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Greetings from Lourdes!
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Philippians 4:4
What a joy it is to be back in Lourdes for the American Association’s 36th Annual Pilgrimage. Our journey began yesterday at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), where Knights, Dames, Chaplains, Auxiliary, Associates, Volunteers, Malades, and Caregivers picked up their welcome packets, dropped off their luggage, and, after a delay, boarded the charter plane to Lourdes. The excitement of the start of a new pilgrimage is always palpable as longtime friends reunited and members introduced themselves to malades and caregivers at the gate.
A special thank you to Michael Ligorano, KM, and Brandon Sipple, KM, of the New Jersey Area's Order of Malta Mobile Ministries Van. These Knights drove the van to the NY Office earlier this week and, with the help of New York City Area Chairs Steve Bujno, KM, and Eric Vitale, KM, and the building's maintenance crew, loaded about 50 boxes of supplies for the Lourdes Pilgrimage. The van was used to transport this precious cargo to BWI where pilgrims helped unload the van and check the boxes in to be sent to Lourdes on the charter. Photos of this endeavor are included in the photo gallery, linked above.
When we finally touched down in Lourdes, we boarded the buses to take us to the hotels, where we were welcomed by a cheerful Advance Team and the hotel staff at Hotels Méditerranée and Alba. For the second year in a row, we were invited to enjoy some much-needed rest time before beginning the pilgrimage festivities. Some malades and other pilgrims took the opportunity to go to bed early while others gathered in each hotel for inspiring evening Masses, led by Most Rev. Alfred A. Schlert, ChC, Bishop of Allentown, and Most Rev. Kevin J. Sweeney, Bishop of Paterson, to kick off the week's spiritual activities. What a joy it was to celebrate our first Mass of the pilgrimage together with our beloved Malades and Caregivers. Following Mass, we attended a reception and dinner with our teammates.
A lot goes into making this pilgrimage happen every year. We are led this year by Lourdes Pilgrimage Co-Hosts Dr. and Mrs. Peter and Linda Kelly, Lourdes Co-Presidents, Stacey Reisman and John “Mitch” Mitchell, American Association President, Kenneth Craig, Team and Travel Coordinators, Dr. and Mrs. John and Nancy Murphy, and two members of the American Association’s NY Office, Raymond LaRose and Matthew LaRose.
Fourteen chaplains left their churches and their flocks to travel with us, to feed our spiritual hunger, and we are blessed to have them on this pilgrimage. Over 40 doctors, nurses, and student nurses, a veritable hospital staff in the air, transferred their responsibilities at home to others and take on the responsibility of providing medical support, as needed, for the pilgrims, and especially for the Malades and their Caregivers. Knights, Dames, Affiliates and volunteers, a cross-section of the new and the veteran, look forward to a life-changing experience for those they will care for in Lourdes, for those they would be carrying in their hearts to the Grotto, and for themselves, a hope for something they do not know but trust that the mercy and kindness of Our Lady would help them find.
Until tomorrow...
Our Lady of Lourdes,
Pray for Us!
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