George's alarm wakes us up at 6:30, but of course we don't get up right away. We have to ease into this day of traveling. Once we get moving, though, we are ready to go way before its time. We need to have the beds stripped, room tidied, bags downstairs and off to church for 9:00 mass for Pentecost. We are ready be 10 to 8:00!! How unusual for us! We bring our bags down and venture out to the Grotto for one last visit. There is mist rising from the mountains and the sky is a mass of clouds, so I guess Luciano's weather prediction from last night is pretty accurate.
Yesterday, Denis carved my family name into a candle and then wiped mud made with Lourdes water into the name to make it show up. George and I light this special candle and take some time to pray for our family. Then we visit the Grotto and say goodbye to Our Lady and to Luciano once again. Then it's off to the water taps to fill a bottle of Lourdes water, and back to the room to meet our mates.
The lady isn't in the office to hold our bags, but just as we decide to leave them in the hall she appears. We lug our cases into the office and set out to Mass. I am so happy to see that Fr. Paul is celebrating Mass. I volunteer for the the second reading and ask the priest if we can sing "As I Kneel Before You" a favorite hymn to Mary that I heard when I first came to Lourdes, and loved so much that we chose it for our wedding. He says he has already chosen that song for Mass today. Mass is beautiful!! Father has an excellent homily about how we can see evidence of the Holy Spirit in the world today. The music is great, AND four girls,from Columbus, Ohio sit right in front of us! What are the odds? They just arrived yesterday and are leaving tomorrow, so we give them some advice about what they should do, and how to get information about volunteering.
Fr. Paul gives us a special blessing as we are traveling today, and we get a picture with him. It makes us all sad that after 12 years, the next time we come to Lourdes, Fr. Paul won't be with us.
We decide to have a hot breakfast for a change and go to a pub we frequented my first year in Lourdes. After breakfast, we say goodbye to Denis and Linda (they are staying one more day in Lourdes). Angela suggests that since it's our last day, we should get some ice cream. Ice cream is a bit of a tradition with us here, but we have not managed to get any ice cream this year. So we set off, and...the ice cream shop is closed! No worries, there are plenty others. At the Royale, Angela and I each choose a banana split and George has a peach Melba. We grab a cab, pick up our bags and make it to the train station with time to spare.
Angela strikes up a conversation with a young man from Ireland. They are both flying tonight and will share a taxi to the airport, while George and I will spend the night in Toulouse. As soon as we
check in to the hotel we are off to watch the last Arsenal match of the season in an Irish pub. They win, and George is in heaven because in this pub in a French city he is surrounded by English and French speakers who love football as much as he does. Meanwhile, I am happy they have wifi and I work on my blog and catch up on emails. A win-win! George and I enjoy a delicious meal at Meet the
Meat, a restaurant suggested by George's football mates from the pub, and have ice cream for dessert, for the second time today. We must be at the front desk at 6:15 for our cab to the airport, so it's straight to bed when we get back to the hotel. I realize it hasn't rained today at all. It was sunny and warm once the mist cleared, so I guess Luciano's weather forecast wasn't so accurate as I first believed.
Tomorrow we will be back in our own bed. This trip has been rewarding, exhausting, memorable and fun. But it will be nice to be home.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Day 10
Our last full day at Lourdes dawns with fog and clouds shrouding the mountains. This does not promise to be a dry day. However my pessimism of last night is gone, and we head to St. Clare for one last shift, filled again with the Joy of Mission. We meet Judith, who is to replace us in the kitchen. She is from Germany, and has a little English. We also get two different helpers from the English group to help in the kitchen. This time, a young man named Oliver who will be in seminary in Spain in the fall, and an older man named Chris who is very interested in parish ministry. We all have quite a bit to talk about, while we train them up and get the dishes done. Meanwhile, Judith does all the swiffering! Sandra even stops by to say goodbye to us. We bid au revoir to our French responsibles, for the last time and meet George for morning Mass at the Cosmos and Damien chapel. This is like our parish church at Lourdes.
We have a little time before meeting Vi for lunch, so I write a bit. We take a taxi into town as walking so far is difficult for Linda and George. We spend a few hours at lunch with Vi, and I am so happy that I have introduced Vi to my friends. They are all such very nice people. It is nice relaxed lunch; just what we all need after a long week of volunteering.
I go to my new favorite tea shop in Lourdes- Eleanor's- have a cup of tea and write. Eleanor's is a new shop this year, opened by some British ex-pats, and they have great tea in a lovely quaint shop. I write way past the time I am supposed to meet up with the group to have dinner with our friend, Luciano. Finally I meet Angela, George and Luciano and we walk over to the restaurant. We have such a nice time, befitting our last night in Lourdes. Though we hate to end the evening, we all have to pack and Luciano is on duty in the Grotto at 5:30. Angela and I walk arm in arm with Luciano back to our rooms, and say a sad goodbye, promising to meet up again whenever we return. He points out the flag on the ancient fort overlooking the sanctuary and tells us that by the way the wind is blowing it will be rainy tomorrow. Great-- nothing like loading luggage in the rain.
We pack until quite late, and I manage to have 2 fewer bags to bring home. Bonus!!!
6:30 will come very early, so I shower and crawl exhausted into bed.
PS....It never did rain today. It ended up being partly sunny all day.
We have a little time before meeting Vi for lunch, so I write a bit. We take a taxi into town as walking so far is difficult for Linda and George. We spend a few hours at lunch with Vi, and I am so happy that I have introduced Vi to my friends. They are all such very nice people. It is nice relaxed lunch; just what we all need after a long week of volunteering.
I go to my new favorite tea shop in Lourdes- Eleanor's- have a cup of tea and write. Eleanor's is a new shop this year, opened by some British ex-pats, and they have great tea in a lovely quaint shop. I write way past the time I am supposed to meet up with the group to have dinner with our friend, Luciano. Finally I meet Angela, George and Luciano and we walk over to the restaurant. We have such a nice time, befitting our last night in Lourdes. Though we hate to end the evening, we all have to pack and Luciano is on duty in the Grotto at 5:30. Angela and I walk arm in arm with Luciano back to our rooms, and say a sad goodbye, promising to meet up again whenever we return. He points out the flag on the ancient fort overlooking the sanctuary and tells us that by the way the wind is blowing it will be rainy tomorrow. Great-- nothing like loading luggage in the rain.
We pack until quite late, and I manage to have 2 fewer bags to bring home. Bonus!!!
6:30 will come very early, so I shower and crawl exhausted into bed.
PS....It never did rain today. It ended up being partly sunny all day.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Day 9
It's Friday, and our last full day of volunteering on the St. Clare floor starts at 7:30. Today we say goodbye to the Irish and will welcome an English pilgrimage this afternoon. We work very hard today to get things ready for our new pilgrims, and don't leave until after 10:00. The good news is there will be no lunch service, as they will arrive later in the day. We aren't needed until 6:30 tonight!
With all this time off, Angela and I decide to try to get into the baths. Neither of us have been on our last few visits, so off we go. Our Lady must have been waiting for us, as the lines are very short, and we are in and out in about 45 minutes. It is a very emotional experience, and I find myself crying. The Piscines building is very warm and the ladies who help me are smiling and warm as well. They even speak English. A stroke of luck! Angela goes first and is a nervous as I am. We are holding hands and praying while awaiting our turns. The water in the bath is fed from the spring and is between 10-12 degrees all the time. I don't know what that is in Farenheit, but only that it was so cold it literally took my breath away. The ladies waited for me while I took some deep breaths before going down into the bath all the way. Once in, it was over in a few seconds and they were asking Mary to pray for me. I was so glad we went!!
We have lunch with George at a favorite cafe-a delicious American style burger and fries with a Coke. YUM! This is quite a change from the cafeteria style food at the volunteer cafeteria.
Angela helps me find an old friend, Vi, who I met on one of my first trips to Lourdes. I left her address at home, but have the street name and an idea of where the place is, sort of. Angela is relentless, though, and it pays off when we see Vi's surname under a doorbell near where I thought she lived. Vi is an English retiree who relocated to Lourdes, and was the first person to hear about and then meet George, my soon to be husband-to-be. We have a quick visit with Vi and decide to meet up for lunch tomorrow when the whole gang can come.
We welcome our English pilgrims at supper and 2 girl helpers from the group come to work with us in the dish room. We get Traci and Kathy trained up quickly, no problem. But the pilgrims have been traveling all day and are in no hurry to eat so we don't get to our dinner until 8:00, No one from our group is there. 😔 We had decided to sing in the choir for the candle-light rosary procession tonight and head for the steps of the basilica after a quick bite. This is one of my most favorite things to do at Lourdes, and I am so excited to be here!!!😃 Again no one from our group is there, and I am beginning to think we forgot to tell THEM we had decided to sing. Singing means standing during the entire procession and I question the wisdom of this decision, but they begin and it's too late to change our minds. The hundreds of candles glowing in the night, and all the pilgrim voices singing and praying together are beautiful, and I am reminded why I love being part of this. But on this night nothing is sung in English-only Latin. We have the words and I even know some of them, but I want to sing my favorite songs in English, and I am disappointed. 😒 I am NOT used to this feeling in Lourdes; it just doesn't feel right. After the rosary procession is over, we decide to stop for a Coke hoping to bump into George, Denis, or Linda. No luck, though. It's been a really long day and I take my disappointed self to bed hoping tomorrow will be better.
With all this time off, Angela and I decide to try to get into the baths. Neither of us have been on our last few visits, so off we go. Our Lady must have been waiting for us, as the lines are very short, and we are in and out in about 45 minutes. It is a very emotional experience, and I find myself crying. The Piscines building is very warm and the ladies who help me are smiling and warm as well. They even speak English. A stroke of luck! Angela goes first and is a nervous as I am. We are holding hands and praying while awaiting our turns. The water in the bath is fed from the spring and is between 10-12 degrees all the time. I don't know what that is in Farenheit, but only that it was so cold it literally took my breath away. The ladies waited for me while I took some deep breaths before going down into the bath all the way. Once in, it was over in a few seconds and they were asking Mary to pray for me. I was so glad we went!!
We have lunch with George at a favorite cafe-a delicious American style burger and fries with a Coke. YUM! This is quite a change from the cafeteria style food at the volunteer cafeteria.
Angela helps me find an old friend, Vi, who I met on one of my first trips to Lourdes. I left her address at home, but have the street name and an idea of where the place is, sort of. Angela is relentless, though, and it pays off when we see Vi's surname under a doorbell near where I thought she lived. Vi is an English retiree who relocated to Lourdes, and was the first person to hear about and then meet George, my soon to be husband-to-be. We have a quick visit with Vi and decide to meet up for lunch tomorrow when the whole gang can come.
We welcome our English pilgrims at supper and 2 girl helpers from the group come to work with us in the dish room. We get Traci and Kathy trained up quickly, no problem. But the pilgrims have been traveling all day and are in no hurry to eat so we don't get to our dinner until 8:00, No one from our group is there. 😔 We had decided to sing in the choir for the candle-light rosary procession tonight and head for the steps of the basilica after a quick bite. This is one of my most favorite things to do at Lourdes, and I am so excited to be here!!!😃 Again no one from our group is there, and I am beginning to think we forgot to tell THEM we had decided to sing. Singing means standing during the entire procession and I question the wisdom of this decision, but they begin and it's too late to change our minds. The hundreds of candles glowing in the night, and all the pilgrim voices singing and praying together are beautiful, and I am reminded why I love being part of this. But on this night nothing is sung in English-only Latin. We have the words and I even know some of them, but I want to sing my favorite songs in English, and I am disappointed. 😒 I am NOT used to this feeling in Lourdes; it just doesn't feel right. After the rosary procession is over, we decide to stop for a Coke hoping to bump into George, Denis, or Linda. No luck, though. It's been a really long day and I take my disappointed self to bed hoping tomorrow will be better.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Day 8
Thursday
Rafael was right!!! There is sunshine this morning. God is good. I hate getting up in the morning, but BEING up in the morning is glorious. It is so fresh and clean, and quiet. Birds are chattering away as Angela and I make our way once again to the Accueil. But today Angela has formation at 8:30 so she leaves early. (For the first 4 years of service you have formation each year for half a day.) Then Sandra disappears and I am left to finish the dishes with Celine. The good news? No swiffering today!!
Be back at 11:00, they tell me, but they've told Angela noon, so, what to do? First, I need to buy meal tickets and deliver them to George at the Grotto. Then I wait outside the formation room and write while I wait for Angela to let her know the change of times. That done I try saying the Rosary on the esplanade, but I cannot concentrate. I walk towards the grotto. A Spanish Mass-no quiet there. Even across the Gave, it is too busy. Finally I think of the Blessed Sacrament chapel. There it is quiet. I finish my rosary just in time to get back to the Accueil for 11:00, only to find out that the French responsible meant for me to return at 12:00! I get a snack from the machine and sit in the sun. Four young ladies are singing just outside the Accueil and are invited in to sing for the Irish pilgrims at 12:30. They have voices like angels and two of the girls have a vocation to be sisters. Check out the "Rise of the Roses Tour" in Ireland to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life on Facebook or Twitter. I can't wait to get their 10 song CD!
I am sitting in the sun waiting for Angela. Even waiting in Lourdes is enjoyable! The theme for this year at Lourdes is "The Joy of Mission"' and as I sit I look around at all the people. There is so much joy here! It's not really what I expected when I first came here, but the volunteers and pilgrims alike, even the sick and disabled exude joy. Angela never comes back so I go up to work at noon, only to find she is already there, waiting for me, having snuck in the other
No time for a nap after the lunch shift, so into town we go! Another trip to the ATM and the chocolatier, before heading back for the Eucharistic Procession, which happens every day at 5:00. Thursdays, the Hospitalite' de Notre Dame walk in the procession together. We gather with pilgrims across the Gave from the Grotto. There are trumpets and singing and a gospel reading before the Blessed Sacrament Procession begins. Row after row of chariots carrying sick, elderly or disabled pilgrims lead the way-literally hundreds of them. They are followed by crowds of pilgrims on foot, then the members of the Hospitalite', many priests, and the Blessed Sacrament. More walking pilgrims join the procession as we continue through the Sanctuary towards the huge underground basilica of St. Pius X. Two things strike as I watch and walk in the procession. First, there are so many people in so much need; why am I so blessed? Second, what a privilege it is to be able to welcome them here and to serve them while they are in Lourdes.
When we arrive at the basilica, the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the central altar with candles and bowls of fragrant incense; surrounded by over a thousand pilgrims and volunteers. The lights go off and it is silent. After a time of prayer, a priest blesses each group of people with the Blessed Sacrament. We sing the traditional songs of benediction in Latin. With so many languages in Lourdes songs in Latin sort of make sense. All the words are on monitors in this cavernous underground church, and everyone is singing. One, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church!
A quick shift and dinner, and we head to an optional "Continuing Formation"- something they have just started this year. George, Angela and I enjoy a discussion of The Joy of Mission here at Lourdes with several other English speakers, and when we go to a cafe for a drink, the others are there. The party grows to include three tables. We meet a group of lay Carmelites from England and Spain. The evening ends with an invitation to share Mass at 7:30 in the morning, at the Grotto. Sadly Angela and I will be working, but George will get to be there, as he will be working in the Grotto. It has been long day, but we are in such a good mood Angela leads us in singing "The Wild Rover" as we head home.
Rafael was right!!! There is sunshine this morning. God is good. I hate getting up in the morning, but BEING up in the morning is glorious. It is so fresh and clean, and quiet. Birds are chattering away as Angela and I make our way once again to the Accueil. But today Angela has formation at 8:30 so she leaves early. (For the first 4 years of service you have formation each year for half a day.) Then Sandra disappears and I am left to finish the dishes with Celine. The good news? No swiffering today!!
Be back at 11:00, they tell me, but they've told Angela noon, so, what to do? First, I need to buy meal tickets and deliver them to George at the Grotto. Then I wait outside the formation room and write while I wait for Angela to let her know the change of times. That done I try saying the Rosary on the esplanade, but I cannot concentrate. I walk towards the grotto. A Spanish Mass-no quiet there. Even across the Gave, it is too busy. Finally I think of the Blessed Sacrament chapel. There it is quiet. I finish my rosary just in time to get back to the Accueil for 11:00, only to find out that the French responsible meant for me to return at 12:00! I get a snack from the machine and sit in the sun. Four young ladies are singing just outside the Accueil and are invited in to sing for the Irish pilgrims at 12:30. They have voices like angels and two of the girls have a vocation to be sisters. Check out the "Rise of the Roses Tour" in Ireland to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life on Facebook or Twitter. I can't wait to get their 10 song CD!
I am sitting in the sun waiting for Angela. Even waiting in Lourdes is enjoyable! The theme for this year at Lourdes is "The Joy of Mission"' and as I sit I look around at all the people. There is so much joy here! It's not really what I expected when I first came here, but the volunteers and pilgrims alike, even the sick and disabled exude joy. Angela never comes back so I go up to work at noon, only to find she is already there, waiting for me, having snuck in the other
No time for a nap after the lunch shift, so into town we go! Another trip to the ATM and the chocolatier, before heading back for the Eucharistic Procession, which happens every day at 5:00. Thursdays, the Hospitalite' de Notre Dame walk in the procession together. We gather with pilgrims across the Gave from the Grotto. There are trumpets and singing and a gospel reading before the Blessed Sacrament Procession begins. Row after row of chariots carrying sick, elderly or disabled pilgrims lead the way-literally hundreds of them. They are followed by crowds of pilgrims on foot, then the members of the Hospitalite', many priests, and the Blessed Sacrament. More walking pilgrims join the procession as we continue through the Sanctuary towards the huge underground basilica of St. Pius X. Two things strike as I watch and walk in the procession. First, there are so many people in so much need; why am I so blessed? Second, what a privilege it is to be able to welcome them here and to serve them while they are in Lourdes.
When we arrive at the basilica, the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the central altar with candles and bowls of fragrant incense; surrounded by over a thousand pilgrims and volunteers. The lights go off and it is silent. After a time of prayer, a priest blesses each group of people with the Blessed Sacrament. We sing the traditional songs of benediction in Latin. With so many languages in Lourdes songs in Latin sort of make sense. All the words are on monitors in this cavernous underground church, and everyone is singing. One, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church!
A quick shift and dinner, and we head to an optional "Continuing Formation"- something they have just started this year. George, Angela and I enjoy a discussion of The Joy of Mission here at Lourdes with several other English speakers, and when we go to a cafe for a drink, the others are there. The party grows to include three tables. We meet a group of lay Carmelites from England and Spain. The evening ends with an invitation to share Mass at 7:30 in the morning, at the Grotto. Sadly Angela and I will be working, but George will get to be there, as he will be working in the Grotto. It has been long day, but we are in such a good mood Angela leads us in singing "The Wild Rover" as we head home.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Day 7
Wednesday was cold and rainy most of the day. It was good we had purchased a raincoat for George during our time in town yesterday. Since he is in the Grotto, he is out in it all the time. We walk everywhere in Lourdes, so my jacket and Angela's raincoat are being utilized a lot. Angela and I go through our regular routine of walking to work, doing dishes and swiffering. We enjoy again our mid morning snack and a bit of shopping. Not much buying, mostly just looking for the perfect item, which we will no doubt recognize when we see it. I do purchase a 1.5 inch silver statue of Our Lady that will stick to my dash board. I had earlier confessed my recent addiction to Catholic radio, and Angela and I somehow feel this is an appropriate addition to my car's decor. Angela has her eye on a blue woolen cape, which seems to be the current rage. We do finally find one-locally made, water resistant, detachable hood, and the perfect length. It is deliciously warm when she tries it on. The price of 399€ is out of the budget, even though we are assured it will last a lifetime.
At lunch our Irish pilgrims sing "Happy Birthday to two of the helpers in the group. We learn it is Kelly's 21st birthday and her first time in Lourdes to serve. She is very surprised to learn that at my first service I was 46 years old. It isn't unusual for European young people to accompany diocesan pilgrimages as helpers who serve meals, push wheelchairs, clean up, and help carry, organize, etc. so by the time they are 21 they may have already served 5 years or so. When Kelly learns I am from America she says she's always wanted to visit America. "That's funny." I say, " A lot of people in America really want to visit Ireland." She proposes to spend a week at my house then have me spend a week at hers. I wonder if Cincinnati and Fairfield, Ohio would fulfill her dream of an American vacation.😉
Tonight is the special Mass of the Hospitalite' de Lourdes. At this Mass, people who have served 5 years with the Hospitalite' can made a commitment to come to serve every year, as long as they are able. We meet up with George and Luciano at the cafeteria and have dinner. This evening, Luciano's friend Christian is making his commitment, as well as a young man from Australia. We go to Mass wondering if we will see Denis and Linda there. As it turns out, Linda is the English language lector for the night. After this Mass each week, they have a reception in a little club that is for Hospitaliers only. We go to offer congratulations, but leave early. George wants to find a pub where they are watching a soccer match...his team is playing a "must win" match against a team which also "must win". We find one, but with only 20 minutes left in the match the score is 0-0. Unfortunately that is also the final score, and even a Guinness and our banter cannot lift his spirits. Disappointed we slog through the town and up the hill to our rooms in the rain. Rafael, who is working with George and Luciano in the Grotto had earlier assured us that it will be a sunny day tomorrow. But trudging through the rain, and feeling cold all the way through, it is hard to believe. We shall see.
At lunch our Irish pilgrims sing "Happy Birthday to two of the helpers in the group. We learn it is Kelly's 21st birthday and her first time in Lourdes to serve. She is very surprised to learn that at my first service I was 46 years old. It isn't unusual for European young people to accompany diocesan pilgrimages as helpers who serve meals, push wheelchairs, clean up, and help carry, organize, etc. so by the time they are 21 they may have already served 5 years or so. When Kelly learns I am from America she says she's always wanted to visit America. "That's funny." I say, " A lot of people in America really want to visit Ireland." She proposes to spend a week at my house then have me spend a week at hers. I wonder if Cincinnati and Fairfield, Ohio would fulfill her dream of an American vacation.😉
Tonight is the special Mass of the Hospitalite' de Lourdes. At this Mass, people who have served 5 years with the Hospitalite' can made a commitment to come to serve every year, as long as they are able. We meet up with George and Luciano at the cafeteria and have dinner. This evening, Luciano's friend Christian is making his commitment, as well as a young man from Australia. We go to Mass wondering if we will see Denis and Linda there. As it turns out, Linda is the English language lector for the night. After this Mass each week, they have a reception in a little club that is for Hospitaliers only. We go to offer congratulations, but leave early. George wants to find a pub where they are watching a soccer match...his team is playing a "must win" match against a team which also "must win". We find one, but with only 20 minutes left in the match the score is 0-0. Unfortunately that is also the final score, and even a Guinness and our banter cannot lift his spirits. Disappointed we slog through the town and up the hill to our rooms in the rain. Rafael, who is working with George and Luciano in the Grotto had earlier assured us that it will be a sunny day tomorrow. But trudging through the rain, and feeling cold all the way through, it is hard to believe. We shall see.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Day 6
Tuesday
This morning is the same as yesterday...our gym workout and into work by 7:30. Dishes and swiffering. But today, we meet a new friend. This one from Italy. Her name is Sandra, and she speaks no English. We speak no Italian, and neither do Martine or Celine, the French ladies who are responsible for us. Somehow we communicate, though-barely. It is Sandra's 5th year to volunteer here.
This morning is the same as yesterday...our gym workout and into work by 7:30. Dishes and swiffering. But today, we meet a new friend. This one from Italy. Her name is Sandra, and she speaks no English. We speak no Italian, and neither do Martine or Celine, the French ladies who are responsible for us. Somehow we communicate, though-barely. It is Sandra's 5th year to volunteer here.
Here we are in the dishwashing room. Me, Sandra, Celine, Martine, and Angela. Angela washes the dishes while Sandra and I dry them.
There are 116 Irish pilgrims on the St Clare floor, and that's a lot of dishes!
That's not including drinking glasses, serving dishes, or silverware. It's pretty hot in the dish room, but we work well together. It's a place full of "The Joy of Mission". Once the dishes are washed, dried and stacked back in their cupboards, ther is swiffering to do. There is ALWAYS swiffering to do. 116 pilgrims and all their helpers kick up a lot of dust!
When we finish for the day, Angela and I decide to spend some time in the adoration chapel. First we stop by the grotto to let George know our lunch schedule. The chapel is just beautiful, and warm. There is steady rain as we make our way through the Sanctuary, and we are glad to spend some time sitting in the presence of Jesus. It is very crowded with pilgrims, and as always one of the sisters whose order is responsible for 24 hour adoration of the Blessed Sacrament here at Lourdes.
(Photo to come)
When we finally leave we discover we have spent over an hour. Where did the time go? It's definitely time for a little snack! We head to a favorite cafe-The New Orleans. We have hot drinks, because it is still cold and rainy, and Angela has a waffle with chocolate and whipped cream. I have a Basque gateau, which is a local favorite, and mine too, while I am in Lourdes. It's not chocolate, but is warm and yummy. I must learn to make this at home! We stroll through the town shopping and find a familiar chocolatier from our last time in Lourdes and pay her a visit. Orange peel covered in dark
chocolate! We pass by the North American Volunteers' house in Lourdes! Guadeloupe House. It needs a lot of work, but we both want to come back to volunteer in this house to make it a place of welcome for English speaking pilgrims in Lourdes.
Soon it's back to work, off to lunch, and then afternoon naptime!
After our evening shift and a quick dinner we head to the St. Patrick Chapel for a Mass just for English-speaking volunteers. It is a simple chapel, but I love the artwork. And Father Paul is
celebrating Mass for us. Bonus! A beautiful Mass: great singing, all our friends, and Fr. Paul.
Then guess what? Back to Casa Italia. We discuss our day with the group and talk about the changes coming for the Sanctuary at Lourdes, and what it will mean for pilgrims. They throw us out at 10:00 when they close. It's still raining as we head up the hill to our rooms. It is a very cold night, and it hardly seems possible we were in short sleeves just a day ago. It seems like we've been here forever, and we are getting into our routines, so we can't believe we only started our work 2 days ago on Sunday. We talk about how good it is to be here, and just how blessed we are. Only a few more days of service left. How can we be so happy when it is cold and rainy, and we are tired and sore? It's hard to explain, but it's this place, it's the pilgrims: we just love it here. That's why we keep coming back!
Day 5
Monday, Angela and I started work at 7:30, which means leaving the Villa Marie Bernadette at 7:00. Our journey consists of a short walk to two sets of stairs, which total a whopping 112 stairs. From there, there is a hilly walk to where we eat breakfast...French bread, jam and hot drinks. This is in a lower level room, so up 35 more steps, and another 5 minute walk along a hilly street. Each day it gets easier, and we've come to consider it as our time at the gym.
The first set of stairs.and the second
We decided to go to confession after Mass. They have a large building, just for this purpose with priests in at least French, Italian, German, English, Dutch, and Spanish for part of every day. They have an outstanding pamphlet to help you prepare for confession. I love it, so I am bringing it home. There was a long but quick moving line for the 3 English speaking priests. I chose to go to Fr. Paul who is the South African priest. I have been going to confession with Fr. Paul since I have been
coming to Lourdes in 2003! I love having confession with him. I learned he will be leaving Lourdes
this year which makes me sad. He thinks he will be going to the UK, but, he really didn't know for
sure. He said he really shouldn't have come to Lourdes all those years ago. But, I for one am so very
grateful God placed this priest in my life! He has helped me so much, personally through some very difficult times, and really taught me to be thankful for our priest confessors.
Later, we had a meeting for all the ladies who serve on the Notre Dame service. There are different ways to serve at Lourdes, and my service is Notre Dame. This is a women's service. We can do many
things. In the past, and this year, I have worked in the Notre Dame Accueil (Accueil is a French word meaning a place of welcome, and it the place where sick pilgrims stay in Lourdes. It is like a hospital, but with no staff. Each pilgrimage group brings its own medical and support staff-mostly. There are cooks, maintenance staff, and of course, volunteers like us to help the pilgrim groups). I have also helped with the sanctuary flowers, worked in the kitchen for the volunteers, ironed priests' albs,
assisted at the Grotto, and accompanied pilgrims who were on their own in Lourdes. I also spent one
week doing a bit of everything: working in the baths ( this is a separate service called "The Piscines"
which is French for "baths") going to the airport and train station to welcome pilgrims (this is usually
done by the men in the St. Joseph service), and helped with crowd control once, which is also done
by the St. Joseph service.
At the meeting we meet some new friends!
The first set of stairs.and the second
We are done at work with 8 minutes to spare before 9:00 Mass at the Cosmos and Damien chapel. They have English Mass here every day at this time, and it's one of my favorite places to get Mass here. Today ther is a visiting American bishop celebrating, with two British and a South African priest. After Mass, we talked to the bishop who is in charge of the US military diocese and the US embassies and consulates in Europe and Asia. Quite a big diocese,eh? (Photo of the chapel later.)
We decided to go to confession after Mass. They have a large building, just for this purpose with priests in at least French, Italian, German, English, Dutch, and Spanish for part of every day. They have an outstanding pamphlet to help you prepare for confession. I love it, so I am bringing it home. There was a long but quick moving line for the 3 English speaking priests. I chose to go to Fr. Paul who is the South African priest. I have been going to confession with Fr. Paul since I have been
coming to Lourdes in 2003! I love having confession with him. I learned he will be leaving Lourdes
this year which makes me sad. He thinks he will be going to the UK, but, he really didn't know for
sure. He said he really shouldn't have come to Lourdes all those years ago. But, I for one am so very
grateful God placed this priest in my life! He has helped me so much, personally through some very difficult times, and really taught me to be thankful for our priest confessors.
Later, we had a meeting for all the ladies who serve on the Notre Dame service. There are different ways to serve at Lourdes, and my service is Notre Dame. This is a women's service. We can do many
things. In the past, and this year, I have worked in the Notre Dame Accueil (Accueil is a French word meaning a place of welcome, and it the place where sick pilgrims stay in Lourdes. It is like a hospital, but with no staff. Each pilgrimage group brings its own medical and support staff-mostly. There are cooks, maintenance staff, and of course, volunteers like us to help the pilgrim groups). I have also helped with the sanctuary flowers, worked in the kitchen for the volunteers, ironed priests' albs,
assisted at the Grotto, and accompanied pilgrims who were on their own in Lourdes. I also spent one
week doing a bit of everything: working in the baths ( this is a separate service called "The Piscines"
which is French for "baths") going to the airport and train station to welcome pilgrims (this is usually
done by the men in the St. Joseph service), and helped with crowd control once, which is also done
by the St. Joseph service.
At the meeting we meet some new friends!
From left: Justina and Cindy from Singapore and Ester, who is originally from The Philipines, but now lives in San Francisco. What a story she has! Amazing!
After work that night, Angela, Denis, Linda, George and I go to the Casa Italian for a drink. The Coke is cold, the company is great and the WiFi is free. God is good! As we leave, the drizzle begins again, and it seems our sunny weather may be a thing of the past.
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