Announcing The Third Catholic Feminist Pilgrimage

you're gonna want to open this 💌

Sister in Christ,

I’m writing to invite you to the third round of the Catholic Feminist Pilgrimage.

When brainstorming where we should go, where we should adventure to, where we should give each other hugs and talk about Pope Benedict’s legacy over wine, where we should argue about whether or not the gender pay gap exists, where we should pray together in front of the Eucharist—I prayed. Of course I did! You’ve been around here long enough to know that. I fidgeted and fretted and then realized that all of this was silly; God knows where he wants us to go, and if I kept my heart open to his will he’d make his desires clear (enough).

And He did.

I’ve had one particular saint stalking me for a few years now, and one particular trip I really, really wanted to try and throw together. It’s a bit of a unique pilgrimage destination, so it took some time to iron out the details. It isn’t necessarily a place you hear about Catholic travel groups heading to often. But when it came together, I knew it was the right trip for right now.

In October 2025, the Catholic Feminist Pilgrimage will journey to the south of France on the Way of Mary Magdalene.

We’re headed to Provence! Our itinerary centers on the places associated with Mary Magdalene and several other people from the Gospels. We’ll be visiting…

• The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, which enshrines the skull of

  St. Lazarus.

• Collégiale Royale Sainte-Marthe, a collegiate church that houses the relics of Saint Martha, the sister of Mary

• Cannes and Aix-en-Provence, beautiful French towns where we can sip wine + explore + celebrate each other’s company

• The Rock of Penitence, where Mary Magdalene prayed and was raised up by angels

• The Cathedrale Sainte-Anne in Apt, which houses the remains of Saint Anne, the mama of Mary

• The asylum where Vincent Van Gogh lived

• and of course, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where we can pray in front of the skull of Mary Magdalene.

Woman, why are you weeping?

Mary Magdalene is one of the most misunderstood women in the Bible. She didn’t necessarily fit into any boxes. She wasn’t one of the crowd. But as the first person to see the resurrected Jesus, she holds a beloved place in Catholic womanhood. And when crap was hitting the fan, when the Christ she so loved hung on the cross, when her community had turned against her—Mary Magdalene stayed. She watched. She bore witness.

We’ll also be…

• Enjoying amazing French food + wine + treats + goodness. Delicious restaurants + stunning hotels—it’s the south of France, after all!

• Seeing the French countryside in all of its autumn glory

• and talking Jesus, justice, and joy.

We will be traveling with a priest so that we have access to confession + daily Mass as well. As you know Catholic Feminist pilgrimages aren’t vacations, or mission trips, or retreats. They’re true pilgrimages: all of us journeying together to see holy sites and be moved by them.

This is a Catholic Feminist Pilgrimage. That means you can expect a wide range of ages + life experiences, as well as unconditional love.

There’s room at our table for you, just as you are.

“The pilgrimage was a time of great grace for me. I was not only inspired by the lives of our patron saints, but also those of the incredible people around me. It was a beautiful reminder that I am not alone in striving for sainthood as a woman in today's culture: a reminder I definitely needed!” - Ellen, 2021 pilgrim

Our 2023 trip to Poland

And by table, I do mean table. While planning this trip, I emphasized that we need private rooms at our restaurants + meeting rooms at our hotels (of which there are only two!) so that we have gathering spaces to talk and be together.

Some rapid-fire FAQs:

• Can my husband come? Sorry—this trip is for women only, besides our priest + the only guide I trust to lead me around France.

• When does registration close? When the trip is full. I’m expecting that to happen quickly, so I’ll keep you posted.

• Do I have to be Catholic? Nope! We always have a couple of non-Catholics come along, and we’re so glad they’re there. Mary Magdalene isn’t just for Catholics! Be forewarned that you will probably walk away knowing how to pray the Rosary—ha!

• Can I buy my own plane tickets? Yup! Just buy the “land only” package and we’ll coordinate how to meet there.

• What if I don’t know anybody? The vast majority of our pilgrims come solo and walk away with dear, life-long friends.

• Am I too old/young? Our pilgrimage groups have a really wide age range, from teenagers (with mamas) to grandmothers. We all end up learning so much wisdom from one another. It’s also my favorite thing ever when mothers/daughters come—and my own mama will be joining us, whee!

I want to let you know that this is the smallest group we’ve ever taken—by design. I want this trip to be intimate, personal and life-giving, and I feel strongly that limiting the number of women we can take will allow that to be possible. (And for the record, if I was in this to make dolla bills, I’d throw the doors open and take like 90 of you. But that’s not the trip I want to run.) That means that—and this is not some shady, obnoxious sales tactic; you know I’m not about those—if you’re going to sign up, I do encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Take it to prayer + ask God: is this something you want for me right now? Is this something you want to use to speak to me?

In Him Through Her,

Claire

PS: One of my favorite artistic renditions of Mary Magdalene.