After sitting where you are today for the past five years, I’ve listened to a countless number of stories of the “magic” and amazing experience of Lourdes. Having said that I still hadn’t a clue what to expect.
When I got home the first thing my brother said to me was so…. You got up real early, cleaned toilets, got into a freezing cold bath naked, went to mass three times a day. . . and you enjoyed it?
And I have to admit I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much! I think what really makes Lourdes special is the people. We were known as the “Blueshirts”, the young and inexperienced ones. The “whiteshirts” were the slightly older and wise one, who gave the blueshirts a hard time and played numerous pranks on us.
In the end, we all became so close and for that week we were the blue shirts, we forgot about where we came from, what school we go to and what we looked like… kind of!
I was on ward duty. This meant that I was assigned a room with six people and had to look after them, whether it was a listening ear or just an arm to lean on. I learned so much from stories and felt so touched that they trusted to share their life stories with me after only just meeting them. They were real characters, always up for a laugh.
One of the moments I’ll never forget was the picnic sing-along. All the pilgrims were gathered together in a circle and anyone was welcome to take centre state. They could do a dance, tell a joke or sing a song. Some of the highlights was seeing everyone hysterically laughing at Peggy singing Me Ssiter Balindah and Old King Cole. Everyone watching the girls in complete awe as they won “The X-Facter” singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow (for the tenth time).
There’s just such an amazing buzz and atmosphere there that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. Everyone is so eager and wiling to help it could be someone in a lift or even the random Irish tourists who would come up to you on the street shouting “Go on the Dubs, your doing us proud!”
I’ll never forget the candle lit prayers where at least one persons candle went on fire every time. Practically sprinting to the ward in complete darkness at 6.30 in the morning.
On my tippy toes sweating, running up the hill trying to pull the voiture, lighting the school candle in the grotto or our mad sing alongs with Collie on the Piano.
All I can say is that words can’t describe how much I love that place. And I really didn’t think I’d be picked so don’t be afraid to go for it! Even looking at the group of us that went were all completely different. I feel so privileged to have gone and it was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
I want to thank Frau so much for looking after us, it wouldn’t have been the same without our Auntie Pat!
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