Dear Women of St. Francis,
For centuries, Catholic women have crossed seas and mountains to kneel before Our Lady. This April, we are making that journey together — grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and friends from our parish family — to the soil of France, the land the Church has long called her Eldest Daughter. Together we will walk in the footsteps of Saint Bernadette at Lourdes, kneel at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal where Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, and enter the great cathedrals of Paris where the faith of a nation has been carved into stone.
What sets this pilgrimage apart is the company. Traveling with the women of our parish opens a space that is hard to come by at home — an unhurried place to pray, to listen, and to speak of the things that matter most. A mother and daughter kneeling side by side at the Grotto. A grandmother passing a candle to a granddaughter at the evening procession. A friend entrusting an old wound to Our Lady beneath the stars. These are the moments we are going for.
Come with your mother, your daughter, your sister, or a friend. Come alone if that is where the Spirit has led you. Come with the graces you hope for and the burdens you are ready to lay down. We are not setting out to sightsee; we are setting out for seeds of grace — the kind that take root long after the plane lands back in Denver. Our Lady is waiting.
A pilgrimage to the Marian shrines of France is not a tour of beautiful churches. It is a journey undertaken at the invitation of Our Lady herself — an opportunity to enter more deeply into the mystery of her Fiat, her total surrender to God, and to ask her to teach us to do the same. The difference between a tourist and a pilgrim is not the itinerary; it is the posture of the heart.
At each place on this pilgrimage, Our Lady’s message has been consistent across the centuries: conversion, prayer, penance, and trust in God. She pointed St. Bernadette to the spring at Lourdes and told her to dig. She placed the Miraculous Medal into the hands of St. Catherine Labouré and asked her to have it made. She called the humble and the hidden — young women, peasants, daughters — and made them her messengers. These were not destinations for sightseeing; they were encounters with a Mother who never stops interceding for her children. Come prepared to be changed.
Before you depart, write down 3 to 5 specific intentions — a loved one in need of healing, a relationship broken by sin, a grace urgently needed. Do not be vague. “Pray for my family” is a start; “Pray for my son’s return to the sacraments” is a Marian pilgrimage intention. Carry these with you to each shrine and entrust them to Our Lady at every grotto, altar, and chapel.
The great Marian shrines are places where heaven has touched earth. Lourdes draws millions of pilgrims annually — it is not always quiet. Learn to find interior stillness in the midst of the crowds. The Grotto of Massabielle is not just a geological feature; it is a threshold between the seen and the unseen. Arrive, kneel, and give the silence within you more than you give to your phone.
At Lourdes, pilgrims are invited to wash their face and hands from the miraculous spring — a gesture that echoes Our Lady’s own words to Bernadette: “Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” This simple act of humility and trust is not a lesser gesture than the pilgrim might expect; it is precisely the kind of childlike obedience Our Lady asked of Bernadette. Come to the spring with open hands and a surrendered heart. The grace is in the going.
Read about each shrine — its apparitions, its history, and the saints associated with it. Spiritual preparation transforms a visit into an encounter.
Walk through Pilgrim Heart — A Pre-Pilgrimage Retreat together as a group. Seven short sessions designed to prepare your heart for the graces awaiting you in France — ideal to pray through in the months before we depart.
Arrive in a state of grace. Plan to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation at home before we depart — and know that priests hear Confessions at Lourdes throughout the day in many languages. Arriving with a heart restored will open you fully to the graces of these holy places.
Begin praying the Rosary now, before you depart. Every Marian shrine is a school of the Rosary — Our Lady has specifically requested it at Lourdes, Fatima, and countless apparitions.
“By A Different Way: A Catholic Guide to Pilgrim Spirituality”
The Eucharist celebrated at the great shrines of Our Lady is the summit of this pilgrimage. Come with hungry hearts.
Lourdes’ nightly Marian procession, begun in 1863, is one of the most moving experiences in all of Catholic pilgrimage. Embrace it fully.
Keep a small notebook. Write what surprised you, what moved you, what Our Lady seemed to be saying to your heart at each shrine.
Throughout this journey, we will pray for:
This pilgrimage moves at a comfortable pilgrim pace, with walking primarily at historic sites in Paris and around the Sanctuary of Lourdes. Expect cobblestone streets, some steps, and periods of standing at outdoor processions and inside churches. Approximately 2–3 miles per day. Comfortable, well broken-in walking shoes and modest attire for all shrines and churches are recommended.
Our pilgrimage begins as we depart on our overnight flight to Paris. Meals and refreshments will be served aloft. Use this time of transition to pray your intentions and ask Our Lady to open your heart to the graces awaiting you at each shrine.
The Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées
Upon arrival in Paris this morning, we will be met at the airport by our local Pilgrimage Manager. After Mass, we will enjoy a tour of the “City of Light,” including visits to the Eiffel Tower (outside visit), the famous Opera House (outside visit), and the Arc de Triomphe (outside visit). The balance of the day will be free. We will then transfer to our hotel for check-in and dinner.
The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowning the heights of Montmartre
Our first pilgrim stop today is the Shrine of St. Vincent de Paul, where the saint’s body is on display in a reliquary. From there, we go a short distance to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal at Rue du Bac — the very place where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830, and where the incorrupt body of this beloved saint can be venerated. We then journey to the top of Montmartre and visit the radiant Basilica of Sacré-Cœur. The remainder of the afternoon is free. Tonight, we will enjoy a dinner cruise on the Seine River.
Notre-Dame de Paris — reopened after the 2019 fire
Today begins at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, housing the relic of St. Genevieve, patron saint of Paris, whose prayers are credited with turning Attila the Hun from the city in 451. Then we cross to the Île de la Cité and visit Notre-Dame Cathedral, reopened after the devastating fire of 2019 and standing again as the great Gothic heart of Catholic France. Just a few blocks away, we visit Sainte-Chapelle, built in 1248 by St. Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns — a jewel box of stained glass among the most captivating in the world. Afterwards, enjoy some free time before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Lourdes — the peaceful village that welcomes millions of pilgrims each year
Early this morning, we board the high-speed train to Lourdes, one of the great pilgrimage shrines of the world. As the French countryside unfolds outside our windows, we take time for prayer and group reflection on the road ahead. It was here in 1858 that Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous, proclaiming herself the “Immaculate Conception” and directing the young peasant girl to uncover the miraculous spring. This peaceful village is known the world over for its healing waters. This evening, we join hundreds of other pilgrims in the Blessed Sacrament Procession and the moving Candlelight Procession that have endured since the time of the apparitions. Lourdes will be our home for the next two nights.
The Grotto of Massabielle — the threshold between heaven and earth
Bask in the grace of Lourdes all day. We celebrate Mass at the Grotto of Massabielle, where Our Lady first appeared to St. Bernadette and invited her to dig for the spring now known across the world for its many miracles of healing. We also visit the Cachot — the humble home where Bernadette and her family lived during the apparitions. Pilgrims are invited to wash their face and hands at the miraculous spring, following Our Lady’s own words to Bernadette: “Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” Tonight, we again join thousands of other pilgrims in the Candlelight Procession, lifting our prayer and song together.
Today marks the end of a marvelous experience as we transfer to Pau airport for our return trip home via Paris, filled with memories and graces of this pilgrimage that will last a lifetime. Like Our Lady herself, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19), may we carry home the graces of Lourdes and Paris — lived in our families, our parish, and our daily encounter with Christ.
“To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendor and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”— Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
This pilgrimage moves at a comfortable pilgrim pace, with walking primarily at historic sites in Paris and around the Sanctuary of Lourdes. Expect cobblestone streets, some steps, and periods of standing at outdoor processions and inside churches. Approximately 2–3 miles per day. Comfortable, well broken-in walking shoes and modest attire for all shrines and churches are recommended.
| Base price per person | $3,390.00 |
| Air taxes / fuel surcharges | $770.63 |
| Estimated Total Per Person | $4,160.63 |
Pricing is estimated. Air taxes and fuel surcharges are subject to change and will be updated on the final invoice. Gratuities of $180 per person will be added to the final invoice. The final invoice will be emailed approximately 3 months prior to departure. Contact Tekton Ministries for information about single room supplements.
Travel insurance is not required for this pilgrimage, but it is strongly encouraged. Coverage can protect your investment in the event of trip cancellation, medical emergencies abroad, baggage loss, or unexpected travel disruption — bringing real peace of mind in the weeks leading up to departure.
Average conditions for mid-April in France
Modest attire is required at all shrines and churches (shoulders and knees covered). Bring comfortable, broken-in walking shoes for cobblestone streets and uneven terrain.
“A pilgrimage is not a vacation. It is a transformative journey that begins with a single act of surrender: the willingness to leave behind what is familiar and step into what God has prepared.”— By A Different Way: A Catholic Guide to Pilgrim Spirituality