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The Heights of Holiness

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After ten days of traveling through France, it’s hard to believe that our pilgrimage is coming to an end! We’ve flown nearly four thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean, driven something like two thousand miles, slept in eight cities, met more than a dozen saints, and made lots of friends. After departing Lalouvesc, we made the three-hour drive to Annecy. The mountain views in southern and central France were beautiful, but the view of the Alps in eastern France was uniquely stunning. The jagged, towering peaks of the French Alps look altogether different from the mountain ranges of the eastern United States. When we arrived in the city of Annecy, Didier dropped us off, and we began our walk through the streets to the parish of Notre-Dame de Liesse. Although this parish was not our final destination, they were kind enough to host us for today’s Mass. Fr. Ray was the principal celebrant, and Fr. Swink was the homilist. Fr. Swink recalled the life of St. Francis de Sales, a...
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Big Graces in the Small Village of Lalouvesc

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As we’ve been traveling from place to place in France, I’ve occasionally had the opportunity to tell locals or other tourists where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Everyone has heard of Lisieux, Lourdes, Ars, and Annecy — but I’ve gotten blank stares whenever I mention the small town of Lalouvesc, which has a population of just 383 people. (When our bus of 49 pilgrims arrived last night, we increased the population by more than ten percent.) This small town, however, has been a place of big graces. We began our morning with Mass for the feast of St. Teresa of Avila in the Basilica of St. John Francis Regis, namesake of St. John’s in Hollywood. Fr. Swink was the principal celebrant, and Fr. Ray preached the homily. Fr. Ray recounted the remarkable ministry of St. John Francis Regis. He was a Jesuit with great zeal for souls and longed to be a missionary in the New World, like the North American Martyrs. When his superior...
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Finding Blessings in France

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The hotel we stayed in last night was the most unique so far.  Hôtel le Prieuré  was once a priory but has since been converted into a hotel. Its rooms are simple yet elegant, maintaining the feel of monastic cells. The room signs feature churches from around the world dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mine was from Dijon, France — home of my favorite saint, Elizabeth of the Trinity. After breakfast, we walked right across the street to the Perpetual Adoration chapel to spend some time in prayer. We soon made our way to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, built in the twelfth century. Moving at our own pace, we explored the Chapel of the Apparitions — where Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary and where she is interred — as well as the Chapel of St. Claude de la Colombière, where the saintly Jesuit who served as her spiritual director now rests. ...
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