Jul 29 - Aug 07, 2024

Loyola Marymount University

In the Footsteps of Our Founders: An Immersion Program to Spain and France

program number

24.10666

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Explore the heritage of our University’s founders: St. Ignatius, the early Jesuits, the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ), and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RHSM). Our program brings participants to places of important historical and religious significance where visionary persons forged new orders to respond to the unique challenges of their day.

We will travel to northeast Spain to visit the birthplaces of Ignatius of Loyola. We will have an opportunity to consider the historical and cultural context of his initial vocation and visit places where Ignatius began to develop and write the Spiritual Exercises. Throughout the program we will attempt to gain a better appreciation for the life and times of the early Jesuits and for the vision and spirit of Jesuit institutions. We will also travel to the southeast of France to visit Béziers where the RHSM were founded and Le Puy where the CSJ were founded.

Through on-site visits, liturgy, study and dialogue, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the values, vision, history, and work of Loyola Marymount University’s unique charisma of higher education rooted in its founding orders.

Program Itinerary:

Monday, July 29, 2024
Depart Los Angeles for Bilbao.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Arrival Bilbao. Your tour manager/guide would meet you and accompany you in a minibus to Azpeitia/Loyola. Check into hotel. Gather for dinner and for reflection, prayer, and orientation. Overnight Azpeitia.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Breakfast. Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. We will tour the Castle and celebrate liturgy in the Conversion Chapel. Visit St. Sebastian Church (where he was baptized) and the hospital where he ministered and Our Lady of Olatz, where he prayed. Dinner/overnight Azpeitia.

Thursday, August 1, 2024
Breakfast. Travel to Montserrat (this is a long journey – at least 6 hours +). Depending on traffic and timing, there may be an opportunity to stop in Zaragoza to see the shrine of Our Lady of Pilar – a magnificent place that St. Ignatius visited en route to Barcelona. Include a liturgy on arrival in Montserrat. Dinner/overnight Montserrat.

Friday, August 2, 2024
Breakfast. Spend the day in Montserrat with time to hike the trails to small hermitages. There’s a sung midday prayer at the abbey. You can see the Black Madonna – a pivotal place/statue where St. Ignatius made a major turning point in his life, laying down his sword. In the afternoon, guided visit to Manresa and the Cave of St. Ignatius (with Mass). This is where the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises where first sketched out. Continue to Barcelona for overnight.

Saturday, August 3, 2024
Breakfast. Visit Santa Maria del Mar with Mass. Visit the Sagrada Familia (Gaudi’s iconic church). Students will have an opportunity to enjoy the city at leisure later this afternoon/evening. Overnight Barcelona.

Sunday, August 4, 2024
Breakfast. Travel to Bezeirs. Visit local sites. Dinner/overnight Bezeirs.

Monday, August 5, 2024
Breakfast. Travel to Le Puy (this is 4+ hours). On arrival – check into hotel with a walking tour of the center of the city. Dinner/overnight Le Puy.

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Breakfast. Visit sites associated with the order. Visits may include the Sisters of St. Joseph Kitchen, Le Puy Cathedral and Our Lady of Le Puy statue, St. Michael Abbey, the lace factory, and the Jesuit Church. Celebrate Mass at a site TBD. Farewell dinner at the hotel. Overnight Le Puy.

Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Breakfast. Transfer to airport in Lyon for return to Los Angeles.