la-Pucelle – the stake. The sentence was carried out on May 30 1431 in the city, and most Vaucouleurs - Reims residents supported the Duke of Burgundy, Joan of Arc's royal enemy. After breakfast at your hotel, you will transfer to Domrémy-la-Pucelle which is here St. Joan of Arc (“la Pucelle”) was born in 1412. We will celebrate Day 10, Tuesday, December 08: Paris Mass at the parish church of Saint-Remy where Joan of Arc was baptized. It In the morning will visit and celebrate Mass at the Saint Joan of Arc Basilica. is, located in, the heart of the village, near her Birthplace. The tower, attached The church was first proposed in 1914 as a votive offering for the safety of to the building, to the north, is dated from the 13th century. Classified as His- Paris during the opening stages of World War I, which was attributed to the toric Monuments since 1946, it preserves contemporary vestiges of St. Joan of intervention of Joan of Arc. The new church was to be built next to the only Arc. We will stop in Vaucouleurs, where St. Joan of Arc began her mission Parisian church known to have been visited by Joan, the church of Saint- enlisting the help of Robert De Baudricourt to take her to the Dauphin of Denys de la Chapelle, where Joan prayed one night in 1429. After Mass, we France. We will return to Reims for dinner and overnight. will start the sightseeing tour of Paris. We will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where we will view the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Day 4, Wednesday, December 02: Reims – Troyes – Orleans Laboure. The Saint's guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed We will enjoy breakfast at the hotel before making our way to Troyes. While Virgin Mary appeared to her. During apparitions, Our Lady repeatedly in- Troyes, where the treaty of Troyes was signed, we will visit the Troyes Cathe- structed the making and purpose of the Miraculous Medal. According to the dral, where Joan of Arc escorted the Dauphin to Mass. We will also have an Blessed Virgin Mary, those who wear the Miraculous Medal will receive opportunity to celebrate Mass here. Next, we travel to Orleans where St. Joan special protection and abundant graces. After the visit we will walk to Saint of Arc is known as “The Maid of Orleans”. The voices of Saint Michael the Vincent de Paul Church where we will find Saint Paul’s incorrupt body. Our Archangel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret visited her daily telling her to sightseeing tour via motor coach continues on to the most recognizable sym- ‘Go into France’ to raise the siege of Orleans. Hotel check in and overnight. bol of the city of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, L'Arch de Triomphe, the Champ- Elysees, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral (Due to the tragic fire at Day 5, Thursday, December 03: Orleans - Loches - Tours Notre Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019, Pilgrims will not be able to enter Following breakfast, we will visit Orléans Cathedral the cathedral is probably the Cathedral for the near future but we will still have the opportunity to view most famous for its association with Joan of Arc, with the stained-glass win- the Cathedral from outside). We will end the day with a visit to Montmartre dows depict her story. Our pilgrimage continues to Loches, to visit Belli Hill. From the dawn of time Montmartre has been a place of worship: from Locus, the great abbey dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem). The royal the Druids of ancient Gaul, through the Romans with their temples dedicated lodge, built by Charles VII of France and once used as the subprefecture, to Mars and Mercury, to the Church of Saint Peter, the oldest in Paris where contains the oratory of Anne of Brittany. It was here on 11 May 1429 that on August 15, 1534, Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six other young men, in- Joan of Arc arrived, fresh from her historic victory at Orleans, to meet the cluding Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Peter Faber, gathered and professed king. We continue on to Tours for hotel check in, dinner and overnight. vows of poverty, chastity, and later obedience, including a special vow of obedience to the Pope in matters of mission direction and assignment, found- Day 6, Friday, December 04: Tours – Poitiers – Chinon – Tours ing the Company of Jesus. Finally, the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur, erected at This morning we travel to Poitiers, it is here that the Dauphin ordered back- the end of the 19th century, built as a reaction to the exactions committed ground inquiries and a theological examination to verify St. Joan of Arc’s during the Paris Commune. morality and her claims to be tested by seeing if she could lift the siege of Orléans as she had predicted. We then continue to Chinon castle, this is Day 11, Wednesday, December 09: Paris where the first meeting with King Charles VII took place. We will celebrate We depart Paris today as our journey takes us on to the great Cathedral city of Mass at Chapelle Sainte Radegonde. Return to the hotel for dinner and peace- Chartres where we enter inside the magnificent 13th century Chartres Cathe- ful overnight. dral, a medieval architectural wonder and home to the Holy Veil, said to be worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. We will also Day 7, Saturday, December 05: Tours – Le Mont Saint Michel - Lisieux be able to see the most famous labyrinth in the world, built around the year After breakfast at the hotel we will travel to Mont St. Michel, where the Mon- 1200 and sometimes called the "Chemin de Jerusalem" or Road of Jerusalem. astery of Le Mont St.