Three of our young parishioners went to Lourdes with the Diocesan Pilgrimage: Nijo, Prakash & Charlotte. The account below was written by Prakash.
Lourdes is a special place which has been a site of pilgrimage for years. When I went with the diocese, I didn’t quite know what to expect and what to feel. I knew in my heart that I would experience something here, similar to Medjugorje yet I didn’t know what it would be. Therefore, after a long 31 hour coach journey, I arrived at Lourdes with an open mind, ready for a new experience.
Day 1
The first full day began with breakfast at 8:30am. This was a treat as I found out later on in the week as on some days breakfast was as early as 6:45am. After breakfast followed catechesis at 10am where we got a basic introduction into Lourdes by Fr. Phil and also part one of a three part vocation talk by Fr. John Millar. The question I was left with today was “What does God want from my life?” I later proposed this question to Our Lady of Lourdes in front of the Grotto. Free time followed catechesis where I and my two roommates decided to go shopping. This proved to be a formidable task which took a lot of our free time because of the giant shopping list each one of us had and also because there were so many shops in Lourdes. At 3pm we had our first duty which was pushing the VIPs (these are the elderly people who are unable to walk and thus have to be pushed on wheelchairs) to the Basilica de Rosaire for the opening Mass. This was a fantastic place with paintings of all the mysteries of the rosary, apart from the Luminous mysterious, and also a massive altar which was treated with many priests from the Lancaster Diocese. After Mass we had some free time where I asked my VIP, who was called Bernadette, where she wanted to go. After a bit of discussion with her husband and daughter she decided that she wanted a beer so we went down to a cafe. I just had a coke! At 9pm, after tea, we went to the high Stations of the Cross which was a beautiful walk. Tradition dictates that the walk should be done barefoot so I and many other young people took off our shoes and prepared for the Stations of the Cross. This was a very moving experience as the statues of the stations were lifelike and stunning.
Day 2
Today began with a massive international Mass in the Underground Basilica which could hold about 25,000 people. It was led by a Spanish cardinal and thus we couldn’t understand most of it, however the fact that there were so many priests and so many people all celebrating Mass together in one room was in itself wonderful. In this Mass I was assigned with the special task of holding a white flag near a priest so that people know where to go to for communion. Later on we had a reconciliation catechesis where Fr. Phil taught us the importance of reconciliation and how it can change lives and is truly a gift from God. Also Fr. John gave us part two of the vocation talk where he told us more about the priesthood and religious life. Following catechesis was a reconciliation service where many people, inspired by the music and the catechesis, made an honest confession in front of the Lord. This really was a special moment as it opened me up for the rest of the week. After this we went to Bartres which was where St. Bernadette spent her early life as a shepherdess. This was a peaceful area, away from the business of Lourdes, which really allowed me to reflect upon my experience so far and have some quiet time for prayer. Once we returned we had some more free time and then we went to the Grotto at 11:30pm. This we did every day of the week, except one, and for me was the best part of the pilgrimage. At this time the Grotto was fairly quiet (there was still some people there) and the statue of Mary really came alive then. My initial expectation was that there will only be a few people there and it would be extremely quiet, however I realised this wasn’t the case. For the first day this truth upset me because I felt I couldn’t concentrate on prayer because of so many people moving and whispering around me. However, as the week went on, I realised that there is always an area of the Grotto which will be empty. Therefore, I just have to sit there and be at peace in the heart and Our Lady will help me to pray sincerely.
Day 3
This day began with a Mass of Anointing in St. Joseph’s chapel. This was a wonderful experience as I had never seen this Sacrament administered before and now I have seen it happen about 50 times! Here I was reminded of home because in this chapel there was a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. A VIP at that moment reminded that there are some great shrines in the UK as well as in France and around the world. Following this Mass, some VIPs wanted to go through the cave of the Grotto where millions of people have rubbed their hands across it and got what they wanted. This was a moving experience. After lunch we had our final catechesis on the Eucharist where Fr. Phil explained how Jesus is really there in the Blessed Sacrament and how it is important to go to adoration as often as possible in order to get closer to our Lord. Fr. John also finished his trilogy of talks with a sister who talked about her life as a nun. Later on we had a Blessed Sacrament procession which was led by Bishop Michael and so our diocese led the procession. This was a new experience for many as this is the first time in a while that our diocese has led the procession. I really enjoyed the adoration in the underground Basilica because they had made the whole place dark and then lit up the Blessed Sacrament. Tonight we had our fancy dress night where all the youth came in a costume. Nijo and I forgot to bring something and so we went for some last minute shopping to buy a beret which we then wore to look like typical French men. It was a lousy costume but we had a good night.
Day 4
After Mass in the morning at Cote de Carmel, we all went down to the local lake where we spent the rest of the day. Here we kayaked, used pedalos and also went swimming. It was nice to have a day off where we could enjoy ourselves and get to know a few more people.
Day 5
Today was much more busy. First we had Mass at the Grotto which was amazing because this was the actual spot where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. Following Mass we went straight to the baths where you get dipped into holy water. This was a great experience. After lunch I went on a walking tour where we visited different places from St. Bernadette’s life. This included the mill where her father worked and also the little prison cell where her family had to live for a few years. We also went to the place where the priest who supported St. Bernadette was buried. After the tour and some free time, we went to the Marian Procession. This was a candlelight procession which, once again, Lancaster Diocese led. During the procession we did the full rosary with people saying Hail Marys and Our Fathers in many different languages.
Day 6
We set off to Cenacolo early in the morning where two men welcomed us, one from the US and one from London. The man from the US told us his story about how he was successful and then got caught up in drugs and lost everything while the man from London told us about how he used to constantly travel, drink and party and then how he realised how his life was so empty and thus joined Cenacolo. I enjoyed listening to their stories about how they managed to change and become better people. Later on we had a farewell Mass and then the lighting of the Diocese candle, which was ruined by the heavy rain (the service not the candle), but the candle remained lit. Finally we had a farewell party at a hotel called the Alba where we said goodbye to the VIPs and also the youth who had come by plane.
Day 7
We set off from Lourdes to Orleans where we spent the night. Here we had Mass at the local cathedral where I got to serve and Fr. Phil gave us an inspiring homily of living what we had learnt in Lourdes rather than leaving it behind and forgetting about it.
This was my experience of Lourdes and it is one that I will always treasure. Lourdes taught me to be myself and to always stay close to God.
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