A mixture of fear and trepidation accompanied me as I
embarked on the 2014 Arundel and Brighton Lourdes Pilgrimage fostered
principally by my ignorance of what was in store for both me and my family. The
initially train journey was the first challenge which lasted for around 29hrs
having left Guildford on Thursday the 24th
July at 11.30 am and arrived on Friday 25th July at 4.30pm at our hotel
in Lourdes exhausted!
The travel ‘experience” included coach, ferry and an 18 hour
train journey and whilst this was arduous there was a hidden benefit in that it
provided a great opportunity to meet with and bond with some of the hundreds’
of other Pilgrims travelling to Lourdes. The motto of the Pilgrimage was ‘Joy
of Conversion’ and this was first evidenced as the able bodied pilgrims began
to load the train with the entire luggage from the coaches, wow what a workout!
The Pilgrimage was from the 24 July until the 1st August and
had a packed but flexible itinerary. With approx. 850 pilgrims we were spread
across a dozen hotels with around 70 pilgrims in each with a Priest and 2
leaders to assist us.
It was heart-warming to see that the sick, infirm, disabled
and mentally challenged had their needs put first. The A&B group comprised
“assisted” pilgrims, helpers who would assist, red shirts who were 15- 16 year
old ‘meeters and greeters’ cheering everyone up at various events.
I quickly became aware how much the assisted pilgrims were
grateful to their helpers and others for making their pilgrimage such a
wonderful experience; it was especially warming to see the 17 to 25 year old
helpers caring for the assisted pilgrims. Sometimes we deride the young as
being superficial but I witnessed these men and women demonstrating both love
and care for those on the pilgrimage less fortunate than themselves.
Let me describe for you a typical day. It would start with
breakfast followed by morning prayers then off to a mass, event or ceremony,
come back for lunch to go to an event or ceremony and then back to the hotel
for evening prayers followed by dinner and then off to a mass or event, phew!
However, there was also a little time to socialise at ‘Le Petit Fleur’ the
little flower which is a French bar. This was an opportunity for the pilgrims
to reflect on the day and also get to know each other a little better whilst
sipping on their favourite tipple. The camaraderie that quickly developed
through our shared faith was simply fantastic.
There were so many special memories and reflections for us
and every-time we thought it could not get better it did. On arrival at Lourdes
we had the, “Blessing of the Hands Mass”, which was a lovely mass and a great
introduction to Lourdes.
There were several highlights on the pilgrimage including,
the Blessed Sacrament Procession, the Torchlight Procession, the International
Mass where there was circa 15,000 pilgrims in attendance from different
countries and our very own Bishop conducted the Mass and said the homily in 3
different languages. We also did the high stations (Stations of the Cross) at
6.15 am with the red shirts. It was an emotional way to retrace what happened
to our Lord Jesus Christ at the end we were greeted to a lovely sunrise. The
baths was another wonderful experience and we were able to go in and able to
pray for our intentions to Our Lady and be baptised which included being
immersed in what can be described as a sunken bath. The candle bank provided
the opportunity to light candles and to pray for your intentions. The enormous
amount of candles with pilgrims praying was a sight
to behold.
The Grotto in which Saint Bernadette saw the apparition of
Our Lady was very special and we were able to go there at least 3 times and
twice being able to go into the grotto to touch the rock and to reflect on what
Saint Bernadette had done all those years ago. It was the 10th anniversary of
the red shirts and so Bishop Kieran said a late night Mass at the Grotto which
was a magical time of the night because of the stillness and time for
reflection.
However, for me there was one special Mass that was very
powerful, the ‘Anointment of the Sick’. Here we were put into our hotel groups
and the priest came around and said a prayer and anointed all those individuals
who were very ill. It was very emotionally charged and I have to confess I too
cried as we got to know some of the individuals and the circumstances
surrounding their illness.
So what did I take away from Lourdes? I am hooked, this
pilgrimage provided my family and I to put aside the daily toils of life
together with modern-day materialism.
The pilgrimage provided a metaphoric bridge with which to crossover and
feed our souls whilst providing an opportunity to reflect on how very blessed
we are as a family.
I would encourage all Brothers to take the time to go and experience
this pilgrimage. Rest assured you will not regret it. For those who have been
before, Lourdes is calling you back!!.
Thanks to Bro. William D'Souza for the narrative of his family's pilgrimage to Lourdes
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