32nd Pilgrimage to Chartres, June 7.8.9 2014

The Irish Chapter, Chapitre St. Patrick, has returned from another pilgrimage to Chartres!

For three days we walked in procession from the cathedral of Notre Dame Paris to the cathedral of Notre Dame Chartres. Both our beginning and our destination were dedicated to our Blessed Mother who accompanied and assisted us on our journey. St. Thomas Aquinas, under whose patronage we walked on the first day, tells us: "As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary"... and so were we guided to Chartres!

Although our chaplain, Fr. Cahill, could not accompany us this year, we knew that he was walking with us in spirit, and that he, and the other pilgrims who could not make the journey, were praying with us throughout the three days. We had a group of 17 pilgrims plus the Russian chapter (St. Clément) joined our group. We were also honoured to have two Benedictine Brothers from Silverstream Priory in Stamullen, Co. Meath walking with our chapter.

Our pilgrimage began on Friday evening at the Irish College where we were welcomed by the Chaplain Fr. Dwayne Gavin, from the Diocese of Meath. The holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jambon, who was walking with an American Chapter (Our Lady of Guadalupe). We were also joined by an Irish nun, resident in Paris, Sr. Teresa (a sister of St. Joseph of Cluny) who assured us of her prayers as we began our pilgrimage.

Our pilgrimage began in Notre Dame, at 7:30am with the holy Mass. We walked with Bretagne, and were right at the top of the pilgrimage, the 14 chapter out of 204. Our theme for the first day was "God and the Creation of Man", our meditations explored the mystery of God, the mystery of Man, and the gift of Grace. Our patron Saint was the 'Doctor Angelicus' St. Thomas Aquinas. On Pentecost Sunday our patron Saint was St. Francis of Assisi. The theme for the day was "Creation for the adoration of God" and the meditations included: the divine order and beauty of creation, man's duty towards creation, and faith and reason. On Monday our Patron was St. Thomas More, the great defender of marriage and religious freedom. Our theme, "Society as the image of Divine Order"was reflected in the meditations: authority and obedience, there is a divine law above civil law, and prayer and action.

The official pilgrimage ended with a most beautiful Mass in Notre Dame Chartres and the Irish pilgrimage ended the following morning with 9:30 Mass in the crypt with the New Zealand Chapter.

All of the homilies from the pilgrimage as well as some other videos can be found here

For pilgrims who may have misplaced or lost items along the way you can contact the pilgrimage organisers, Notre Dame de Chrétíenté. All relevant information can be found on the  Lost Property page.


A new chapter has been formed for those not able to be physically present during the three days of the pilgrimage. This non-walking chapter is aptly named the Guardian Angles Chapter. I would encourage you to follow the above link where you will find information about joining this new chapter in 2015.

You will notice from the pictures below that we have a new banner and cross, and a new flag pole. These were designed and arranged by one of our regular pilgrims Barry Healy, who took it upon himself to replace our previous banner and cross (which served us well for a number of years) with more a lightweight version. They really are beautiful additions - Thank you Barry!

Finally, thank you to all those who prayed for us and with us during the pilgrimage. Thank you to the whole chapter who walked in such a prayerful manner, it was a pleasure to walk to Chartres with you and we look forward to having you with us next year!

Gloire honneur au Christ-Roi!

PILGRIMAGE TO CHARTRES 2014

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth"

The Irish Chapter, Chapitre St. Patrick, will meet in Paris on Friday the 6th of June to celebrate the Holy Mass and have a last meal before beginning the three day pilgrimage from Notre-Dame Paris to Notre-Dame Chartres.

The annual Pentecost pilgrimage takes place over three days, June 7th -9th, with pilgrims walking the 60 miles to Chartres. During the three days we pray, sing, observe times of silence and listen to meditations and homilies. There is a strong communal aspect to the pilgrimage, and pilgrims are encouraged to stay within their own chapter, or group, as much as possible. Each year pilgrims have a theme to contemplate, the theme for the 2014 pilgrimage, taken from Genesis, is: "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth". This theme will be explored each day through meditations, prepared in advance by pilgrims, which concentrate on sub-themes; Saturday will follow the sub-theme: God and the creation of man, Sunday: Creation for the adoration of God, Monday: Society as the image of Divine Order.

Itinerary

Friday 6th June

(The Irish Chapter has rooms for pilgrims booked in Hotel Excelsior, Rue Cujas)

5:45pm Pilgrims meet at St. Patrick's Chapel, Collége des Irlandais

6:00pm Holy Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick's Chapel

7:00pm Meal, Rue Soulfflot which is adjacent to the hotel

Saturday 7th June - Patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas

7:00am High Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral

8:30am Departure of pilgrims from Paris 

Sunday 8th June - Patronage of St. Francis of Assisi 

1:00pm Solenm High Mass in the open air to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost

Monday 9th June - Patronage of St. Thomas Moore 

3:30pm Solemn High Mass in Chartres Cathedral
8:00pm Meal in Le Serpente Restaurant
(Accommodation has been reserved for pilgrims in Le Boeuf Couronne, located a short distance from the Cathedral)

Tuesday 10th June 

9:00am Holy Mass for the Irish Chapter in the Crypt of Norte Dame de Chartres

For more information or to register with the Irish Chapter please contact John King or Katie O'Driscoll or chapitrestpatrick@gmail.com

The 32nd Paris to Chartres Pilgrimage, 7-9 June 2014

The Chartres Pilgrimage is a three-day walk from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Chartres, a city south-west of Paris.

Pilgrimage to Chartres is a tradition that reaches back into the depths of history. The pagans venerated the Virgo Paritura or Virgin giving birth to a God; the Christians took that to be a dim prefiguring of Our Blessed Lady and built successive Churches and then Cathedrals on the site of the current Cathedral in Chartres.

The present pilgrimage, which originated in the 12th century,  was revived in 1983 after nearly a century of neglect, and draws a crowd of upwards of 12,000 pilgrims from over 30 countries for three days of prayer and penance.

Pilgrims are organised into groups of 20-60 people. Each group is under the patronage of a saint and referred to as a 'chapter'. Chapters are led by laymen, who organise the chapter, meditations, rosary, and prayers. Chaplains, priests and religious accompany the pilgrims as they walk, hearing confession and teaching.
The Mass is celebrated every day according to the Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII. The liturgy is the traditional Latin one, stressing the universal character of the holy Mass.

Pilgrims walk through the streets of Paris, the countryside, and finally the city of Chartres. Pilgrims walk from the early morning until the evening. The terrain can be muddy, rocky, and demanding, but the rewards of such a penitential exercise are eternal.

Pilgrims sleep at campsites, equipped with basic wash facilities and collective tents. The pilgrimage organisers, Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, provide bread and water at intervals during the walk. Pilgrims bring additional food with them for each day. Weather varies during the three days, and pilgrims must prepare accordingly. For more information see: What to bring


The Irish Chapter, under the patronage of St Patrick, has taken part in the pilgrimage since
1998. As well as pilgrims from all over Ireland, we welcome people from other countries
who wish to walk with us.

To register with the Irish Chapter or for more information regarding prices please contact John King or for general information about the pilgrimage contact  Katie O'Driscoll or chapitrestpatrick@gmail.com

The pilgrimage takes place from the 7th to the 9th of June 2014. The Irish pilgrimage is from the 6th to the 10th of June.