Catholic France and Our Lady of La Salette (180th Anniversary of the apparition)

September 23-October 3, 2025

11 days / 10 nights 

Spiritual Directors:

Father John Heisler

St. Michael’s Catholic Church
Diocese of Arlington, VA

and

Father Randy Valenton

Diocese of San Jose, California

MAIN WEB PAGE: https://www.jmjtours.com/france

Join JMJ Tours on a profound spiritual pilgrimage through France, culminating at the mountain sanctuary of Our Lady of La Salette, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 180 years ago in 1846 with a message of conversion, reconciliation, and hope. This journey weaves together prayer, sacred history, and beautiful landscapes, offering pilgrims time for reflection, healing, and renewal of faith.

Along the way, pilgrims will visit some of France’s most beloved Catholic shrines and historic sites, including Lisieux(St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus), Mont-Saint-Michel, Pontmain, Paris (Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Miraculous Medal Chapel, Sacré-Cœur), Ars (St. John Vianney), and Lyon, before spending several prayerful days at La Salette itself. Each site deepens our encounter with Christ through the witness of saints, Marian apparitions, and the Church’s living tradition.

This carefully guided pilgrimage blends daily Mass, prayer, and spiritual commentary with comfortable accommodations and thoughtfully paced travel. Whether you are seeking deeper conversion, peace of heart, or a renewed trust in God’s mercy, this pilgrimage invites you to step away from daily life and journey toward a faith renewed in the presence of Our Lady.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
-PLEASE RESERVE EARLY

-SOME PILGRIMAGES DO SELL OUT BEFORE THE FIRST DUE DATE

-SPACE FOR THIS PILGRIMAGE IS VERY LIMITED

-SEE DETAILED ITINERARY AT BOTTOM

Pilgrimage Trip Includes:

Roundtrip Airfare (Non-Stop)

Air France

Washington-Dulles to Paris

Lyon-Paris-Washington, Dulles

TGV Train: Paris-Lyon

1. Roundtrip Airfare Air France
   Washington Dulles – Paris (Non-stop)

2. Return Lyon – Washington Dulles

3. All airport taxes, fees and fuel charges

4. Private Motor CoachTransportation per itinerary

5. TGV Train Paris to Lyon

6. Cable Car in Montmartre, Paris

7. Seine River Dinner Cruise in Paris

8. Four Star Accommodations in a double occupancy with private bath

9. 1 Night Rouen

10. 2 Nights Granville

11. 2 Nights Paris

12. 1 Night Lyon

13. 3 Nights La Salette on site Religious Guest House

14. Meals: Breakfast each day + 8 Dinners

15. All entrance fees as per program

16. Spiritual Direction by Father John Heisler and Father Randy Valenton

17. Daily Mass / Rosary

18. Catholic, english speaking JMJ Tours staff

19. Luggage Tags, Badges and Trip Booklet

IMPORTANT NOTE:  -PLEASE RESERVE EARLY

-SOME PILGRIMAGES DO SELL OUT BEFORE THE FIRST DUE DATE

-SPACE FOR THIS PILGRIMAGE IS VERY LIMITED

Allianz Global TRIP INSURANCE

We strongly recommend you protect your travel investment with a trip insurance. 

NOTE: Most Affordable Policy is the BASIC PLAN: 

SAMPLE PRICE: $328 per person. (Based on age 61)

CLICK HERE To purchase and view Sample plan coverage details from Allianz Travel Insurance

Click on link to purchase directly below or see your confirmation after registration for link:

Sample Coverage:

-100% protection of insured trip cost for Trip Cancellation 

-$10,000 in Primary Emergency Medical & Dental Coverage 

– $50,000 Emergency Medical Transportation

-Trip Interruption ($300), Baggage Loss / Damage ($500)or Travel Delay ($200) and more.

-24 Hour Assistance  

CLICK HERE To purchase and view Sample plan coverage details from Allianz Travel Insurance

Cancellation Policy

(We strongly suggest you purchase the Trip Insurance

The cancellation date will be the date we receive your letter.

Cancellations received before trip:

• 90-60 Days Refundable Minus the deposit amount ($950) +

second payment amount ($1149)

• 59-34 Days Refundable Minus the deposit amount ($950) +

second payment amount ($1149)+ third payment amount ($785)

• 35 Days or Less before departure: Not refundable

Selling your space:

You may sell your reservation to another person. That person reimburses you directly for the funds you have already paid to JMJ Tours under these terms: 

• Up to 35 days prior to departure (subject to airline rules) • Up to 10 days prior to departure for the land package only 

Meet at Dulles airport: 1:45 PM for distribution of trip envelopes (Luggage Tags, badge, booklet) Father Heisler pilgrimage prayer & blessing prayer.

• Departure
  (Non-Stop) Washington, Dulles to Paris

  Air France

  Dinner on Flight

• Arrival THURSDAY

  Paris – Thursday, September 24

Arrive in Paris and meet your JMJ Tours guide. Travel north to Rouen, the historic capital of Normandy, famous for its half-timbered houses and Gothic spires. Visit the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rouen, immortalized by Monet, and stroll through the old market square where St. Joan of Arc was martyred.

Dinner and overnight in Rouen.

We will reach Lisieux by coach (about 61 miles, 1h30) for a pilgrimage at the sanctuary of Lisieux. Visit of the “Buissonnets”, the family home where Saint Thérèse spent her childhood, then discover the Carmelite convent where she remained cloistered until her death.

In the afternoon, we reach Landing Beaches by coach (about 94 miles, 2h15). Walk in the footsteps of the soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in June 1944 and discover Utah Beach. You’ll be invited to remember and pray at the American Cemetery (Colleville-sur-Mer).

Dinner and night at your hotel near Le Mont-Saint-Michel.

4h30 away from Paris, you’ll find the Mont-Saint Michel. Stroll through this charming village with stone houses and narrow streets, built on a rock off the coast of Normandy and surrounded by one of the world’s largest bays known for its incoming tide that “comes in with the speed of a galloping horse”. The village and the bay are listed in Unesco’s World Heritage sites.

Visit of the sanctuary of Pontmain where took place an apparition of the Virgin Mary recognized by the Church. The Virgin gave them this message : “But pray, my children. God will answer your prayer very soon. My Son allows himself to be touched”.

Dinner and night at your hotel near le Mont-Saint-Michel.

Pilgrimage to the chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a high spiritual Parisian place where several apparitions of the Virgin Mary took place in 1830. These apparitions are recognized by the Church. It is a place of peace and silence in the heart of Paris. One can there invoke the Virgin Mary with this prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”. It is also the occasion to discover the life of Saint Catherine Labouré to whom the Virgin Mary appeared and to leave with a medal that the daughters of Charity still share with those who they meet.

Just a few blocks away from the chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, discover the chapel of St. Vincent de Paul and the relics of this saint. Through this chapel, pilgrims may pray St. Vincent who was fervent apostle of Charity.

Then we will visit the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, a jewel of gothic art. Discover this unique site which is still a place of rich spirituality with around twenty priests ordained each year.

Dinner and night at your hotel in Paris.

Transfer to Montmartre and take the cable car to discover the basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre and the amazing view you have over Paris from up there.

In 1870, war broke out between France and Germany, and France was invaded. The idea took hold that the ordeals incurred by France were due to its spiritual faults rather than only political ones. This gave birth to the construction of a basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Lunch on your own. Afternoon on your own.

Seine River Cruise dinner.

• TGV Paris / Lyon.

• Lunch on your own.

• Discovery of Lyon in the afternoon.

• Coach transfer to your hotel.

Dinner and night in a 4-star hotel.

In Ars, 1h from Lyon (23 miles), discover the life and influence of the saint Curé d’Ars (patron saint of priests). When he arrived in Ars the priest found himself confronted with rampant poverty, alcohol and futile pleasures. The life of devotion of Saint Curé d’Ars and his love for the “Good God” – as he liked to call him- transformed the life of the inhabitants of the village.

In the afternoon, transfer to La Salette (about 126 miles, 3h15).

Dinner and night at Our Lady of La Salette Sanctuary

On September 19, 1846 the Virgin Mary appeared to two children, Maximin and Mélanie, who were shepherds living in the area. They did not know their catechism nor did they know how to read or write. The Virgin appeared in tears before confiding in them a message of conversion for all people. Since the time of the apparitions, thousands of people have come. One can better discover the lives led by these children by walking the mountain paths and by visiting the places where they lived. A group of priests, monks and nuns is available throughout the year to receive and help everyone who comes to advance in peace and joy.

Dinner and overnight at the La Salette Sanctuary.

Enjoy a peaceful day surrounded by the stunning Alpine scenery of La Salette. Participate in optional devotions, the Rosary, or quiet personal reflection.

The serenity of the sanctuary offers time for renewal and thanksgiving.

Dinner and overnight at the La Salette Sanctuary.

After breakfast, depart for Lyon Airport for your return flight home, carrying the spiritual grace of this beautiful French pilgrimage.