More thoughts about working on Stage

Another Cambridge Modern Languages undergraduate, gives her thoughts on 'doing stage' in Lourdes 

 

I had been to Lourdes before last summer, but 2019 was my first pilgrimage with OCULP; this being the case, I had my fair share of questions and uncertainties before arriving. However, I was blown away by the warm welcome all of us first-timers found from the very beginning, both at our respective services, and within the OCULP group itself. The number of people who come back year on year (and meet friends for life, and sometimes spouses!) is a testament to the group’s strong sense of community and camaraderie.

 

As you will hear, the volunteering can be rather full on at times. Spending the better portion of the day washing dishes, or disinfecting *lots* of chairs, or helping pilgrims on and off trains, or working at the piscines, is the most important and valuable part of the trip. Serving others is our main reason for going to Lourdes in the first place. However, after busy days, I cherished going to Mass with the group in the evenings and getting to know each other over dinners at the Casa Italia, nights in the foyer, choir rehearsals (not compulsory), and our fair share of train journeys.

 

I learnt so much from the sisters at the St Frai —special shoutout to Soeur Amal 😀—  as well as from Fr Nick, who was always full of wisdom and happy to chat about whatever was on your mind. I quickly got to know the rest of the group, a kind and hilarious bunch, and after just having finished first year, I benefitted massively from getting to know Catholics with a bit more life experience.

 

The week also offers plenty of time for prayer and self-reflection. We prayed the Stations of the Cross as a group, and I’ll recommend what Fr Nick recommended, which is to take the unique opportunity to go and spend time alone at the grotto. It’s open at night, and is a great opportunity to reflect and to pray for others.

 

It was sad not to be able to return in 2020, but I can’t wait to go back to Lourdes and to see the rest of the OCULP gang again when we are able!

 

Working at the St Frai

Anna Whitehead, a Cambridge undergraduate, writes about her experience working at the St Frai in 2019

Last summer was my first trip to Lourdes and the time I spent volunteering at the St Frai formed the basis of many of the wonderful memories and friendships I took away from the pilgrimage. The St Frai is probably best described as a cross between a care home, a hospital and a hotel, and is run by a team of endearing (but occasionally quite demanding!) French sisters. The work is varied and depends on the pilgrimages taking place that week, but you can usually expect to spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen during mealtimes; setting the tables, drying crockery and making sure everything runs smoothly. Every morning there are also cleaning jobs to be undertaken, such as changing bed linen or wiping down surfaces.

There is not much direct contact with the pilgrims in this role, so if you’re really looking for that aspect from the trip it’s probably best to head to the Piscines. Having said that, although the tasks might initially feel repetitive, you soon realise what an indispensable part the HNDL volunteers play in the smooth running of pilgrimages to Lourdes. I found that there was also quite a bit of free time during the day, which meant that nothing felt too strenuous or overwhelming, and there were plenty of opportunities to spend time with the other volunteers.

I would say that working in the St Frai requires a certain willingness to do whatever may be asked of you – I found myself disinfecting seemingly endless stacks of chairs on the hottest day of the week last year! There is however a great sense of camaraderie and there is something incredibly unique to be found amidst all the mundane tasks. Only in Lourdes will you find people from all over the world and from all walks of life coming together to give their time to love their neighbour in this very special way. 

O&C Lourdes 2021

The information below will, we hope and pray, hold for 2021.

The only changes necessary, at this stage, will be the dates.

We propose to travel out on Sunday 25th July 2021, and return on August 1st.