Bishop Brendan Leahy with the youth group in lourdes.
Picture Lizzie Murphy WMOF 2018
Jade McMahon and Ciara Hunt
Preparations for our youth pilgrimage began many months ago when we attended meetings in the pastoral centre in Corbally, Limerick.
We were trained and the role we were about to undertake as youth pilgrims was explained to us. We met our 10 dedicated leaders who were full of life, fun and enthusiasm.
This also gave us the opportunity to mingle and meet with our fellow pilgrims that we would be working alongside in Lourdes.
All 98 members of the youth pilgrimage met bright and early in Shannon airport on Wednesday, June 20, where we checked in and were given name badges with different colours which indicated the group we would spend the upcoming week in. We spent the remainder of that day and the following day getting to know people further, learning about the story of Bernadette and even visiting Bartréz, a nearby village where Bernadette spent some of her childhood.
We attended the opening Mass in St Joseph’s Chapel where bishops and priests representing different parishes of Limerick said Mass accompanied by the remarkable music and singing from the pilgrimage choir.
Experience
Over the course of the week we brought and assisted pilgrims to and from various Masses and services such as Mass and Anointing and the Hospitality Mass.
The patients also got the opportunity to experience the Baths, a place of healing, and they prayed to Bernadette. Mass at the Grotto took place early on in the week, where all pilgrims attended Mass under the statue of Our Lady.
The Torchlight Procession took place at evening time on Saturday. We were part of the procession along with thousands of other people where we walked through Lourdes as night fell and the place was lit up by the candles the pilgrims were holding.
A unique Mass took place towards the end of the week in the Côte Carmel where all married couples were invited to the altar, where they were blessed and prayed for, and all deceased spouses were remembered in this ceremony also.
This service celebrated the Sacrament of Marriage in a very special way. There were couples present who were married for 20 years all the way up to 60 years.
Due to the dedication and enthusiasm of Youth Director Fr Chris O’Donnell, Assistant Youth Director Aoife Walsh and all the leaders our week would not have been so enjoyable or rewarding.
We had an amazing, life changing experience on the pilgrimage, one that will remain with us forever.
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The pilgrimage was also an opportunity to recognise the remarkable contribution of Canon Donal McNamara, who was celebrating a quarter of a century as director of the pilgrimage. Presented with a silver plaque by the diocese and a group photo signed by many of the pilgrims, Canon Donal was also enrolled by the Shrine of Lourdes in its register of gratitude and made an affiliate member of the Family of Lourdes. The shrine also presented him with a certificate of gratitude, a scapular and medal.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the pilgrimage, Bishop Leahy said: “Canon Donal has built up a wonderful team over the years. Some have gone to God and we remember this today. But we want to express our admiration for the many talents Canon Donal has exhibited in bringing out the best in the many who come back year after year as nurses and doctors, handmaids and broncardiers, volunteers in all kinds of ways both here in Lourdes but also back in Limerick working on the preparations for the pilgrimage.”