Young Adults go on Pilgrimage to Paris with SVP 1833

This September, a group of young adults journeyed to Paris on behalf of SVP 1833 in order to discover more about Vincentian spirituality and history. These were five days of discovery for those involved, making pilgrimage to key sites in the origins of the Saint Vincent to Paul Society.

The young adults in question had come from a variety of backgrounds and stages of the young adult experience, be that finishing their first year of university, settling into a career or taking time to reflect. 

The journey begun on Sunday 15 September, when members of the group travelled from all around the country to meet at St Pancras station ready to board the Eurostar. Like all good pilgrimages, it began with a prayer for a safe journey and a good time. 

From the Gare du Nord, it was a short metro trip to the Congregation of the Mission, home to the beautiful Saint Vincent de Paul chapel. It was here that the pilgrims stayed, ate meals and enjoyed companionship together. During their stay, they had the privilege of access to the chapel, which aptly contained the relics of St Vincent, the society’s patron and inspiration. The group were able to attend Mass in the Chapel with the congregation, as well as morning and evening prayer.

Five days was a short time to take in all the sights and places of spiritual significance that Paris has to offer. Notable stops included the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - the location of Mary’s apparition to St Catherine Labouré in which she requested the creation and distribution of Miraculous Medals. The Church of Saint-Sulpice is a baroque Church whose history is closely interlinked with that of the SVP society, and Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s crypt is found in the Church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes, which was an appropriate location for a prayer for the canonisation of the society’s founder.  Paris is also home to the headquarters of the International General Council of the SVP, which contains a museum dedicated to Blessed Frederic Ozanam and is run by a team of SVP experts. Of course, there was also time for sightseeing - including but not limited to a boat cruise on the river Seine and trips to the Eiffel tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame. 

The journey was an impactful one for all involved, succeeding in its mission to educate young adults in the rich history of the Saint Vincent de Paul society and inspire them to return to normal life inspired by Vincentian spirituality and with a renewed sense of concern for those who need it most. 

This pilgrimage, which was subsidised for the young adults, was possible thanks to some generous funders who were keen for young adults to connect with the SVP and become engaged with serving within their community.  If anyone is interested in connecting with SVP1833 please email youngvincentians@svp.org.uk