From Lourdes to Lembeye to Paris... more photos from my trip to France

If you've been keeping track, I never got to post photos from the rest of my trip to France. But if you missed the earlier post on my pilgrimages to Rue de Bac and to Lourdes, you can go here. On the podcast this week, I described a little bit about my journey to the homeland village of my paternal grandmother, Henrietta (ne Pelay) Wilhelm, and what it was like to be in Lembeye.

I also talked about Lembeye and the gift of a faith legacy in my recent column at Patheos.

After the pilgrimage to Lourdes, (podcast on Lourdes) we rented a car and decided to drive back to Paris over a period of days to see more of the countryside. What we did not know, until shortly before our trip is that my father's mother, who came immigrated to the United States as a girl, came from a small village, Lembeye, just about 20 miles from the mountainous Lourdes. So after we rented the car, Lembeye became our first stop.

The first sighting that we were getting close...

Lembeye is located in the south of France, in the rolling hills before you get to the Pyrannees.

The outskirts of town

We did not have anyone to visit in Lembeye. So we programmed the GPS to take us to the Catholic Church in the town... that we had researched online before the trip.

So we rolled right up to the Church's front door.

Our Lady of the Assumption built in the 1800's...

... and currently undergoing restoration, even though the congregation is still meeting there for Sunday Masses.

We heard the echos of lots of pigeons living in that bell tower. I'm sure that's on the restoration "to do" list. 

In the right foreground, you see the town veterans memorial with names from the first and second world wars.

Sadly, the poor weather gave us a poor exposure of this soldier on the monument.

On the sides of the monument are the names of the native sons who were lost.

And we found one that we believe may be a relative: "Victor Pelay".

Here I am before I go in to the church (It was raining so I'm dressed for the weather.) Note the very old statue of Our Lady above the threshold, welcoming guests.

She need some restoration too. I wonder how long she has stood there?

The church door was locked until a workman came by, so we got a peek inside. Sadly, a photo of the stained glass did not come out, plus it was very dark inside and no lights were on. But we were happy to say a little prayer there.

A mission statue from the late 1800's. We did see many crosses like these on the roads in and out to many villages and small towns in France.

Here are some more views of Lembeye...

The tower

LOVED that the local pub was called CENTRAL PARK! 

(being native NYer's we got a kick out of that!)

Yes, there was a chain on the gate of the cemetery. Yes it was not locked so we went in to see if we "knew" anybody. Crazy? Maybe. But since this was an impromptu "family tree" expedition, we had no  other ideas as to how to explore for family. (Next time, we'll try to meet the living locals.)

And yes, we did find one tombstone that seemed to resemble a family name. We're still researching.

Moving on from Lembeye, we also enjoyed Bourdeaux, (and its wines!)  

Plus a trip through the Loire Valley, is not complete without visiting some of its many Chateaux...

Yes, more rain! But lovely gardens are still lovely in the rain!

Bob and me... somewhat waterlogged!

We had dinner in Orleans... where the battle of Orleans was fought under the leadership of St. Joan of Arc, who is honored behind me.

At night, many cities in France illuminate their cathedrals with lights... so those shapes are projected onto the Cathedral de la Croix (where St. Joan would pray before battle.)

Closer to Paris, we stayed in Chartres... a city I will gladly return to-- I just loved it! Maybe cuz it was a sunny day??  Chartres is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in France, so please see some great Google images elsewhere so you can really appreciate it. It is undergoing enormous restoration. Those white walls and columns show off the natural stone after centuries of candle soot and dirt and grime have been removed.

That's me, before the famous Lady of the Pillar, praying for all the intentions I brought with me.

In this shot, you can see "before" restoration on the left, and "after" restoration on the right. I'd like to return to Chartres in about 5 years. 

Exterior

One of the many magnificent doorways.

Chartres was build to house its most sacred relic -- the veil of Our Lady that allegedly was what she wore at the birth of the Christ. (Sadly, due to the major construction going on around the sanctuary area, we were not able to view the veil.) What Wikipedia can't tell you is that this Cathedral is known as Chartres because that is the city in which it is named... often nicknamed the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Chartres, or the cathedral of Our Lady... but its official name, that good Catholics would recognize is the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady. So, just like Lembeye's little church built over a hundred years ago, Chartres, built over 800 years ago recognized Mary's Assumption into heaven, even before the doctrine was officially promulgated in 1950.

Leaving the pilgrimage-ish side of the tour... we leave you with these parting shots...

History buffs will recognize Versailles...

and its Hall of Mirrors...

and two suspicious looking tourists taking a self-portrait in its mirrored walls.

If you've been baptized, thank the Church... and other thoughts regarding my recent trip to France.

My column this week at Patheos is about the roots of faith, especially how I experience them in my own life. God loves us. Baptism confirms that love. Someone cared enough to have us baptized. And some of us have a legacy of faith that stretches back generations.

Here's an excerpt:

Jesus specifically asked his followers to make disciples of all the nations, to baptize the people they met “in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” To this day, we members of the church share in his mission, to reveal God to the very hearts that were made to receive him. Two thousand years later, that practice continues. 

I can trace my faith in Christ to the graces first imparted at my baptism. 

If you were baptized, you have someone to thank for bringing you, or leading you, to the font of life. Coming from a heritage of both French and Irish Catholic Immigrants, I have a lot of people to thank, stretching back generations. Their faith and love live on in me. 

On a recent pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, my husband and I found it marvelous to worship and pray with the international throngs of Catholic faithful at the Grotto -- where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette, and where so many healings have taken place -- and in the shrine’s three basilicas. But Catholicism isn’t just a global faith, it is a personal faith -- the same faith that my parents offered to me when I was baptized over a half century ago, and the same faith that I have brought my children up in. 

Prior to the trip to Lourdes, I learned that my paternal grandmother’s home village was located in the south of France. Intrigued, my husband and I rented a car and explored the little town of Lembeye, where my immigrant grandmother began her life. 

As beautiful as Lourdes was, (in terms of the grandeur of being a world famous sacred destination) Lembeye was, on a personal level, just as beautiful to me. There, I entered into the Eglise de l’Assomption à Lembeye, the Church of the Assumption at Lembeye, an old 19^th century church -- the only one in town – and likely the place where my grandmother was baptized and received her first sacraments. I could not be sure, since I do not have Nana’s baptismal certificate, but this little French church might very well have been the source of my faith origins. Today I continue to reap the benefits of the faith that has been handed on to me from earlier generations.

 Read the rest.

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My France Pilgrimage... Photos pour vous!

My family and friends, and the podcast audience, know that I was recently on vacation and on pilgrimage in France, thanks to a fortunate intersection of timing, my husband's work in Paris, the official draft of the manuscript being done, and that wonderful perk known as frequent flyer miles. Of course we carry your intentions with us everywhere we prayer... and we were delighted to bear that burden of prayer.

Here is the man who made it all possible...

Yeah, Bob's a bit fried here, after a full week of work and then yours truly shows up when he is not-quite-done with all his work and she says "let's walk somewhere for dinner!"

But, great guy that he is, he willingly complied and he, already having French food for a week without me, asked for a pizza! Being a bit jet lagged and raggy myself, I didn't fight it, and we had some of the best pizza this side of Rome, so a simple meal and a short bottle of chianti for the win! Paris, like our New York roots, has some of the best varieties of food anywhere on the planet.

(Note the gray skies... we had a lot of rain as we traveled.)

The next day... the first pilgrimage stop: 140 Rue de Bac, and the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. It's a cool website, so you should check it out. This is where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Labore and explained to Catherine that she'd like what we call "the Miraculous Medal" designed and struck. You remember what the Miraculous Medal is, right??

Nope, not that. That's St. Pat. Just checking to make sure you're awake.

That's right, you remember.

It's a simple place, this shrine, and here's the courtyard that leads to the street... you could almost miss this place in the midst of the bustle of Paris. And not surprisingly, many people do. We were fortunate to be there for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and to pray for all our intentions there.

If you know the story of this Marian apparition, you know that Our Lady very tenderly appeared to Catherine by sitting down in a chair in the convent chapel, and talked to Catherine as knelt at her side. It's depicted here below.

Here is the chair that Mary sat in next to the altar.

There's some great footage and details at the shrine website, so do check it out. The chair is roped off in front of a side altar next to the main altar, and I just love that Mary came and sat to have chats with Catherine. That statue is St. Vincent de Paul... he founded the religious order that Catherine was a part of. You may be interested to know that St. Vincent's heart is in that reliquary above the tabernacle... and the flames of the heart of love of Vincent is depicted behind his statue... he was so on fire with love of God and neighbor... kind of reminds me of the the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Requisite shout out to my fellow St. John's University alums, founded by the Vincentians.)

For you Paris tourists who love to shop, this shrine is right across the street from Le Bon Marche!  well, of course I had to go in and see what all the fuss was about! Here's my husband's eye for photograhy... pictured below... One of the first department stores in Paris... it's a relic from another age. Here's the center foyer.

A bit of lunch and we were off to Sainte-Chapelle. (A cool 4 minute video here can explain this so much better than I can.) But there is some of the most breath-taking stained glass in the world there... and a good portion is under construction for years to come. Our photos don't do it justice, but there's all kinds of cool stuff on the web on it. 

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If you saw Catholicism with Fr. Robert Barron, you'll recognize this door below... now, if you didn't before, you're gonna want to watch that 4 minute video I suggested.

And for dessert? Prayer at Notre Dame Cathedral... coming up on its 850 year birthday. <-more details here. 

We've been here before, and the weather was threatening, so we just dashed inside out of the rain, and did not get many photos this visit. So I'll let Google images help here. I was happy to pray in the quiet, soak in the beauty of the Rose Windows with my binoculars, and light a candle is front of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux.

The next day we were off on a 6 hour train ride from Paris to...

This was my first glimpse of her when we arrived... she stands like a strong tower in the center plaza greeting everyone, and tons of flowers are at her feet from grateful pilgrims.

The highlight for me was the Grotto...

Notice the pilgrims who are moving in a silent queue to the area where the spring was that Bernadette dug for at the direction of Our Lady. And then the crowd parted for a bride and groom to pay their respect to Our Holy Mother.

If you listen to the latest Among Women podcast, I describe the different basilicas on the grounds of the sanctuary. This is the one built on the rock above the grotto... the first church on the site.

And below, here you can see the plaza area in front of the Grotto, but you can't see the Grotto for the trees on the left under the wall.

This is the view of the long piazza where the processions take place, below, and on the far hill, an old fortress... probably the only other "tourist" site in Lourdes.

 This is the cross atop the rosary basilica.. a crown for Mary... (more clouds on the way...)

And here is my attempt at saying something theological... but maybe it fails... think of the three spires of the cathedral as the trinity... and Mary's crown, and her joy, is that she has a relationship with each one... She is not a member of the trinity, or some kind of goddess... she is simply the closest human being in relationship to them. And that makes her spiritual motherhood of us so important! She helps us draw near to God!

So that's why I'm sticking with Mary....

The daily candle-light Rosary procession...Momma Mary walking with her children.

 Praying the rosary in French, Italian, Spanish, English, and German... and singing too!

 Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, M-A-R-I-A!

Her image looked better in real life... the lighting freaked out the camera phone light sensor...

 Just praying with thousands of fellow believers. We walked to the rear to get the photos and to take some video. (That's me in my blue rain jacket at the lower left, with my candle.)

 The mosaics at Lourdes are some of the most wonderful I've ever seen. Here's an outdoor altar at night.

Of course, here's one of Mary's best friends... St Bernadette...

This painting below is the earliest known portrait of her as a young girl.

 Here's the underground basilica that holds 20-25K people!! This is the final benediction after the Eucharistic procession went outside all around the grounds. We estimate about 3 thousand in here.

 very modern... Bob thought it looked like a bunker... or something from a Soviet country before the Cold War ended.... it was built around 1958 for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions...

 So I'm asking myself: "If you wanted to keep 25K out of the snow and rain year-round, and you wanted to hide them in a mountain village in the Pyranees, what would you do?"

The underground basilica under that patch of grass on the right side of the pavement. If you didn't know it was there, you'd miss it!

We lit a candle for your intentions.

And we had a Mass said for the intentions too.

 Finally -- a sunny day on Sunday! And one more look at the gold leaf on the crown on the roof of the rosary basilica.

You might enjoy this live web cam, and website from Lourdes!