It was a privilege to accompany eight Lower Sixth students, along with Mr Rose, to Lourdes this summer as part of the Diocese of Salford annual pilgrimage. The theme of the week was to ‘Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here.
On arrival at the airport, having checked in their own bags, they were instantly assigned to pilgrims who needed assistance and did this with willing hands and open hearts, ready to support in any way they could. The grace of Our Lady was evident already and stayed with us.
Due to a baggage issue, our departure was significantly delayed and, after a long day at the airport St Bede’s students still cheerfully helped pilgrims who needed assistance to get on coaches in order to reach their hotels, before arriving at the Hilton for some rest themselves.
“I found I was able to make bonds with both the pilgrims and other volunteers, many of whom I had never met before, but am still in contact with- I can genuinely say that I have strengthened existing friendships and created new ones that will last a lifetime. Not only this, but the experience in Lourdes really helped me connect with my faith, which I felt I was losing touch with prior to the it – the pilgrimage truly helped me remember why I was a Catholic, and how beautiful our faith and our community is, especially when hearing Masses and other celebrations in the street and being invited to join in”.
– Charlotte
The following day ran more smoothly and reaching Lourdes the Diocesan program began with Masses and services. These included Mass by the Grotto, shared with Shrewsbury and two other Dioceses, where Bishop John reminded us that, along with the physical buildings, we are the chapels that Our Lady spoke of and it’s our job to spread her message of God’s love and mercy.
Other events included the candlelight procession, a reconciliation service, Stations of the Cross, and a Mass of Healing. Students were assigned a pilgrim for the week and joyfully assisted them to get to services and events. It was lovely to see the relationships they developed with their pilgrims and the appreciation shown for their help, as without this many would not have been able to make a journey which clearly meant so much to them.
It was amazing to see Lourdes so vibrant and alive with young people as so many had popped in on their way to World Youth Day in Lisbon. Our students also made friends with the other young people volunteering on the pilgrimage and were able to enjoy evening events, as well as a trip to the Lac du Lourdes, where luckily the sun shone down as they played in the water and sunbathed.
“The experiences with the Diocese that stand out the most on my trip were definitely the lighting of the pilgrimage candle, torchlight procession and the different masses. The sense of community and the beauty of Lourdes made these experiences even more memorable, leaving me wanting to go back. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity the Diocese gave our school. To go to such a holy and beautiful place with people your age and provide help to fellow pilgrims made the experience so much more gratifying and memorable. My trip with the Salford diocese is a trip I will never forget.”
– Ollie
The whole atmosphere was one of love and joy for the entire week. Credit has to be given to the Diocesan team who, as always, worked incredibly hard to provide a well-organised experience rooted in the love and service of Our Lady.
I could not have been more proud of Ollie, Arran, Luca, Charlotte, Katie, Hannah, Isaac, and Samson for their willingness to serve, their humour and the love they showed to everyone they came into contact with. They were fantastic ambassadors for, and an absolute credit to, their families, the College and young people as a whole. It is testament to the beauty and awesomeness of Lourdes that they all want to return at some point.
Next year is the Diocese’s 100 years of pilgrimages to Lourdes and a great celebration is planned. I look forward to seeing our new L6 sharing the same spiritual and joyful experience in 2024.
Mrs M Corbett, Head of Business, Economics and Psychology
