The main celebrations under the theme of Pilgrims of Hope are in Rome, but let us examine two significant sites in France that offer pilgrimages giving thanks and explicitly devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Separated by distance, one a simple town, the other a grand Basilica in the heart of Paris, these are not merely places to visit, but they allow us to appreciate the historical significance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Firstly, there is Paray-le-Monial, a small town in Burgundy, where, in 1675, as a young nun, Marguerite-Marie Alacoque saw Christ appear to her while she was praying.
