IN the early hours of Monday morning, Fr Stephen Gorman led 34 young people from eight different secondary schools across Donegal on a pilgrimage to the shrine at Lourdes where Our Lady appeared to little Bernadette Soubirous.
They were accompanied by ten youth leaders.
In total 211 people travelled from the Raphoe Diocese which included 18 assisted pilgrims, 34 youth, 63 pilgrimage staff, nine priests and 87 pilgrims.
Fr Gorman said it was a great honour and privilege for him to return this year as Raphoe Diocesan Pilgrimage Director.
Taking assisted pilgrims, who are the “Royalty” of Lourdes, his prayer for all the pilgrims was that “they would open their hearts and souls to Our Lady Mary and bring to Mary all that is going on in their lives.”
Monsignor Kevin Gillespie, Diocesan Administrator, was Spiritual Director of the Pilgrimage, he was joined by Bishop Emeritus Philip Boyce along with priests of the Diocese, Archdeacon Willie McMenamin, Canon Dinny McGettigan, Fr Michael McKeever, Fr Johnny Moore, Fr Brendan Ward and Fr Anthony Hartnett.
The 18 assisted pilgrims were cared for by Professor Ken Mulpeter, Dr Godfrey Along and Dr Kathy Gallagher, and were assisted by a wonderful team of medical staff.
Dominic Carr led ten youth leaders with the 34 youth from all over the county.
They all had a wonderful time, established new friendships and were overwhelmed by their unique experience of the beautiful shrine to Our Lady.
They supported the care of the assisted pilgrims with whom they established a great bond.
Everyone takes something home from Lourdes and this is not confined to Lourdes water, candles, or blessed religious objects.
Every pilgrim brings a unique life experience to Lourdes and every pilgrim consequently has a unique experience of Lourdes that cannot be put into words.
The experience of the eucharistic procession, the torch light procession, mass at the grotto, the water gesture or just spending some quiet time alone with Our Lady in front of the shrine in the quietness of night, makes Lourdes a special place to find healing and strength to deal with all the many challenges we face in life.
After the closing mass on Thursday Fr Gorman commended all the youth.
“They were a fantastic group of young men and women and please God they will have taken many graces and blessings from their experience,” he said.
Fr Gorman also gave a heartfelt thanks to all the staff who contributed so much to making it possible to care for the assisted pilgrims and youth members and for making their time on the Pilgrimage a very heart-warming experience.
The assisted pilgrims enjoyed a party and a sing song in the Accueil Notre Dame along with the staff on their final night in Lourdes.
Monsignor Kevin Gillespie, thanked Fr Gorman after the closing mass for all his hard work and dedication to the Pilgrimage and for all the time and effort that he put into making it such an wonderful experience for all involved.
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