Day 8 - Lourdes

We started out this morning touring the old part of Lourdes.  We visited several houses where Bernadette and her family lived in Lourdes.  Her family was very poor and because the did not have much, learning to read and write were out of the question. Bernadette also suffered from various illnesses early in her life.  She was blessed, however, "being raised in a family whose greatest riches were their faith."  Bernadette would one day write of being chosen to carry to important message to the world, "I was nothing, and of this nothing God made something great. In Holy Communion I am heart to heart with Jesus. How sublime is my destiny."  Several of the pilgrims took the opportunity to bathe in the holy waters and to walk the stations of the cross.  

We again celebrated Mass in the St. Anne Chapel and Father John preached a message of faith.  If we knew with certainty that something was true--it wouldn't require faith.  Our faith requires us to believe something without knowing the final outcome.  Our faith is Jesus Christ and the promise of eternity in Heaven.  Our call is let go of the anxiety that we carry with us and lean on our faith.  God has a plan for us.  We continue to pray for all of you that are following along with us on the journey of faith.  As we contemplate this holy site where so many years ago, a little girl taught us about faith, we ask Jesus to continue to bless us and keep us safe.  Before Jesus died on the cross, His last words to Mary were, "Mother, behold your son" and to John, "Son, behold your Mother."  With those words, Mary became our Mother and we honor and revere her as Jesus, her Son did.  

We finished out our day with a moving candlelight procession from the Grotto, through the grounds of the Shrine and ending at the Rosary Chapel.  All along the procession, we recited the Rosary in many different languages and honored Mary, as Jesus asked us to day.  Hail Mary, full of grace.  The Lord is with thee.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God.  Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Day 7 - Nantes to Lourdes

Today was a driving day.  We spent nearly six hours on the bus, driving from Nantes to Lourdes.  The French countryside was absolutely beautiful, with fields and fields of sunflowers and corn along the way.  We drove through the Bordeaux region of France and saw many vineyards along the way.  As we drove through the countryside, we couldn't help but think of our country back home remembering the 15th anniversary of the day that shook us to the core.  We prayed for all those that lost their lives, for their families and other loved ones, and for the protection of all us, at home and abroad.  As we got closer to Lourdes, the Pyrenees Mountains  began first as a faint line on the horizon and then reached higher and higher to the sky.  As we entered Lourdes, we wound our way further and further down the narrow streets until we reached our final destination, just a few hundred steps from the main entrance to the Shrine.  We celebrated Mass in the St. Anne Chapel of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  The Basilica was built high above the Grotto of Massabielle to commemorate the place where the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to St. Bernadette.  During the 17th apparition, Mary revealed the Immaculate Conception.  She also revealed the hidden spring that now flows through the Grotto.

Day 6 - Bayeaux, Mont-Saint-Michel, and Brittany American Cemetery

This morning we left the city of Caen, where we spent the night, and headed towards Bayeaux to celebrate Mass at the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Bayeaux.  By now, you've noticed that many of the churches here in France are dedicated to Notre Dame or Our Lady.  It seems that every city and town has at least one Chapelle or Cathedrale dedicated to Our Lady followed by the name of the city or neighborhood where it' located (i.e., Notre Dame de Bayeaux).  At this morning's Mass, we were once again joined by Jos and Maryse Francois and also by two or three others from Slovenia.  That is one of the joys of our faith--we celebrate the Mass and worship the same way all over the world.  We may not share the same spoken language but we do share the same faith language, right?  We have been blessed to share each of our Masses with others that happen by and want to join in, and by their presence, we are doubly blessed.

We continued on to Mont-Saint Michel where the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel (Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey) is located.  Several miles out we began to see the breathtaking Abbey situated at the top of an almost 300 foot mountain peak.  The spire of the Abbey reaches nearly 500 feet in the air.  Several pilgrims wound their way up the spiral walkway and then climbed nearly 400 steps to reach the entrance to the Abbey.  As they entered the Abbey, Mass was being celebrated, so they received a blessing and then moved on to see the rest of the Abbey, still home to several cloistered monks of the Benedictine order.

Our last stop of the day was at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial.  We were privileged to get to honor US Army Pvt Irvin Barteau, who was killed in service to his country on August 11, 1944.  Pvt Barteau's niece, Minnie Swift, is one of our pilgrims and it was touching to be able to join Minnie and Bob honor the uncle she never knew, place an American flag at his gravesite, and hear Taps being played for him.  Again, the young French guide who showed Minnie to the gravesite spoke of hearing all about the Americans who came to defend France from the German occupation so many years ago and we appreciate the care and respect that continues to be given to those that never returned home to American soil.

After another long and emotional day, we boarded the bus and headed for Nantes, our overnight resting place.