 Religious Life
A student chaplain service is available to all students at the Université Catholique. In addition, SUNDEF students may organize special Masses in the Catho’s 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. Students are also invited to participate in a number of Notre Dame sponsored retreats throughout Europe.
Transportation and Travel
Roundtrip airfare from the east coast of the U.S. to Paris is covered by program costs. Students can opt to take an organized group flight from Chicago for a fee. Transportation to either of these gateway cities is the responsibility of the student. The Angers program director typically 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
Upon arrival in Angers, students are met by their host families and welcomed to their new homes. Students live in private homes located throughout the city of Angers and the suburbs, with families chosen by the director of Social Services at CIDEF and/or the Notre Dame resident director. Students must conform to local customs and house rules as to receiving guests, and the hours and the use of house facilities. One dinner per week with the host family is provided by the program. During the month of September, the Préstage, students will take their noon meal during the school week at the Catho. One weekday noontime meal is also organized by the program throughout the regular semesters.
 A stipend is issued to students on the first day of the month to be used at their discretion for eating at home, at the state-operated student restaurant (RU), or at commercial restaurants. Some students choose to 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 two world-famous tapestry collections, from the 14th and 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. There are also several gyms in Angers that offer memberships. In addition to sponsored excursions, SUNDEF students often go to Paris for a day or two, an easy trip because of excellent train service. Angers provides easy access to the rest of France and many other European countries.
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.
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