Travels

Pilgrimage to Lourdes in France

In May 2009 with my friends Bev and Andy Lake, we undertook a wonderful tour of some countries of Europe. The main reason for our trip was a pilgrimage to Lourdes, in France. For that reason, we joined a group of pilgrims from the Diocese of Brussels in Belgium where a friend of mine, Fr Paul Vanderbeke, is chaplain. The pilgrimage to Lourdes was fantastic, not only for me who have been there many times, but especially for Andy and Bev who travelled to Europe for the first time. What strikes in Lourdes, beyond and above everything else, is the fervor of the pilgrims who come to the shrine and the organization to facilitate a wonderful time of prayer and meditation at all the places inside the shrine. The Eucharist procession in the afternoon, the Marian procession in the evening and the International Mass on Wednesday morning mark the high moments of a week of prayer in Lourdes. For all the times I have been in Lourdes, I have never been tired. Each trip, though different from the other, brings me always something new. I discover always another aspect of the life of Bernadette and the freshness of the message the Blessed Mother addressed to her many years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Europe

After the pilgrimage in Lourdes, we had the opportunity to visit Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, the capital of France; and Ancona in Italy where my nephew, Jean Claude and his family live at the Adriatic Sea. While I returned back to USA after the stay in Ancona, Bev and Andy continued to the eternal city of Rome. After a week in Rome, they returned back full of joy to USA. Here are some of the views of this European tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First Created: 01/07/06 Last Updated: 04/02/11

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