Lourdes Blog
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Past pilgrimages are archived there as well.

We are not in Lourdes. As opposed to that holy Place, the sun is shining, the weather is warm, and air is not filled with the bells ringing the Ave Maria.

Yesterday, I wrote I would reflect on the last evening we shared as well as the plane ride home and a few reflections on the pilgrimage itself. Here it goes.

The final evening, emceed by Dan FitzPatrick, was the last opportunity we had to gather as an entire pilgrimage. There are three elements to this evening.

The first was the recognition of the 25 years the Order of Malta has sponsored this wonderful work. What began with a handful of people has now become more than 400, a chartered plane, and a significant pillar in the vocation of the members of the Order. We recognized some of the early founders of this pilgrimage, in particular, Anne Peabody and Sissy Ix.

We were then treated to a performance by the children of the pilgrimage which always gets the room going. The intensity and the compassion of all concerned was clearly felt in these last moments.

And like Mariano Rivera (sorry Boston Malta), the evening closes with the hard-hitting and moving testimonies of two malades. They each witnessed to the grace of the Christian charity incarnated over these past few days. To be honest, no award or public recognition would ever compare to these accolades. Members of the Order of Malta shine brightest at this point.

The evening ended with the usual rush to bed and last-minute packing.

In the early morning hours, we efficiently loaded the buses and headed to the airport. Would you believe people were using the "S" word even in the month of May? That's right folks, snow was in the forecast. The cold and dark drizzle still could not dampen the gratitude we all felt for this graced opportunity.

That attitude would prove helpful. The ride home was not smooth. There was a second screening check because of the heightened security risk resulting from the failed attempt in New York City in Times Square. We were delayed almost 2 hours and a few of us were getting nervous. I guess we were feeling echoes of nine years ago. Thankfully, we took off and landed safely at Newark Airport. And even with the delay in getting our baggage, we were still in a good mood. When the bags finally arrived on the conveyor belt, our group burst into applause. Something tells me that doesn't happen too often there!

So we stepped into the warm sunlight of a declining day on the East Coast. Those with connecting flights ran for them and we hope they made them. The rest of us piled into whatever conveyance and headed home. After discerning God's will for me to have pizza with bacon, I fell asleep in the chair I am still sitting in.

-- -- --

So what to make of my seventh journey to the Grotto?

I guess what impresses me even after these few hours since it's inclusion is the grace of God working in the lives people who are searching for it.

Yes, first and foremost are those with conditions that have obviously brought them to those healing and refreshing waters. But grace is not limited to those fortunate few. It flows equally to those heroes who care for them on a regular basis. It extends the Knights and Dames of the Order are so steadfastly committed to this work of charity. The volunteers, clergy, and Auxiliary do not come away empty either.

But what is this grace?

St. Thomas Aquinas expressed the theology very well said, "Grace builds upon nature." We start then, with the natural and from there begin to see the supernatural. The grace of God speaks to the condition of the human person. This can be physical, medical, emotional, psychological, or any other aspect of the living human being.

One does not have to look far in their own life - or in anyone else's - to discover an opportunity for grace. Going to Lourdes can be for a specific reason known to ourselves and even other people. But the mystery of it is God working because He knows what needs be done. One of the pilgrims referred to this grace as "unfolding." That's a perfect description. It's not always easy to see a miracle when we can only still see our need for one. It's not exactly clear that God is standing by us when we only look backwards.

So perhaps the grace of this pilgrimage is always that little reminder whispered in our darkness that we are not alone, that we are not unnoticed.

I am sure for myself and my fellow pilgrims that whenever we sing the "Ave Maria" or hear the trickling of a stream or catch a whiff of roses, we will go back to the Grotto. And there, as we are, we find Mary smiling and reminding us that God, her Son, has never and will never fail to notice us.

Thank you for your prayers and know that you remain in ours.

God bless.

The last day is always a strange one. The end is truly near. We begin with Mass in the upper basilica that was built soon after the apparitions gained traction throughout the Catholic World. Ohm yeah, and Mary herself asked that it be built. The interior walls are covered in votos, silver thanksgiving medallions in the shape of what was healed. It’s a bit crowded but we manage.

At the end of Mass we honored several members who harked so hard with some of the Malta relief efforts in Haiti. These efforts had been on place long before the earthquake and were amazingly stepped up after.

We also gave crosses to the children Malades who are such a lovely part of this 25th annual pilgrimage. It was a pleasure to be able to work a little with them and especially their parents.

We emerged from the Church into the nasty, cold rain we were getting used to. After a Westchester shot from the roof of the Rosary Basilica, a few of the kids joined me in the salon (aka, the bar) at the D’Espangne for the Stations of the Cross.. A children’s version is not like the Mel Gibson production. Instead, there are opportunities for application that can get interesting. For example, the 11th Station – Jesus is nailed to the Cross – has a rather vivid parallel with needles and IVs.

After a final Lunch, we had our last reflection group – mine was with the parents. It amazes me how heroic they are in the most ordinarily difficult moments and obligations they take on.

And being good Americans, we all went shopping. It feels really really nice to assist the world economy. And I did!

Around 8:30 pm, we had the closing gathering. I am going to wait on describing it because it really is the beginning of the end of the pilgrimage. I’d rather include it in a final entry. Also the turbulence on this plane is making me woozy.

But when all will be said and done, it has been a great Pilgrimage.

Not. We were tempted early in the morning to think the clouds might clear. The threat of sunshine did not materialize. It is chilly and wet.

No matter, it is still Sunday even without the sun. And being so, the day started off with the Sunday Mass at the St. Pius X Basilica. This place is so big you could park a couple of 747s with room to spare. It was dedicated by John XXIII in the late 50s before he became pope. It is a massive space that has one purpose: get a lot of people around the central altar. I've been told it seats 35,000 to 40,000 with thousands more standing. This is the annual pilgrimage week for the Order of Malta from all over the world. The celebrant was the Cardinal-Protector from Rome. Seven languages were used including Latin and we were mesmerized once again by a solo during Communion sung by a member of the Order from Lebanon.

For those who slavishly followed (ha ha) my Lenten series on the book of Revelation, you know what I mean when I say it was exactly like heaven.

This afternoon is the Eucharistic procession and the blessing of the Sick. This is where so many of the miracles of Lourdes take place. Keep praying for us and know we are praying for you.

I know I haven't posted anything in the past day. I'm very happy to say it I have a very good reason. The pilgrimage is going exceptionally well. The weather is not. Oh well, that is not in our hands anyway.

Since I last posted, I can say the pilgrimage is in full swing. People are getting used to the schedule, the moving around (with military precision), and the simple pleasure of being together. Each pilgrim has a small black book containing the schedule of events for each day. There are usually, aside from meals, three main events either in the hotels or at one of the sites in the sanctuary. Aside from these, there are many optional events In arelated to the order of Malta, the sanctuary, or the Pilgrims themselves. In between these are often where the grace of the pilgrimage happens.

You can see it in the evening. Small groups head out for pizza or something. People sit around hotel lobbies or cafés. Some go off by themselves and pray.

Saturday is always “caregivers night out.” On past pilgrimages, this has often been referred to as a real miracle of Lourdes. Caregivers are the heroic and generous human beings who have accepted the vocation of caring for a loved one. And yet, so many rarely experienced time for themselves. Members of the Order take charge and give the caregiver the evening off. It's wonderful to see, later in the evening, these incredibly decent people relaxed and having a good time.

Last night, I had the privilege of going out to dinner with two of our young pilgrims. John and Christian are wonderful young man each facing a condition that has brought them here. With the help of Chris, a in I Malta auxiliary, we went out for pizza and later for ice cream.

One aspect of Lourdes is the apparent contradiction between the religious nature of the shrine and the party atmosphere of the towns surrounding it. I strongly disagree that this is a contradiction. As one commentator said, "Lourdes is a place to live, not a place to die." The conviviality is an extension of the spirituality. Sure, some take it too far but that's just human nature. And yes, some of the "commercialization" and just plain tacky aspects are little over the top. But the center and focus remains the human person. God reveals himself to human beings, not stones.

As the evening came to a close, the smiling and tired Pilgrims headed back to sleep for another day.