Farewell to Paris

 Just some final photographs as we bid farewell to Paris.  A few of us took an evening cruise down the Seine River to bid farewell to the city of lights on this beautiful Saturday

Day 10 - Paris - Panoramic Driving Tour, Notre Dame

 In the afternoon we had a panoramic driving tour of Paris and a Tour of Notre Dame.  Some of the sights we visited along the way included the Arc de’Triumphe, the Paris Opera House, the Invalides (where Napoleon is buried), Hotel De Ville, and the Champ Elysses.  

But nothing can top the historic and magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral.  Not only has it been a place of worship for 860 years but it has stood the test of war, fire, persecution and  revolution.  It was begun in the year 1163 and completed in 1260 and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the world.  It has been the subject of many books, movies and has inspired visitors from around the world.  The tragic fire of 2019 accidentally set by either a cigarette or an electrical fire brought the world to its knees wondering if it could ever be restored to its original beauty and elegance.  340,000 donors from around the world contributed over 700,000 euros (the equivalent of more than $928 million U.S. dollars) to restore the beautiful cathedral) and it reopened on December 8, 2025 to rave reviews.  I had the opportunity to sing with the Holy Angels choir many years ago and I can tell you that the restorations have made it brighter and more elegant than ever before.  It is truly breathtaking.  

Day 10 - Paris - The Final Day

Well we’ve come down to our final day and it was an outstanding one.  We started out with Mass at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal.  This is where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Labore two times and gave explicit instructions about a medal that she wished to be made to honor the sacred heart of Jesus and of Mary.  It was to be distributed generously to people and since the appearance has been attributed to many, many miracles.  St. Catherine’s body is incorrupt and is displayed in the church.  St. Vincent DePaul’s heart is also in the chapel encased in a reliquary to the right of the sanctuary.  I had the great privilege of celebrating the Mass not only with our pilgrim group but with pilgrims from around the world.  The chair that you see below is the chair the Blessed Mother sat on when she spoke to St. Catherine Labore.

The heart of St. Vincent DePaul in a reliquary.

After our Mass there we went to the Church of St. Vincent DePaul just a short distance from the Miraculous Medal Chapel.  Here we saw a beautiful little church with a wax figure of St. Vincent DePaul modeled exactly the way his body looked after his death.  It was just a small church located off the beaten path but really nice inside.  

Day 9 - Paris, Continued

After a nice lunch in Montmarte, we continued a bus tour of the city including a stop at the Eiffel Tower.  The Tower is an icon of the city of Paris.  No doubt it’s Paris’ most notable monument.  It was built for a World’s Fair and was supposed to be taken down 3 years after it was built but it remains as an important symbol of the city.  You can take an elevator all the way to the top but we didn’t have enough time to do so.  But I got some tremendous photographs of the tower nonetheless.

Also we got some nice photos of the Arc d’Triumphe even though they were taken from the bus window.  You can see a few other shots of the Seine river and other city photographs on the way to the hotel.  It’s been a long day (up since 3:00 a.m.) so we decided against an evening Seine river cruise tonight because tomorrow is a new day.  Below are some additional photos from today’s bus tour.

Day 9 - Paris, France

 Paris is a beautiful city.  We flew from Paris early this morning at 6:45 a.m. and arrived here around 8:30 a.m. We toured Sacre Cur and had a tour of the beautiful Basilica, a place where perpetual Eucharistic Adoration has occurred for the last 140 years.  We had Mass in the crypt of the basilica with our group of approximately 20 pilgrims.  Many of our fellow travelers headed to the Tolouse airport this morning and flew to Belgium, then to Newark and then home to Cleveland.  We extended our journey for an extra two days to Paris.  

The sacristan at Sacre Cur was interested to know that I was from Cleveland.  He had spent some time in a band touring the U.S. and had actually played in Cleveland while touring the U.S.  He was very welcoming to me and gave me some memorial cards from the basilica to give to our pilgrims.  The basilica is an interesting architecture utilizing a lot of moorish architecture and was built as a sort of way of thanking God for success in battle and as a form of contrition for having entered battle in the first place.  It is placed on a hilltop in a neighborhood mailed Montmarte, a neighborhood known for its artist community, known for its unique creative residents as well as many pubs, restaurants and bars.  

Day 8 - Lourdes, Day 2

Today’s day at Lourdes began very early for some.  Mass at the Grotto took place at 6:00 a.m. Several of our pilgrims got an early start for the day and attended the Mass.  Others attended a later mass at the basilica at 9:30 a.m. I concelebrating the later Mass with brother priests from around the world.  It was a beautiful mass in English with travelers from Ireland, England, the United States and other English speaking nations.  I even met up with a couple formerly from Warren, Ohio who moved to Lourdes about a year ago and who now volunteer at the shrine.  We talked for quite a while after the Mass.

We saw a short movie about the history of Lourdes and Bernadette of Souborouis and how the area has grown significantly.  We learned about the 3 million people who visit here every year and how the place has grown as a spiritual pilgrim site for so many looking for healing and wholeness.  We heard about the many popes who have visited here and how many miracles have been documented here.  

After the movie we divided up into two groups to experience the stations of the cross.  Some of us took the high road and some took the level road.  The high road took us up a very steep hill to pray the stations and the others took a very level route for the stations.  I led the group up a very high but scenically breathtaking route.  

After lunch most of us went to the baths.  This was an extraordinary experience.  The Blessed Mother urged Bernadette to drink and to bathe with the water that came from the rock where she appeared.  This water continues to flow today.  Many of us are bringing some of this water home with us.  But people also have the opportunity to bathe in the water.  Today only groups or the severely ill are welcome to bathe.  Our group was fortunate to snag a reservation at 3:30 p.m.  We were divided into groups of 4 by men and women.  We disrobed down to our underwear and then invited one by one into a bathing area, we disrobed completely and had a towel wrapped around us.  We asked what we wished to have prayed for, and then were escorted into the cold waters, helped down into the waters and dipped in, and invited to have water poured over our heads.  The water was both shockingly cold and invigorating at the same time.  The men prayed with me as I asked intercession for all those I brought with me to pray for, my own physical health and all my parishioners.  After all 4 of the men in my area were bathed in the water, the volunteers asked for my blessing and we prayed together.  It was a very beautiful and moving experience.

We end our time together as an entire group in just a few minutes from now.  We will take an hour to pray together, to reflect on this journey we’ve had together and to give thanks to God for what we’ve experienced and learned.  We will also take time to bless any religious articles that folks have purchased throughout the trip.

Some of us will continue on to Paris.  We will visit the chapel of the Miraculous Medal and Notre Dame Cathedral.  Others will head home from here.  But all will have been changed, in some way or form, by what they have experienced here - throughout these blessed days of pilgrimage.