Menu
June 1 to 12, 2025 (12 days / 10 nights)
Experience a group pilgrimage accompanied by Abbé Réjean Lessard to France in June 2025.
THIS JOURNEY IS GUIDED IN FRENCH
5,190.00$ – 5,740.00$
CULTURAL TRIPS
CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGES
Discover the emblematic places in the life of Saint Thérèse on this pilgrimage to France. Discover Alençon, Saint Thérèse’s birthplace, and Lisieux, the place of her childhood and religious vocation. You’ll also discover the majestic Chartres Cathedral, a jewel of French heritage, and Nevers, where St. Bernadette is laid to rest. Finish your pilgrimage in Paris, with a visit to the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Basilica of Notre-Dame des Victoires. This journey invites you to meditate and recharge your batteries in the footsteps of Saint Therese, in places steeped in spirituality and history.
Highlights
Highlights
Ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1974. 1974 – 1983: curate in the Ancienne-Lorette parish and Christian education advisor to the Ancienne-Lorette school board. 1983 -1990: family ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Quebec. 1990-1994: parish priest at Bienville parish in Lévis. 1994-2001: chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces at Valcartier, participated in UN missions, particularly in Bosnia and Haiti. 2001- 2014 parish priest at Ste-Brigitte de Laval and Ste-Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus parishes. Since 2004: rector of the diocesan sanctuary of Ste-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus.
Flight from Montreal to Paris. Meals and overnight on board. Departure from Montreal on June 1 at 9:30pm – Arrival at Paris CDG on June 2 at 10:20am (flight times are subject to change).
Arrival in Paris, then coach transfer to Alençon. Approx. 4.5 hrs drive + break. Lunch en route. Arrival in Alençon mid-afternoon. Pilgrimage opening mass at Chapelle Sainte Thérèse. Accommodation: Maison d’accueil Louis et Zelie or similar.
Morning guided tour of the Maison de la Famille Martin. Discover a historical gallery, display family objects, watch a film (18 minutes) based on Louis and Zélie’s family correspondence. We’ll then move on to Thérèse’s chapel and birthplace (approx. 01:15). Then, a guided tour of the Martin family’s living quarters: Pont de la rencontre, the site of Louis’ watchmaking business and the Martin family’s first home, Saint-Pierre de Montsort church and the Pavillon (a place he bought before his marriage, where he liked to retreat to meditate, read and rest – about a 15-minute walk). Dinner at leisure. In the afternoon, guided tour of Notre Dame Basilica, where saints Louis and Zélie Martin were married and Sainte Thérèse was baptized. Mass at Notre Dame Basilica. Coach journey to Lisieux. Installation, dinner and overnight in Lisieux. Accommodation: Foyer Louis et Zélie Martin.
A day’s pilgrimage to Lisieux in the footsteps of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, allowing us to meditate and pray at the major Theresian sites: the Carmelite Convent of Lisieux, the Basilica and family home of Saint Therese “Les Buissonnets”, and St. Peter’s Cathedral. The pilgrimage also provides an opportunity to pray to Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Thérèse’s parents, beatified in 2008 and canonized in 2014, models of the Christian family and of fathers and mothers who led a God-focused life. Dinner on your own. Visit to St. Peter’s Cathedral, where, for over ten years, Thérèse went every Sunday and often during the week, with her father and sisters, to take part in the Eucharist. In the south ambulatory, a marble plaque marks the spot where Thérèse attended Sunday high mass. Mass at Lisieux Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Lisieux. Accommodation: Foyer Louis et Zélie Martin.
Breakfast. Morning drive to Notre Dame des Victoires church in Trouville sur mer. Approx. 45 minutes. Then on to Honfleur. Approx. 30 minutes. In the morning, visit the town of Honfleur and learn about the history of Jacques Cartier. Honfleur is a charming port town in Normandy, France. It’s known for its old basin surrounded by picturesque houses, art galleries, ancient churches and cobblestone streets. Many Canadian pilgrims visit Honfleur because of its rich history and peaceful atmosphere. Dinner on your own. Afternoon visit to Fécamp and interior tour of the Benedictine Palace. The story begins in 1510 at Fécamp Abbey, when Benedictine monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli is said to have created a secret elixir that was so successful that it continued to be produced by the Benedictine monks of Fécamp until the French Revolution. But one day in 1863, Alexandre Le Grand, a wine merchant from Fécamp, discovered by chance in his library the composition of this elixir, which had been lost during the French Revolution. Intrigued, he decided to decipher it, and succeeded in reconstructing it after a year’s effort. The elixir became a liqueur he named Benedictine, in honor of the Benedictine monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli. He had the sumptuous Palais Bénédictine built to provide a prestigious setting for the liqueur’s distillery (still in operation today) and its collection of works of art. Allow around 1H45. Return to Lisieux by coach. Dinner and overnight in Lisieux. Accommodation: Foyer Louis et Zélie Martin.
We have breakfast. The whole day is taken up with D-Day, as we drive along the beaches of Normandy: Arromanches and above all Juno Beach, where 14,000 Canadians and 9,000 British landed on June 6, 1944. Courseulles was liberated the same day, but the Battle of Normandy, the prelude to the Liberation, was to last 10 weeks and cost the lives of 5,500 young Canadians, all of whom enlisted voluntarily. Visit the Juno Beach Centre, opened in 2003 on the initiative of veterans and their families, the only museum dedicated to Canadians and their history during the Second World War. Dinner at leisure. Check-in, dinner and overnight in Caen. Accommodation: Hotel Crocus or similar.
Breakfast. Visit to the Abbaye-aux-Hommes. Consecrated in 1077, the church of the Abbatiale Saint Etienne, most of which dates from the 11th and 13th centuries, is the oldest part of the complex. The choir, remodeled in the 13th century in the Gothic style, houses the tomb of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England. The monastery, built in the 11th century, was destroyed during the Wars of Religion (1562-63), then rebuilt in the 18th century. The monastic buildings are built around a Tuscan-style cloister. Two 14th-century dwellings bear witness to the abbey’s hospitable and political role. Today, the buildings are home to the town hall. Together with the recently restored Place Saint-Sauveur, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes forms a unique heritage ensemble. Dinner at leisure. Afternoon visit to the Visitandine Monastery. The Caen monastery was founded in 1627, just five years after the death of St. François de Sales, who had established the Order to “give God such interior daughters of prayer that they may be found worthy to adore him in spirit and in truth”. During the Revolution in 1792, the monastery was confiscated, and the sisters were forced to disperse. In the early 19th century, once calm had returned, the sisters acquired a plot of land in the former abbey village, and gradually built the present monastery buildings. Léonie Martin, the sister of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, entered the Visitation de Caen three times: in 1887, 1893 and 1895, when she took the habit under the name of Sister Thérèse-Dosithée, then definitively in 1899 under the name of Sister Françoise-Thérèse. She died in 1941 and her body is buried in the chapel crypt. A meeting with the nuns will be organized, subject to availability. Mass. Coach transfer. Installation, dinner and overnight at Mont Saint Michel. Lodging: Hôtel Vert or similar.
Morning guided tour of Mont Saint Michel Abbey. Built in the 8th century on a granite rock surrounded by marshes and shifting sands, the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel offers visitors a dreamlike setting. Two communities of monks and nuns from the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem are present at the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, providing daily prayer (offices, mass) and monastic hospitality. Meeting with a brother or sister of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem at the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel (subject to availability). 12:15pm: Participation in Mass at the Abbey (subject to availability on this day of Pentecost). Dinner at leisure at Le Mont. In the afternoon, guided discovery of the village of Mont Saint Michel and its history, through its many narrow streets. Free time. Accommodation: Hôtel Vert or similar.
Continental breakfast. Morning drive to Chartres. Dinner at leisure. Visit to Chartres Cathedral, an important pilgrimage site in France for its architectural beauty and religious significance. Built in the 12th century, it is renowned for its magnificent stained glass windows, sculpted façade and crypt housing the Holy Tunic. Pilgrims come here to admire sacred art, meditate and take part in religious celebrations. A place steeped in history and spirituality, it attracts many visitors every year. Mass at Chartres Cathedral. Installation, dinner and overnight in Chartres.
After breakfast, drive to Nevers. Morning drive to Nevers. Dinner on your own. Arrival at the Sanctuaire de Nevers – Espace Bernadette Soubirous and welcome by Père Sauvant, rector of the Sanctuaire. Discovery of the Nevers Sanctuary. Viewing of a video on Bernadette’s life (30 minutes). Guided tour in French “Sur les pas de Bernadette” to discover the life of Saint Bernadette in Nevers, through the places where she lived. (1h30) Mass at the Shrine. Installation, dinner and overnight stay in Nevers. Lodging: Espace Bermadette.
Continental breakfast. Morning drive to Paris. Dinner at leisure. Afternoon visit to Ile de la Cité, followed by a guided tour of Notre-Dame Cathedral, the capital’s most famous religious building. Its construction by the people of Paris began in 1163, at the same time as the former Hôtel Dieu, and was completed in 1300. First a Gallo-Roman temple, then a Christian basilica and finally a Roman church, today’s Notre Dame was founded by Bishop Maurice de Sully. Mass. Visit to the Basilica of Notre-Dame des Victoires. Installation, dinner and overnight in Paris. Lodging: Enclos Rey.
Transfer to Paris airport and return flight to Montreal. Departure from Paris on June 12 at 12:20 pm – Arrival in Montreal on June 12 at 2:00 pm. (Flight times subject to change). ***Masses and meetings are subject to availability of venues and speakers. Likewise, the order of visits may be subject to change. However, all visits mentioned in the program will be respected.
PRICE
Early booking: $5,190 / pers. (double occupancy). Early-bird discount of $100 if booked before February 1, 2025.
Regular price: $5,290 / pers. (double occupancy)
Single room supplement: + $550 / pers.
*Spiritours offers the possibility of pairing, but exceptionally, Spiritours cannot assume the additional costs for single occupancy if we are unable to pair you.
* All prices are based on the exchange rate in effect on July 17, 2024.
PACKAGE INCLUDES
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE
REGISTRATION
Registration deadline: April 1, 2025 (60 days before departure or when the maximum number of passengers is reached). It is possible to register after this date, but a supplement may apply.
To register: you can register on our website (see top right of the trip web page) or download and fill in the PDF form and send it to us with your $750 deposit. Please register as soon as possible, as places are limited. Please enclose a photocopy of your passport with your registration (international travel only).
Travel insurance: for travel insurance, contact us to find out your premium.
Number of participants
Minimum 25 – Maximum 30
Documentation required: All Canadian travelers to Europe must be in possession of a passport valid for at least three months beyond the planned return date.
For further information, please contact
Shaina-Solange Louis-Jean
(514) 374-7965, ext. 200
shaina.LJ@spiritours.com
Travel insurance is undoubtedly a PEACE OF MIND that allows you to live and fully enjoy your trip. It allows you to deal with the unexpected without finding yourself with a financial burden. Travel insurance allows you to travel in complete SAFETY. Did you know that when you take a group trip with Spiritours, you automatically get a 10% discount on your insurance? Check with your agent for more information, or click below to shop for an individual insurance premium with Blue Cross.
Phone Canada: 514-374-7965
Toll-free: 1-866-331-7965 (CAN & USA)
Fax: 514-788-1520
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Travel agent license. Consumer protection office permit number: 702758
Spiritours © 2021 | Webmaster & Graphic Designer : StudioNico.biz
The prices advertised on our site are valid if you purchase services during the same session. If you disconnect from our site, the prices may be different on your next session.
Avant de partir, n’oubliez pas de vérifier votre panier d’achats, réserver le voyage de ressourcement de vos rêves aujourd’hui avant qu’il n’y ait plus de place. / Before you leave, don't forget to check your shopping cart, book your dream retreat today before it sells out.
