Religious Life

A student chaplain service is available to all students at the Université Catholique. On occasion, SUNDEF students organize special Masses in the University Church. Many students attend Mass with their French families in the parish where they live. Some prefer Mass in the 12th-century cathedral, the Carmelite monastery just outside Angers, or even the nearby Benedictine Abbey of Solesmes, renowned for the preservation of Gregorian chant.

Transportation and Travel

Roundtrip airfare from the east coast of the U.S. to Paris is covered by program costs. Frequently, there is a group flight in the fall semester from Chicago. The program director greets students in Paris and arranges transportation to Angers. Students are free to travel on weekends at their own expense. A number of trips are also organized by the host institution for a very reasonable fee.

Housing and Meals

During the month of September, all SUNDEF students live in individual rooms at one of the student residences — either a foyer or a Cité Universitaire. During this month, students, faculty and student assistants take their meals at the Université Catholique. On October 1, all SUNDEF students move into private homes located throughout the city of Angers and the suburbs, with families chosen by the director of Social Services at CIDEF and the Notre Dame resident director. Students must conform to local customs as to receiving guests, hours and the use of house facilities.

A food allowance is issued to students twice a month to be used at their discretion for eating at home, the state-operated student restaurant (R.U.) or commercial restaurants. Most students take a continental breakfast at home; quite a number arrange to eat the evening meal with the family. Each year’s group has favorite cafés and small restaurants.

Cultural and Recreational Opportunities

Angers and the old Province of Anjou offer numerous cultural possibilities. In addition to old Romanesque and Gothic churches and a number of chateaux, monuments and parks, Angers has world-famous collections of tapestries from the 14th to the 20th centuries. It has museums, libraries, a permanent regional symphony, a national ballet theater company, a national lyric theater center and various lecture and concert series. Traveling companies play regularly at the theater.

Angers has a professional soccer team, numerous sports clubs and outdoor and indoor Olympic-size pools. Tennis is popular and court use is inexpensive with student discounts. In addition to sponsored excursions, SUNDEF students visit other parts of France and many European countries. They often go to Paris for a day or two, an easy trip because of excellent train service.

Health Care

Participants must document that they are adequately covered by health insurance which is valid in Europe for the period of their stay abroad. Students must submit copies of this documentation in French to local authorities to secure temporary residence permits.

Other Links

• Angers Course Information
  
  
• CIDEF on-line course list:
  www.uco.fr/instituts/cidef
  
  
• Universite Catholique de l'Ouest (UCO) website:
  www.uco.fr