not just tourism!
europe
Here are rough suggestions for your 10-day, long weekends, or in August or December, with a stop or a few days at a Beatitudes community
Check out these places, click on the links to see images, and pray to the Holy Spirit! As individuals or as a group organizing among yourselves, you book and pay for planes and trains, and stays at airbnbs or community houses. As a courtesy, try hard to follow through with your reservation at our houses and arrive and depart at the times you tell them. Once you are there, our religious and lay members are welcoming, generous, and helpful. We'll put you in touch with our houses and give you navigation tips, but you are free and responsible for yourselves. $30 suggested donation for night and meals at each of our houses. Trust the Lord's Providence for so many experiences of people, prayer, and sites. Get ready to witness your holy joy in secularized and war-torn Europe!
Here's Fr. Anthony's 15-min video
of travel tips and logistics.
August: Open heaven
Our annual conference in France, Open Heaven welcomes young people from France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Lebanon, and other countries. Spend your days in praise, prayer, liturgy, formation, recreation, and every night is a adoration vigil and testimony followed by hanging out. While the main language of the conference is French, Americans and other international groups often have someone translating for them. At our center of mission and retreat south of Paris, near Orleans.
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toulouse/nay/Lourdes
Fly to Toulouse, walk to our house from the airport and spend a night. Bus or walk to Aquinas' tomb, then train 2 hours to Nay. Pray, serve, and enjoy our brothers and sisters in the countryside a couple days before walking 25km to Lourdes. Spend a couple days at our house kept by one of our married couple, with the best view of the shrine. Visit the grotto and the basilicas around. Train back to Toulouse and spend another night before flying back to Vienna.
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community houses
Break away from tourism and travel busy-ness for a few days. Go deeper with a small community of souls seeking holiness. See Catholic culture from the inside. Experience charismatic prayer within chanted liturgies, enter into holy and simple volunteering in the kitchen or garden. Catch our Friday evening Lord's Day with Hebrew singing!
Switzerland
Train Salzburg to Zurich, where you've pre-booked an apartment, house or hostel for the night (airbnb or booking.com) and visit the city. Train to Zug, a mountain town on a lake, and stay at our community at the heart of the town. Live and pray and hike with our brothers and sister and with the young couples, young adult household and prayer groups that walk with them. Low-stress, low-cost ($400 total?), joyful, and a setting like paradise. Please contact Fr. Anthony if you could be a point person.
Czech republic
Train Prague, where you've pre-booked an apartment, house or hostel for the night (airbnb or booking.com) and visit the city. Train to Brno and spend a few hours or a night. Train to Olomouc, and walk or bus the 7km to the community house in the small village of Dolany. Stay at our community, lend a hand in the garden, visit Olomouc, hike to Svaty Kopecek and in the surrounding forested hills. Low-stress, low-cost ($400 total?), joyful, and a setting like paradise. Catch another night or two in Prague on your way home. It is unbelievably beautiful, and was more preserved from the wars than other European cities. Please contact Fr. Anthony if you could be a point person.
steps
If you didn't already apply to Israel, please fill out this application. Contact Kayla regarding Lisieux and Mont Saint Michel. Email anthony.beatitudes@gmail.com with questions and if you want to be a point person for a trip. Travelling in groups of 3-8 people is the best!
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Contact Kayla Eichert, who is helping organize a group or two: Mckaylakeichert@gmail.com
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Fly Vienna to Paris and spend a night there at the beginning and end to have time to visit
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Sleep at the famous shrine, Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre if you agree to an hour of nocturnal adoration
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At least two days in Lisieux,
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A 17km walk from our house in Saint Broladre to the famous UNESCO shrine, Mont Saint Michel, and join the prayer of the Monastic Fraternity of Jerusalem (the are also at Saint Gervais, near Notre Dame in Paris)
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Spend 3 days with the community in Lisieux (mostly free to visit Therese sites, with a few house chores) or 3 days at Saint Broladre volunteering your loving presence with the elderly and mentally handicapped who live with us.
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Train Lisieux to St. Louis DeMontfort's hometown, then walk 10km to our community in Saint Broladre.
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Estimated $450 travel expenses, $350 food and lodging
paris/lisieux/
mont saint michel
what's this epic
background photo!?
Saint Martin du Canigou is a fortress-like monastery built on a cliff by the Benedictines 1000 years ago. In the French Pyrenees near the Mediterranean and the Spanish border, it attracts tourists from around the world who must hike 40 minutes to arrive. It is possible to combine a stay at Saint Martin with a visit to Barcelona and with a day at the Costa Brava beaches.