French
with St. Thérèse
Learn Beginning French this summer
...with St. Thérèse of Lisieux!
10 weeks = 1 Semester of High School French
Classes are on Wednesdays at 10 am Pacific / 1 pm Eastern
Sept 9 to Nov 4, 2026
All classes are recorded for review or makeup.
What Will We Cover?
You are invited to discover the beauty and delight of French language and culture accompanied by St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the saints of France! ⚜️
We will enjoy ten lovely weeks together learning beginning French in a fun and friendly online classroom.
Part "pilgrimage in place," part "conversation club," this experience will provide a solid and systematic overview of foundational language skills while weaving in the enchantment and elegance of the land of ballet, Monet, macarons, and medieval cathedrals. ⚜️
A rich experience of language, culture, and spirituality
This is a rich, integrated experience of language, culture, and spirituality surpassing anything you could gain from a language app or "French for Travelers" CD set (remember those?).
In addition to verbs, grammar, and vocabulary of the French language, we'll also be immersed in French art, history, cuisine, and pilgrimage sites.
By the end of the course, you will
memorize the Hail Mary en français
have the confidence to ask for directions and order at a café
be able to write and translate basic sentences in the present tense
grow in spiritual intimacy with the Little Flower
Who Is This Perfect For?
This course is perfect for Catholic women, homeschool families, and anyone who's ever thought they'd like to learn French someday.
Perhaps you are planning a pilgrimage to France and want to prepare.
Or, perhaps you just returned from one and want to extend the experience.
Maybe you love French culture and you're seeking to inspire your summer with French flair.
Or maybe you're a savvy homeschool mom looking to give your eighth grader a running start on her high school academics.
Maybe you want to ease the load of your tenth grader's upcoming school year--while also nurturing his or her heavenly friendship with the Little Flower.
Middle school and high school boys and adult men are welcome, but it is very feminine and flowery in the images used throughout the course, so be warned! 🌸😆
No prior French language experience is necessary for first semester French.
Adults, high school students, and advanced middle school students are warmly welcome to join.
Homeschool families wish to count this course on their students' high school transcripts, but no official institutional credit will be given by the instructor. Parents may use the grading tracker to track quiz grades and extra credit.
Who is Your Teacher?
Bonjour!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sarah Bartel, and I'm a Catholic theologian, mother of five, and an intimacy and marriage coach. With my husband, Nathan, I am the co-founder of the CanaFeast.com Catholic marriage ministry.
I have a minor in French from Gonzaga University, and I spent a year studying in Paris at l'Institut Catholique and La Sorbonne. Before becoming a mom, I taught French in classrooms at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Later, I used my French language skills in my dissertation on St. Thérèse and her domestic church. In early May of 2026, I had the joy of leading a dream-come-true women's pilgrimage to France.
On a personal note, two of my homeschooled daughters wanted to learn French at home. My rising 10th and 8th grade mademoiselles asked me to teach them in a structured and fun way in the summer of 2026, and together, we came up with the idea to create an online course open to others as well!
It was such a success, I decided to continue! For the 2026 fall semester, I'm be offering Beginning French Part 1 again, and I'm also offering Beginning French Part 2for current students who wish to continue . Others who have prior French experience may enroll as well.
Bienvenue!
The Details
Fall 2026
⚜️
Beginning French: Part 1 (first semester of high school French)
Schedule
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern.
*Class often runs 75-90 min. You may slip out at anytime and catch the rest by recording if you can't stay to the end.
Wed, Sept 9 - Nov 4, 2026
Textbook and Homework
You will download and print your own beautiful French coursebook, custom-created for this course. You'll correct your own homework in class.
Each lesson comes with a quiz that you can use to check knowledge and count towards a class grade. Quizzes can be corrected by going back and consulting the material in each lesson.
Beginning French: Part 2 (second semester of high school French)
Schedule
Wednesdays, 11:30 am .m. Pacific / 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Sept 9 - Nov 4, 2026
Textbook and Homework
In addition to a custom-made coursebook specific for this course,
second semester French will use Amsco Publishing's French First Year by Eli Blume.
Any edition will work, either textbook or workbook version.
French First Year by Blume is available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and elsewhere.
Family enrollment
Enroll one time for all the students in your household. If you have more than one middle or high-school student or adult learners in your home, one tuition fee covers the whole family!
How the classes work
Both classes will be live on Zoom.
Recordings will be available if you can't make it live, or if you'd like to review.
You will be able to join an online community where you can ask questions, share posts of your creative at-home activities, French recipes, and cheer each other on!
Online quizzes will complement your learning.
At the end of class, you will receive a charming, personalized Certificate of Completion to celebrate your success!
Tuition
Early enrollment: $199
for enrollment by Aug 11
Standard enrollment: $249
Enrollment deadline is Aug 31
Everyone will enjoy
10 week online French course
Live instruction once a week (recordings will be available if you can't make it live)
Vocabulary, grammar, syntax and pronunciation
Downloadable coursebook
Catholic saints, prayers and pilgrimage sites
Basic phrases for pilgrims and travelers
French art, culture, and cuisine
Online quizzes and self-corrected homework
And more!
Classes begin Sept 9.
The discount for early enrollment is available through Aug 11:
Questions
Which class should I enroll in? Beginning French: Part 1 or Beginning French: Part 2?
For those completely new to French, or who want a thorough review, choose Beginning French: Part 1.
Choose Beginning French: Part 2 if you've mastered conjugating -er verbs in the present tense, the irregular verbs avoir, aller, être, and faire, adverbs, adjectives, and basic prepositions, and basic vocab relating to food, seasons, numbers, home and family, and neighborhood.
How does family enrollment work? I don't have to pay for a second child? Can I watch along with my son or daughter? Can husband and wife share an enrollment?
Yes! One enrollment covers your whole household. Just print up as many copies of the course book as you want (for Beginning French: Part 1) or obtain textbooks for each family member (for Part 2). You can all log in from separate devices, or share the same device. Co-op friends, neighbors, and cousins must get their own enrollments.
Does this count as a homeschool language class for my child?
Each course is equivalent to about a semester of high school French. This is not a degree-granting or credit-granting institution, but homeschool families may choose to add this class to the transcripts they create for their high school children. The homeschooling parents can decide how to handle credit for middle school students, whether to add this to their future high school transcripts or not.
I would like to learn French as an adult. Will this class work for me?
Oui! You will find so much to delight in, whether you're brushing up high school French that you first learned decades ago, preparing for a pilgrimage, or learning as self-care for your own mind and enjoyment. Learning languages helps nourish your brain, building cognitive reserve. This helps delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimers and dementia, and allows your brain more capacity for developing workarounds when disease symptoms appear.
Besides all that, it's just fun!