La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

Throughout my Europe trip, I visited a lot of Catholic churches. I went to these holy places of worship not only to admire its history and architecture (or to take a tourist selfie) but also to attend Holy Mass. Two years ago, I was not able to take that opportunity because I had very limited time. Fortunately, I was able to attend Mass at two of Paris’ famous churches —  La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre (The Sacred Heart Basilica) and Notre-Dame de Paris. I heard Mass at the former on my first day in Paris and at the latter on my last day.

Did I understand the Mass? I understood the flow of the Mass, but I was staring into dead space during the Homily/sermon.

What was so different about this experience? The most obvious is that many people, mainly tourists, were walking along the walls of the Churches. It was tempting to take photos of the Mass but it was strictly guarded and prohibited. I had to take a few surreptitiously. Other than that, it served its purpose of receiving daily graces and giving thanks to many blessings.

Entrance to the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

The perfect word to describe these visits is “blessed”. When I enter these Churches, I would just look around in awe at how these structures were preserved and the richness of its history.

Here’s a list of Churches I visited. I do recommend to put them on your travel list:

• La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre (Paris, France)
• Notre-Dame de Paris (Paris , France)
• Cathédrale Saint-Maurice d’Angers (Angers, France)
• Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse (Paris, France)
• Kölner Dom (Cologne, Germany)

Cologne Cathedral