The upheavals of our time — ecological collapse, climate disruption, and the fracturing of human community — reveal a deeper truth: we are living through a spiritual crisis of belonging. For generations, humanity has imagined itself apart from Nature, claiming dominion and extracting from the Earth without limit. Our institutions, including the church, have often reinforced this separation.
Yet a new spiritual horizon is dawning. Ecological Spirituality invites us to remember what ancient peoples never forgot: that we live inside a holy universe, alive with intelligence, beauty, and relationality. This emerging spirituality is participatory, embodied, inclusive — calling us back into the vast communion of life.
When we attune to nature’s astonishing, life-giving rhythms, something in us awakens. A shift in consciousness begins. We recognize ourselves as Earthlings — kin to water, wind, stone, and star. From this remembering emerges a deeper spiritual maturity, one equal to the challenges of our age.
What is our role in this emerging New Paradigm?
How do we cultivate communion with Creation in our ordinary days?
What wisdom is seeking to be born through us now?
Together, through shared presence, discussion, small group process and a private evening walking the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral we will listen for the subtle movements of spirit within and around us.
We will seek the pathways — ancient and newly unfolding — that lead toward communion with Creation and a renewed sense of the sacred in our evolving world.
Come. Join us in an ancient place of refuge and renewal.
The Chartres Experience
From June 8-12, 2026, the Veriditas pilgrimage to Chartres, France, offers a blend of spiritual practice, historical exploration, and personal reflection. Program registration begins at the Hotelliere St. Yves in Chartres, France at 4:00 pm on Monday, followed by an orientation and opening reception. Each day begins with a seminar followed by a large group conversation, and leader led small group discussions. Participants will experience the sacred space of Chartres through a tour of the cathedral, as well as an unforgettable private candlelit labyrinth walk with medieval music. Participants will also have an opportunity to walk with the public, allowing time for reflection, connection, and community. The program concludes with a celebratory dinner on Friday evening that ends by 10 pm. You may want to plan to arrive a day prior to the start of the program to give yourself time to recover from jet lag, and we recommend planning to depart on the Saturday after the program concludes.
Recommended Reading for Diarmuid O’Murchu
Adult Faith: Growing in Wisdom and Understanding
Evolutionary Faith: Rediscovering God in Our Great Story
Ecological Spirituality (all by Orbis Press)
Recommended Reading for Lauren Artress
Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice
The Path of the Holy Fool: How the Labyrinth Ignites our Visionary Powers
Diarmuid O'Murchu
Diarmuid O'Murchu, a member of the Sacred Heart Missionary Order, and a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin Ireland, is a social psychologist whose early working life had been in social ministry, predominantly in London, UK. In more recent years he has worked as a workshop leader and group facilitator, conducting pioneering programmes on Adult Faith Development across several countries. He is a widely read author, with many of his books listed on this webpage. Now as a retired missionary, he lives in Dublin, Ireland.
The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress
The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress is Canon Emerita of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, internationally recognized teacher on the Spirituality of the Labyrinth, and author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice; The Sacred Path Companion: How to Use the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform; and The Path of the Holy Fool: How the Labyrinth Ignites our Visionary Powers. Her first book Walking a Sacred Path was instrumental in launching what the New York Times named The Labyrinth Movement in May, 1998. She founded the non-profit, Veriditas, the World-Wide Labyrinth Project, in 1996 to “pepper the planet with labyrinths.” With over 6,000 labyrinth sites in the U.S. alone, her nonprofit work embraces the vision to activate and transform the human spirit through the labyrinth experience. Lauren received the Gandhi, King, and Ikeda Peace Award for her work in bringing people together in creative, peace-giving ways. In 2021 she received the Extraordinary Visionary Leader award from Women Creating our Futures. She is on the Editorial Board of Presence Magazine, a publication of Spiritual Directors International. Lauren is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California.
Logistical Information
Travel to and from Chartres: We look forward to welcoming you in Chartres! Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from Chartres. Most airline flights will arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France. You have a variety of options on getting to Chartres from CDG Airport.
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- Consider taking an UBER to Chartres. It has proven to be a convenient and cost effective option.
- The most economical way is to take a taxi to the Montparnasse Train Station and take a train to Chartres. Chartres is about an hour outside of Paris by train. For train information, please see the SNCF website.
- You can make a reservation online for a car or small van to meet you at the airport and drive you to Chartres.
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- You can also consider the option of taking a taxi all the way to Chartres, though the cost will be in the range of 150 – 200 Euro or more. If several participants arrive at the same time, sharing a taxi will bring the price down.
We will be creating an online Circle group for participants to be able to connect with each other prior to the start of the Pilgrimage in case you want to plan to share accommodations or transportation to Chartres. An invitation to join the group will be included in your confirmation email when you register.
Accommodation: Veriditas has a very small block of rooms reserved at the Hotellerie St. Yves for each week that we will be in Chartres in 2025. You will receive a link to book your room after you register for a Pilgrimage. Most participants find the rooms comfortable and convenient. Each has a small bathroom with a shower. Bedding and towels are provided, but you will need to bring a hairdryer. You may also choose to use booking.com to locate accommodation near to the Hotellerie St. Yves where the program is held.
Meals: Chartres is a charming, medieval village with many options for eating out from casual fare such as omelettes and soup to fancier formal restaurants. There is also a grocery store in walking distance that sells sandwiches and snacks. Breakfast is included in the cost of your accommodation if you book through our block of rooms at the Hotellerie St. Yves. You are responsible for your own lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Spouse packages (partner/family/friends) are available if they want to come but not participate in the full program. Includes opening reception, closing dinner and cathedral tour. Simply select spouse package when you register.
Cancellation Policy: We understand that life happens! When things don’t go as you planned, Veriditas has policies in place so that you always know what to expect should you have to cancel an event. Please read our updated cancellation policy here.
Travel Insurance: Veriditas strongly recommends purchasing travel insurance to cover your expenses in the event of an unforeseen circumstance that may hinder your ability to attend the program. . Click here for a link to Travel Guard, specializing in insurance for our Chartres programs.
For additional information on our Walking a Sacred Path Pilgrimages, please click here.
