Talk of the town: Butte to send 114 locals on first-ever Parish Pilgrimage to Paris

Quite an entourage will leave Butte on Tuesday — 114 people, to be exact —headed across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris.

Men, women and children, ages 13 to 89, will travel more than 4,800 miles for Butte’s first-ever Parish Pilgrimage to Paris.

“It’s the talk of the town,” said Father Patrick Beretta, the trip's organizer.

The idea of such a trip originated purely by accident, following a Dec. 8, 2024, Mass at St. Patrick’s Church celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

During the homily, Father Beretta talked to his congregation about the devastating fire at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019. His homily continued, with the priest giving further details on its aftermath and the cathedral’s recovery.

The Butte priest recalled after that particular Mass, he was asked by a woman in his congregation if he would ever consider taking a group to Paris and Notre Dame.

“I liked the concept of taking people to my native city, but I thought it was a long shot,” said Father Beretta.

The biblical phrase “O ye of little faith” comes to mind because that long shot would, in time, become a reality.

In the first few weeks of January 2025, Father Beretta, who spent much of his childhood in Paris, mentioned to his congregation a possible trip to his birthplace and asked if anyone would be interested.

There was definite interest and that interest kept growing.

Because of the overwhelming interest, Father Beretta called on the expertise of Geri Grose of Copper Cove Travel in Butte, and the two decided to open the trip to 60 people.

In February 2025, the Butte priest announced at Mass that the Paris trip was a go on a first-come first-served basis.

“The trip sold out in the first 24 hours, and the waiting list kept getting bigger and bigger,” said Grose.

Soon, another 20 travelers were added to the list. Then 20 more, until it reached its final number, 114.

“We just kept adding and adding,” said Grose.

Father Beretta said he was blown away by the response and deeply touched.

“I am humbled by the keen interest,” he said.

Although Father Beretta described the interest as a wonderful development, the planning resulted in more responsibility and some stress for him and Grose.

“Nothing worthwhile and with significant community impact is easy to lead and manage,” he said. “To me it is all worth it.”

As the passenger list grew, Grose had to find a different hotel that could accommodate the additional people.

“We changed hotel choices three times,” said Father Beretta.

For the past 14 months, Grose worked on the Paris trip and will continue to do so until everyone returns from their travels.

So far, the Paris trip was the largest one she had to organize. Her previous record was planning a cruise for 108 people.

“A cruise was much easier,” Grose said, with a laugh. “This one has been a lot of work.”

Father Beretta is looking forward to the trip and wants his parishioners to experience Paris through his eyes and his heart.

“We will visit all the incomparable sights, but I will also guide them to explore the neighborhoods away from the touristic frenzy,” he said.

The Paris sights include the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower, and of course, Notre Dame, where Father Beretta, along with Deacon Bernie McCarthy, will celebrate Mass.

The group will also head 120 miles northwest of Paris to Normandy to visit the site of the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, during World War II.

The Butte priest also plans to take some of his parishioners to his old stomping grounds, including the neighborhood where he once lived, attended school and went to church.

“We will finish in a very historic bistro for a lovely group lunch that my dad loved and where he first heard of the Americans landing in Normandy,” he said.

Grose admitted that organizing this trip was a monumental task but said Father Beretta was great to work with.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Grose said a couple of would-be travelers had to cancel, but otherwise, no one else backed out of the trip, even as the numbers increased.

“Everybody that wanted to go, gets to go,” she said.

At a recent meeting with the Paris-bound travelers, Father Beretta stressed that the trip is a pilgrimage, which is defined by the Catholic church as a spiritual journey to a sacred place.

He urged his parishioners to reserve time for prayers and learn about the saints.

“A lot of the sights we’ll see are connected to saints,” he said.

Father Beretta also requested each traveler try to figure out why God wanted them to go on this pilgrimage.

As the trip’s main guide, the Butte priest wants his parishioners to have a wonderful time in Paris.

“I am not nervous by nature, but I am a shepherd first and foremost,” he said. “The shepherd always lovingly worries about his sheep.”