This nine day Novena to Saint Mary Magdalene comes to you directly from the South of France, Mary Magdalene country. La Sainte-Baume, which means “holy cave” in Provençal dialect, is the name of the Cave where Mary Magdalene spent the last thirty … Read more
Our guests arrived at Marseille Airport in three shifts. First came Sue from Illinois who I met at St. Ita’s in Chicago during the Illinois Relic Tour last February, and Roberta and Peggy who traveled together from Connecticut. We found a comfortable spot in … Read more
We had an early breakfast in a side dining room of the hôtellerie and then boarded our tour bus for a 2 hour drive to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in time for the 10:30 Sunday Mass at the parish church. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a little fishing … Read more
Today is the official Feast Day of Saint Mary Magdalene. We gathered together at 9:30 in the morning with a few hundred pilgrims that came to the hôtellerie for the procession of the relic of Saint Mary Magdalene (a piece of her … Read more
Today Pascale, our chauffeur or tour bus driver, took us to the lively city of Aix-en-Provence, about a one and a quarter hour drive from the hôtellerie. Its history and numerous monuments accumulated over the centuries have made Aix-en-Provence a prestigious and … Read more
The 8:30 AM daily breakfast at the Hôtellerie-de-la-Sainte-Baume includes a variety of drinks – coffee, tea, hot milk and powdered chocolate, juice and water. There is always toast and french bread, butter and jam spread out on the long family style tables. … Read more
Basilique Sainte Marie Madeleine We started our day traveling to the Basilique Sainte Marie Madeleine in St. Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, a forty-five minute drive from the hôtellerie. We had an appointment with Fr. Sean Davidson, a Missionary of the Most Holy Eucharist. Several years … Read more
Today was a day for contemplation, prayer, solitude, sleeping or doing whatever you wanted to do. - nothing in particular was planned. Some spent some time in the Chapelle Sainte Marie-Madeleine, as our busy schedule the past few days has only allowed us time in the Chapel for Matines and Laudes in the morning and Complies in the evening.
This was Véronique’s day to show us her Provence Verte or Green Provence. We traveled on the bus through Barjols to Cotignac, in the Var. Where exactly is Cotignac? An ancient pigeonnier just below the old Templar Church of St. Etienne, the … Read more
Today is July 28th and it is Saint Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day Mass in St. Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. The Feast Day Mass is always held on the Sunday after the actual feast day (July 22nd), unless the feast day falls on a Sunday. Early … Read more
Our Novena to Saint Mary Magdalene ended last night but we still had one more day of the Novena Tour. We must visit Mary Magdalene’s sister, Martha, who was also on the boat from Palestine to Gaul and ended up in Tarascon. After … Read more
