Proposed Itinerary

Day 1 — USA – Paris

Our Pilgrimage Begins

Departure from your selected U.S. airport for our overnight international flight to Paris.

As our pilgrimage begins, we prepare to encounter France through the extraordinary story of one of its most beloved saints.

Overnight flight.

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Day 2 — Arrival in Paris

Welcome to France

Upon arrival at Paris Airport, we will meet our local representatives and transfer to our hotel.

Depending on flight schedules, we will celebrate our first Holy Mass together and have time to rest after our journey.

In the evening, we gather for our welcome dinner and an introduction to the spiritual journey ahead.

Dinner and overnight in Paris.

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THE MISSION BEGINS

Day 3 — Paris – Reims

From Notre-Dame to the Cathedral of the Kings

After breakfast, we begin at one of the great symbols of Christian France: Notre-Dame de Paris.

For centuries, this cathedral has witnessed the prayers, joys, crises and transformations of the French people.

From Paris, we travel to Reims, where Joan’s extraordinary mission reached one of its defining moments.

We visit magnificent Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, the traditional coronation church of the kings of France.

On July 17, 1429, Charles VII was crowned here with Joan nearby.

For Joan, this was not primarily a political triumph. She understood it as the fulfillment of the mission entrusted to her by God: to help Charles reach Reims and receive his coronation.

Standing inside the cathedral allows us to understand the extraordinary distance Joan had traveled—not merely geographically, but spiritually—from an unknown teenage girl in Domrémy to a witness at one of the defining events of French history. The source itinerary likewise presents Reims as the culmination of this phase of Joan’s mission.

Holy Mass according to arrangements. Dinner and overnight in Reims.

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Day 4 — Reims – Domrémy-la-Pucelle – Vaucouleurs – Reims

The Childhood & Calling of St. Joan of Arc

Today we travel to the beginning of Joan’s story.

We arrive in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, the small village where she was born around 1412.

Here we encounter Joan not as the warrior portrayed in paintings and films, but as a young Catholic girl whose spiritual life was formed through her family, parish and village.

We visit her birthplace and the Parish Church of Saint-Rémy, where Joan was baptized and where elements dating from her lifetime remain.

Here we celebrate Holy Mass and reflect upon our own baptismal vocation.

We then continue to Vaucouleurs.

It was here that Joan sought the assistance of Robert de Baudricourt, asking for the support necessary to reach the future Charles VII.

Initially dismissed, Joan persisted.

Eventually, she was given the opportunity to begin the dangerous journey that would change both her life and the history of France.

Return to Reims.

Dinner and overnight in Reims.

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Day 5 — Reims – Troyes – Orléans

Toward the City Joan Helped Liberate

After breakfast, departure toward Troyes.

We visit its magnificent cathedral, associated with Joan’s journey alongside Charles VII toward his coronation at Reims.

After time for prayer and Holy Mass according to arrangements, we continue to one of the most important destinations of our pilgrimage:

Orléans.

By 1429, the city was under siege.

Joan entered Orléans and became inseparably associated with the campaign that resulted in the lifting of the siege.

From this victory emerged the name by which she would be remembered for centuries:

The Maid of Orléans.

Dinner and overnight in Orléans.

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Day 6 — Orléans – Loches – Tours

The Maid of Orléans

This morning we explore Orléans Cathedral, whose stained-glass windows recount the extraordinary story of St. Joan.

This is an opportunity to understand the woman behind the military history.

Joan believed her mission had come from God. Her victories mattered to her because they formed part of a greater purpose that she believed she had been called to fulfill.

We then travel toward Loches.

Here, after the victory at Orléans, Joan met Charles VII again on May 11, 1429, urging him to continue toward Reims.

We will discover the historic royal city and places associated with Charles VII before continuing toward Tours.

Holy Mass according to arrangements. Dinner and overnight in Tours.

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Day 7 — Tours – Poitiers – Chinon – Tours

Discernment, Examination & the Meeting with the King

Today brings us deeper into the extraordinary events surrounding Joan’s mission.

We travel first to Poitiers.

Before Charles VII was willing to trust Joan, she underwent extensive questioning and theological examination. Her claims needed to be investigated, as did her faith, morality and intentions.

Our journey then continues to Chinon Castle.

Here occurred one of the most famous encounters of Joan’s life:

Joan meets Charles VII.

The young woman from Domrémy had finally reached the man she believed God had commanded her to help.

This encounter represents a remarkable moment of courage. Joan had crossed hostile territory and entered a world of kings, soldiers and political intrigue armed primarily with the conviction that she had been called.

Holy Mass at Chapelle Sainte-Radegonde, according to arrangements.

Return to Tours.

Dinner and overnight in Tours.

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ST. MICHAEL & ST. JOAN

Day 8 — Tours – Mont-Saint-Michel – Lisieux

The Archangel Who Called Joan

After breakfast, we travel toward one of Christianity’s most spectacular pilgrimage destinations:

Mont-Saint-Michel.

Rising dramatically from its tidal bay, the great abbey is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.

This has particular significance on our pilgrimage.

Joan testified that St. Michael was among the heavenly figures whose voices guided and encouraged her.

Mont-Saint-Michel itself also became a powerful symbol of French resistance during the Hundred Years’ War. Its fortifications resisted English attacks, making the sanctuary an especially meaningful destination when contemplating Joan’s world and mission.

Time for prayer and exploration of the abbey and medieval village.

We then continue toward Lisieux.

Dinner and overnight in Lisieux.

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TWO YOUNG WOMEN, ONE RADICAL LOVE FOR GOD

Day 9 — Lisieux

St. Thérèse & St. Joan of Arc

Today our pilgrimage introduces us to another extraordinary young French saint:

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

At first glance, Joan and Thérèse could hardly appear more different.

Joan rode into battle.

Thérèse entered Carmel.

Yet both possessed an extraordinary determination to surrender themselves completely to God’s will.

Thérèse was deeply fascinated by Joan and even wrote dramatic works about her life. She herself portrayed Joan in performances within Carmel.

We visit the magnificent Basilica of St. Thérèse, followed by Les Buissonnets, the Martin family home.

We then visit the Carmel of Lisieux, where Thérèse entered religious life and where she is buried.

The encounter between the spirituality of these two young saints gives this day a special character:

Joan teaches courage in fulfilling God’s mission.
Thérèse teaches complete trust in fulfilling it.

Holy Mass and time for personal prayer.

Dinner and overnight in Lisieux.

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MARTYRDOM

Day 10 — Lisieux – Rouen – Paris

St. Joan’s Final Witness

Today we arrive at the most solemn place on our pilgrimage.

Rouen.

Joan was captured in 1430 and eventually transferred to English custody. She was brought to Rouen, imprisoned and subjected to a lengthy ecclesiastical trial under circumstances deeply entangled with the political conflict.

On May 30, 1431, Joan was taken to the Place du Vieux-Marché.

There, at approximately nineteen years old, she was burned at the stake.

Her earthly mission ended in apparent defeat.

But the story did not end there.

Twenty-five years later, a rehabilitation trial overturned the original judgment.

Centuries later, the Church formally recognized what generations of Catholics had increasingly understood.

Joan was beatified in 1909.

And in 1920, she was canonized a saint.

We will visit the places associated with her imprisonment, trial and martyrdom, allowing time for prayer and reflection.

Rather than treating Rouen merely as another historical stop, this should be one of the central spiritual moments of the pilgrimage.

We remember Joan not because she won battles.

We remember her because she remained faithful.

Continuation to Paris.

Dinner and overnight in Paris.

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THE SAINTS OF PARIS

Day 11 — Paris

Joan of Arc, the Miraculous Medal & St. Vincent de Paul

Our pilgrimage continues through the extraordinary Catholic heritage of Paris.

We begin with a church dedicated to St. Joan of Arc, associated with the area where she prayed during her campaign around Paris in 1429.

We then visit one of Paris’ most beloved Catholic pilgrimage destinations:

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal — Rue du Bac.

Here, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830.

We will pray in the chapel and venerate the saint’s incorrupt body.

Nearby, we visit the church associated with St. Vincent de Paul, apostle of charity, where his body is venerated.

Our exploration of Paris also introduces us to some of the city’s most famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées.

Finally, we ascend Montmartre.

Here we visit the magnificent Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, a place of Eucharistic prayer overlooking Paris.

Montmartre also connects us with St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber, whose vows here formed an important step toward the establishment of the Society of Jesus. The source itinerary combines these major Parisian devotions with the city’s principal landmarks.

Holy Mass according to arrangements.

Dinner and overnight in Paris.

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OUR LADY OF CHARTRES

Day 12 — Paris – Chartres – Paris

A Final Day with Our Lady

For the final full day of our pilgrimage, we travel from Paris to Chartres.

Its magnificent medieval cathedral is one of the masterpieces of Christian Europe.

Inside, pilgrims encounter extraordinary medieval stained glass, biblical imagery and one of the world’s most famous cathedral labyrinths.

But for Catholic pilgrims, Chartres holds another treasure.

The cathedral preserves the Sancta Camisia, traditionally venerated as the veil or garment associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We will have time to discover the cathedral, pray and celebrate Holy Mass according to arrangements.

The famous labyrinth provides an especially appropriate image with which to conclude our pilgrimage:

Christian pilgrimage does not always follow a straight road.

Joan’s certainly did not.

Yet through uncertainty, opposition, suffering and even apparent failure, she continued to seek the will of God.

Return to Paris.

Tonight we gather for our farewell dinner, giving thanks for the pilgrimage we have shared.

Dinner and overnight in Paris.

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Day 13 — Paris – USA

Return Home

After breakfast, transfer to Paris Airport for our return flight to the United States.

We return home having encountered Joan not simply as the armored figure found in statues throughout France, but as a young Catholic woman confronted with an extraordinary vocation.

Her life leaves every pilgrim with a challenge:

To listen.

To discern.

To have courage.

And when God’s will becomes clear, to follow it faithfully.

Return flight.

Arrival and end of our pilgrimage services.