Welcome
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
PILGRIMAGE to FRANCE with FATHER MORRIS BOYD, 2024
Dear Friends,
It is with great joy that I announce a Pilgrimage to France in May 2024. Below please find further information about our trip to visit with the Shrines and Historical Sites of France. Our pilgrimage will be organized by Proximo Travel. Our trip will culminate in our visit to the Shrine of Lourdes. Please prayerfully consider deepening your faith by joining us on our pilgrimage. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or call directly to Proximo Travel, (855) 842-8001. For those who are interested, we hope to provide an extension to the Shrine of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain at the end of our pilgrimage to France. Please let Proximo Travel know if you are interested in the extension to Santiago de Compostela.
Fr Morris Boyd
Blessings from the Padre!
PILGRIMAGE to FRANCE with FATHER MORRIS BOYD, 2024
Paris • Versailles • Chartres • Caen • Normandy • Mont Saint-Michel • Rouen • Lisieux • Taize • Ars-sur-Formans • Avignon • Toulouse • Lourdes
* 13 Days - THIS PRICE INCLUDES AIRFARE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.
$5,299.00
* May 19-31, 2024
* PROXIMO TRAVEL https://www.proximotravel.com/
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Departure from USA.
Day 2: Arrival. Tour the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and visit gift shop. See the beautiful sites of the Hotel des Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 3: Visit the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and the winged victory Nike. After lunch, visit the Basilica of Sacre Coeur and see the artists along Montmartre. Mass at Sacre Coeur. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 4: Tour of Chartres with its Gothic Cathedral and the beautiful Castle of Versailles. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 5: Tour of Roeun and related sites of St. Joan of Arc. Drive by the Rouen Cathedral, resting place of King Richard the Lion-Hearted and Duke Rollo (Viking ancestor of William the Conqueror and blood relative to all sitting crowned heads of Europe). Tour of Normandy D-Day Beaches and visit the Museum of Bayeux Tapestry. Dinner and overnight in Caen.
Day 6: Visit Caen Cathedral, the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. Tour of Mont St Michel and of Lisieux and the sites related to St. Therese of the Little Flower. Dinner and overnight Lisieux.
Day 7: On the way to Taize, visit the Chapel of Apparitions (St. Margaret Mary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) at Paray-Le-Monial then on to the Basilica in Paray-Le-Monial. Tour of Taize. Celebrate Mass or common prayer with world renown Taize Chant. Dinner and overnight in Taize.
Day 8: On the way to Avignon, visit Ars, the church, shrine, and home of St. John Vianney. Dinner and overnight in Avignon.
Day 9: Tour Avignon and marvel at its Papal Palace; discover the historic significance of St. Catherine of Siena’s prophetic ministry at Avignon. Dinner and overnight in Avignon.
Day 10: Drive to Toulouse. Tour of Toulouse and visit to the historical district. Dinner and overnight in Toulouse.
Day 11: When departing Toulouse, drive by and take photos in front of St. Dominic House, home of the first official Dominican community. Celebrate Mass at the Church of Les Jacobins, Mother Church of the Dominican Order, where the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas are venerated. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.
Day 12: Full day in Lourdes. Begin with Mass and our daily Rosary, afterwards visit the Grotto, the underground Basilica or the Miraculous Baths. After dinner, gather for the evening Candlelight Rosary Procession. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.
Day 13: Fly back home.
Trip Includes
* Flights from anywhere in the United States and flights between countries as per your itinerary. (all necessary flights on your trip are included)
* Daily Mass will be scheduled.
* Airport Taxes, Security Fees & Fuel Surcharges Saving you an average of $400-$600!
* Transfers as per itinerary.
* 4 or 5 star hotels in downtown areas.
* Transportation with luxury bus.
* All breakfasts and all dinners. Wine included with all dinners.
* All tips to driver, hotel, and tour guide. If you feel that the tour guide did a great job, offering them extra tips is greatly appreciated.
* Guided Tours and Tour Fees ~ Our tour guides are very caring, licensed, and well educated. Many of our guides have their PhD's.
* Luggage handling (1 suitcase and 1 carry-on per person)
* Single Supplement (as long as the passengers is willing to room with someone and allows us to provide them with a roommate. If the passenger wants a guaranteed room of their own, then they have to pay the $900 single supplement)
Trip Does Not Include
* Lunch
* Covid Testing Costs (time for required Covid tests will be built into the tour)
* Trip Insurance. Work directly with Travel Guard to protect your investment and insure your money. There are different packages to choose from depending on what your travel needs are. Use the above link or the link right below the picture of the Pope on our home page to visit their site.
Steps For Registration
1. Call us (855) 842-8001 or register online (https://www.proximotravel.com/) with a credit card and pay your $500 deposit per person to save your spot. The $500 deposit is part of the total price of the trip.
2. A $1,000 Additional Deposit (AD) per person is due one month from the registration. The AD is paid ONLY in the form of Check (personal, money order, or bank check).
3. The balance is due 4 months before the trip departure date. The balance is paid ONLY in the form of Check (personal, money order, or bank check).
4. PLEASE NOTE: If you are registering online, please go to CLERGY TRIPS on the Proximo Travel webpage https://www.proximotravel.com/ and then scroll down to find the Pilgrimage to France with Father Morris B (May 19-31, 2024). Pilgrimages are listed by DATE.
Mail all checks and correspondence to:
Proximo Travel
PO Box 561
Auburn, MA 01501
NOTE: If you sign up for a trip within 4 months of the departure date, you pay the deposit of $500 with a credit card and the balance is required to be overnighted in the form of a personal check, money order or bank check.
Saturday, Week II, Lent, Saturday of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lent
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable. "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father . . . . (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031123.cfm
They say that context is everything. Well, chapter 15 of the Gospel According to Luke, gives us the context for understanding three parables of Jesus: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son. The context of course is the Eating & Drinking with Sinners which is one of the earliest and most cherished memories the church has about the Eucharist because it answers the question about who is welcome at the Table of the Lord.
Media
Friday, Week II, Lent
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? (Mt 21:33-43, 45-46)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031023.cfm
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants is extremely important because of its location so close to the Passion Narrative in the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew & Luke). Today’s quote from the Psalms is a key passage for the early church in its preaching of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. The story of the Patriarch Joseph in the Book of Genesis is a masterpiece of salvation history and sets up the exciting story of the Exodus from Egypt. As the Responsorial Psalm reminds us: Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Thursday, Week II, Lent
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. (Lk 16:19-31)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030923.cfm
The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man has been confusing for some because of the name Lazarus and because the story is actually a parable. The Lazarus of the parable is NOT the Lazarus of Bethany who is the brother of Martha and her sister Mary. During the Middle Ages, folks confused the Lazarus of the parable, who is covered with sores, as a leper, and so “Saint Lazarus” became the patron saint of lepers, leprosaria and lazarettos. In the parable the sin of the rich man is that he never even sees the beggar lying in front of his door.
Wednesday, Week II, Lent
Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink.” (Mt 20:17-28)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030823.cfm
The chalice Jesus is speaking of is the chalice of his suffering. But the audacity of the request to sit at the right and left of Jesus in glory and when Jesus asks, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” the glibness of the response: “Sure, we can!” Then the others get angry with James and John because they didn’t think to ask Jesus first. So the poor Lord has to sit them all down and give them “a learning” as we say in the South.
Tuesday, Week II, Lent
The greatest among you must be your servant. (Mt 23:1-12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030723.cfm
True greatness in the church has always been defined in terms of service, not in terms of apostolic power. The most cherished title of the Bishop of Rome is “Servant of the Servants of God.” As Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Media
Monday, Week II, Lent
Jesus said to his disciples: "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." (Lk 6:36-38)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030623.cfm
This is one of those Bible passages that we hear and then completely disregard. But Lent gives us another opportunity to hear what the Lord is saying to us and perhaps this time to put it into practice.
