Jet Lag and the French Government

We had set our alarm this morning to 6:30 AM, thinking we would walk to the 8:00 AM Mass at Notre Dame. When we finally woke at 9 I knew we hadn’t quite adjusted to the time change. Since we missed our planned Mass time at Notre Dame, we decided to head on to our next destination for the day, Sacré-Cœur. 

If you are unaware of French politics, just as I am, then you probably don’t know of the massive worker strikes throughout France. Much of the French workers have organized walk outs and marches to protest some of the new laws to be voted on. This has caused major delays in transportation within Paris. Since the buses and trains are unreliable, we have been walking to every destination. 

Coincidentally, when we arrived at the basilica, Mass was just about to begin. While we were praying before Mass, a nun came over to Michael and asked him, in French, if he would like to lector for Mass. I am fairly certain his response was along the lines of “No, sorry… English”. Although Michael didn’t lector, Mass was beautiful.

We grabbed some quick food for lunch and walked to the Louvre. The museum is so large it took us several minutes just to find the entrance. Unfortunately, we missed the last English speaking tour of the day by 5 minutes. On our own we took 2 hours wandering around one of the most impressive collections of history I have ever seen. Studying at Seton Hall University, we have the unique opportunity to head to New York City and visit the Metropolitan Museum. Without a doubt the Louvre is much larger and grander. This was a stop that I wished to visit, but when we finally entered I had no idea where to go or what to see. We took a break to rest our weary legs and plan the rest of our visit.

The last stop of the day was the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Here Saint Catherine Laboure is buried under the altar. We ended by praying vespers and asking the Blessed Mother to intercede for our future parishioners.

– Luke