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!
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