Lourdes: 53rd International Military Pilgrimage

This pilgrimage has stories within the story. Last year, we were able to fly directly from Catania to Lourdes this year we had to drive to Palermo. We got up early, stopping at Angela and Bros. Agip service station for breakfast. The car would not start when we were ready to leave. Flint made a call to have the car dealt with, then he called Massimo's Taxi. Natale drove us to the Palermo airport with one stop along the way. The Autogrill area was filled with students as this is the time of year for study trips. However, one of the teachers was one of our former neighbors from the Aci area!

Upon arrival in Lourdes, we walked over to reconnect with North American Volunteers and tried to help the college students serve supper. What a delightful group of students from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio! So devoted to their faith and caring in their service!

Before the Welcome Mass for the USA military pilgrims began, Flint ran into Tony, a friend from our days in Germany! He had even spent Christmas with us years ago, but with changes in email, moves, etc., we had lost touch. How wonderful to reestablish contact with such a good guy!

During our few days there, we learned many stories of what brought people to Lourdes, how they happened to be there, and the profound impact this holy site has had on them. Again we were touched by our Wounded Warriors, their families, and sacrifices they have made for us.

The theme for this year's pilgrimage:  "United by the Father and One Same Prayer"

A procession begins

The top of the Basilica looking toward the fort. The crown was a gift by the Irish.

Candles

German soldiers preparing to place and light their candle

Street food...delicious sausage sandwich

Enroute to Mass...they played at the English speaking Mass in the Grotto early Saturday morning. Irish bagpipers joined them for the closing hymn "How Great Thou Art."

French military school

Frank...we met him last year...patriot and devoted to God

Waiting to process

Waiting for the 'official' picture of the U.S. pilgrims

View from our room at the Hotel Vesuvio

Sunday Morning....the International Mass

We didn't eat here, but the exterior is an interesting one.

After our dinner at Rivierasol with Luis and Diane

Assigned tables for meals. We shared with this lovely couple from Palermo.

We also shared with Carmela and her husband.

Only a few people from Catania shared our dining room. ObyWhan managed to change our return flight directly to Catania, and we were privileged to meet Mimmo and Francesca.

Our flight left Lourdes later giving us a bit more visiting time. If the car had not broken down, we would not have even asked about changing the flight. Upon arrival in Catania, torrential rains greeted us. Natale took us to pick up our car (the alarm system malfunctioned). The person who was taking care of the car was leaving it and the key at a nearby business. However, when he was moving the car, it wouldn't start again. (It was NOT the alarm system.)


No electricity upon entering our house about 10:00 p.m. Flint flipped the circuit breakers, but the alarm lights weren't working properly. He called the landlord who came over and triggered the alarm a couple of times before he turned it off. He told us there was an area power outage Saturday. Here we were late Monday night.  We had to throw out everything in the refrigerators. Thank goodness, we don't stockpile our supplies.

Although we would have rather spent money on something other than the long taxi ride and coming home late to clean out refrigerators could have irritated us severely, the peace of Lourdes and the grace of Our Lady remains with us. Sometimes our situations may be troublesome, time consuming and pricey, but they really aren't too bad. We continue to count our blessings.

Pilgrimage to Lourdes, France

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."

We attended the 52nd International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, with members of our base chapel community including our Padre. Flint and I had ridden a bus for 28 hours from Hohenfels, Germany, to 36th PMI in 1994. Fortunately this time, we flew directly on Mistral Air, on a bright yellow plane with 'posta Italia' written in blue.

I remember watching the old movie Song of Bernadette when I was growing up, and I remember how I felt watching it. That we would make a second pilgrimage to the grotto where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette thrilled us. Through the Knights of Columbus, we met the North American Volunteers whose service to those with both visible and invisible afflictions is invaluable. Their good work includes caring for our wounded warriors some of whom we were honored to meet. Wounded Warrior Project 

As this was a military (Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA) pilgrimage, we watched uniforms from all over the world in several processions with our U.S.A. troops making us feel so proud. (The history of the military pilgrimages dates back to the years after World War 2 when the Germans and French wanted to reestablish positive relations between the two countries.) One of the happiest moments was seeing the Italians in formation, stopped in the middle of a street, singing their national anthem. Of course, everyone cheered, then traffic (largely pedestrian) moved along.

Lourdes Lourdes, France lies at the foot of the Pyrenees

Mountains. Although cluttered with shops containing medals, rosaries, and empty bottles for the holy water and hundreds of hotels that provide lodging for the thousands of pilgrims each

week, the sweet, tranquil spirit of this place of miracles, is like that of no other place I have ever visited.