I have been unable to find worship services information for the places on our RS Eastern France tour. No guidebooks seem to have this information. The websites for the towns or the cathedral's themselves only have tourist viewing information &very rarely worship information. We've been to Europe 4 times & I've always wanted to worship but never had the time on the tours. I was determined this time to work it out, but I'm discouraged at my inability to find information to see if it will fit the free time on our tour. The towns are Reims, Colmar, Beaune, Chamonix, Vaison-la-Romaine.
Posted by
Gator country
172 posts
Your best opportunity is going to be in Reims on the Sunday morning that the tour starts. The Reims Cathedral has Sunday masses but it is hard to find information on the mass times. I did find a website that says there are Sunday masses at 9:30 and 11:00, but it's not the cathedral website so I can't represent it is correct. However, I was on the same tour last October, my companion found out the mass times and we went to the earlier services. Unfortunately we both had day-packs and were not allowed to attend mass for security reasons. There are no baggage check facilities. So, I took both day-packs and left the cathedral and she attended The mass . She said it was a very nice service especially in that grand old cathedral. So, a word of warning: leave the daypack at the hotel.
Posted by
839 posts
I searched in French and found hours of services. I have no idea if it is accurate. For Reims cathedral, I searched "horaires cathedrales Reims"
Parish in French is "paroisse"
Post if you need help with translations.
Posted by
la rioja
531 posts
This is hit and miss. If your French is good you can follow the links provided.Mass by city
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2181 posts
I just did a cursory Google search. If you search "messes.info" it should take you to the website for mass schedules. I would probably look up Roman Catholic Churches in each town and figure out what would be close. The site is in French, but it looks pretty easy to figure out. You may have to run the words through google translate to get an accurate picture.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you very much everyone. I agree my best chance is in Reims and will give it a try.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5835 posts
Using Google Maps, searching for catholic churches near Reims, France. Found as one example:
cathedrale-reims.com
http://www.cathedrale-reims.com/infos-pratiques/horaires-des-messes-des-confess
Horaires des messes, des confessions, des temps de prière et
d'adorationSchedules of Masses, Confessions, Times of Prayer and Worship
And with the power of Google Translate:
Mass Schedule
(On holidays, these schedules can be modified)
cathedral St Jacques
Sunday 9h30 (Gregorian) and 11h 10h30 and 18h30 (1st Sunday of October, feast of St Remi, no mass at 18h30)
Monday 8h and 19h
Tuesday 8h 17h
Wednesday 8h and 19h *
Thursday 8h 17h
Friday 8h and 19h
Saturday 8h 5 pm (early Sunday Mass)
Posted by
English but living in Melbourne, Australia
418 posts
I'm trying to do something similar for Orthodox churches in the towns I'm visiting. Not easy because of the split between jurisdictions and in some towns there is no Orthodox church of any description. But sometimes just searching for 'orthodoxe' + the place name has worked. But for RC Sunday mass times, I would expect most hotels and certainly tourist offices to have this information.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11160 posts
I would think your RS guide could get that info. Ask early on so he/she has time to do the necessary research. Guide will know where you are staying in relation to churches, so shouldn't be a burden.
Posted by
Paris
9550 posts
And Reims Cathedral is spectacular -- with Chagall windows and the history of the crowning of the French kings.
In addition, you can be proud as an American that Americans played a huge role in restoring the cathedral after WWI.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-katrandjian/merci-les-americans-the-f_b_866822.html
Posted by
OP
7 posts
In Reims, it will be the morning before the tour begins that evening, so I will not have met the RS guide yet.
Thank you all. I believe I have enough information.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
I've found most churches will have something between an 8 1/2 x 11" post and a large poster with mass times near the front door. I don't recall any particular times but you should be able to go check on Saturday and make your plans for the next day.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks for all the help. We worshipped at Eglise Saint Jacques at 10:30. We had the good luck to be there for First Communion Sunday!
We are Protestant so did not follow as well as if we had been Catholic but I've been to enough masses to know most of it wouldn't be in the bulletin. It was lovely and lively-packed with families. I feel blessed to have had this chance to worship in France.