Pilgrims arriving for the beginning of the 2018 pilgrimage season pray on the penitential beds. Chai Brady and Colm Fitzpatrick
After shedding their footwear, the rocks can be quite cold on a pilgrim’s feet when they first step out of their bunk-bedded dorms on Station Island, which has been a place of Christian pilgrimage for centuries, but 48 shoeless hours later it becomes convention.
Fortunately, the paths and rocks are mainly smooth – probably after hundreds of thousands of bare feet wearing them down.
For many, they are about to experience something they’ll never forget on the small bit of land on the edge of Donegal, others are on their 40-50th expedition and begin the prayerful activities with confidence at Lough Derg.
The three-day pilgrimage includes fasting, an all-night vigil, barefoot praying and a diet of dry toast and black coffee delivered once a day. The comfort of a bed won’t be on the agenda for over 24-hours after arrival.
With the first day of the pilgrimage season being a huge success this year – 376 pilgrims compared to fewer than 300 last year – the weekend was off to a promising start.
Visiting priest and professor at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Fr Eamonn Conway, said that the reason each pilgrim visits is up to the individual: “…it’s small things in some respects, people coping with perhaps bereavement, people who are just looking to be stronger in themselves, many people facing challenges both mentally and physically in their daily lives.
“Maybe a bit of peace and quiet, a number of people have talked to me this year about how nice it is to get away from the technology.”
He said there are many people looking to cope with addiction, and others come to reflect on where they are before God.
“Forgiveness of course and a chance to repent for wrong doing. People who are carrying huge burdens of guilt. A lot of people are struggling to overcome hurt. But I think above all, it’s a sanctuary,” he added.
Many people would balk at the thought of praying 846 Our Fathers, 1,413 Hail Marys, 243 Apostle’s Creeds and nine Psalms over the course of three days – discounting Mass and other services dispersed throughout the pilgrims’ itinerary – but others just can’t get enough.
Pilgrims do three rounds of the penitential beds on their first day, with much kneeling and walking involved, it’s hard to keep up with how many Our Fathers and Hail Marys have been said. The veterans may have a different opinion.
Altogether nine stations are completed, four of which are completed inside the Church overnight. With a half-hour break in between, there’s a strong sense of solidarity as many pilgrims bond over prayer, penance and a healthy tiredness. The fatigue is hard to overcome, but a young journalist can get a second wind after seeing an elderly lady three times his age spritely re-enter the basilica to complete yet another station.
Throughout the inky night a pattern emerges of entering the basilica, completing a station and returning to the ‘Flood Room’ where pilgrims can sit and have some hot water, which some sprinkle pepper into. The mixture is dubbed ‘Lough Derg soup’, which has a kick, and can be just what someone needs to fight heavy eyelids. As the sun rises, things get easier.
The friendliness of the pilgrims, especially the old hands, was beyond compare as each went out of their way to give hints, support and a compassionate ear to all involved – especially newcomers.
One women remarked that when she first visited, decades ago, it was vastly women who made the pilgrimage, saying she was both surprised and encouraged to see so many men nowadays.
Commenting on this Fr Eamonn said he has seen more young people visiting the island recently, including on the opening day of the pilgrimage season earlier this month.
“There are a lot of people who are here for the first time and that’s wonderful to see because that is the future of this pilgrimage, that’s been going on for 1,500 years at this stage,” he said, adding that there was also a lot of first-time pilgrims visiting the island.
It can’t be understated that some of the purest examples of a Christian person can be found on Lough Derg.
No matter what someone searches for on the island, be it a closer relationship with God, to find the answer to some of life’s struggles or to pray for the ill or passed, their resilience will be tested – their characters and Faith undoubtedly enhanced.