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Greetings from Lourdes!
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
The first full day of the pilgrimage started with breakfast at our hotels and morning prayer, led by Rev. Christopher Butera, ChD. It is always so comforting to see fellow pilgrims file into the seats of the Bartres Room at the Hotel Alba to pray together. This morning's prayer was standing room only, with people spilling out into the hallways.
Our willing charioteers met after breakfast to set up each malade’s voiture for the week. These bright blue icons are what will carry our beloved malades to and from Masses, the Sacraments, the Baths, and through the sea of fellow pilgrims for the Candlelight Procession.
After lunch, we all split up for team meetings, where we met our teammates for the next week, learned about what the pilgrimage will entail, and picked up some team color “swag” like sunglasses and hats. We then departed, for the first time as teams, to St. Joseph’s Chapel for a Spiritual Orientation led by Rev. Joseph Johnson, ChM, Pilgrimage Spiritual Director. Fr. Johnson discussed the basic elements of religion and focused on the basic and complex meanings of elements like Baptism and RCIA.
Next up was our Opening Mass in the beautiful Rosary Basilica. We celebrated Mass with members of the Federal and Western Associations’ pilgrimages in a Tri-Association effort. Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, ChC. Following Mass, we met back at the hotels for a reception and dinner to wrap up our first full day of activities in Lourdes.
Not only will we be sharing a daily photo gallery, which you can view when you click on the red button at the top of this email, but we will also be sharing videos each day, when you click on the blue button, highlighting the wonderful aspects of the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Today's videos feature Archbishop Vigneron talking about Holy Water and Dr. Peter and Mrs. Linda Kelly talking about what Lourdes means to them.
Until tomorrow...
Our Lady of Lourdes,
Pray for Us!
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