Oblate Pilgrimage to Lourdes

On the 15th of September 2011, twelve Rhetoric students accompanied, by Mr Ger O’ Sullivan and Ms Audrey Doran , embarked on a pilgrimage to Lourdes as part of the Oblate Youth Service. We gathered at Dublin Airport full of excitement and nerves and set off on our journey which would include a plane to Bilbao and then a four hour bus journey. We would then arrive safely in Lourdes.

The day that followed was one full of enjoyment. After breakfast that wasn’t quite the full Irish, we hopped on the bus again for a day out at the beach in St. Jean De Luz. Those brave enough ventured in what looked like icy cold water along with a football match to follow and proved to be a great way for the group to mix.

The next day we went on a walking tour of Lourdes, seeing St. Bernadette’s house, all the various churches, and the high stations. In the afternoon we had a crash course in wheelchair control and how to assist patients. By this stage we were all itching for the patients to arrive, and for the real work to commence. Thankfully their plane wasn’t delayed too severely, but it had been a harshly long journey to get to Lourdes for many of the patients, many arriving at Dublin at 9am, but they didn’t appear bothered in the slightest. To my surprise we were greeted with smile after smile, all delighted to be back to this special place.

This was the real beginning of the pilgrimage, and soon everything was in full swing. I must admit, I was quite nervous as I waited for the patients to arrive, as I really had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t sure how I would interact with the patients. But to my surprise they were delighted to have someone they could tell their unique and different stories to. Everyone was so nice that it was no effort at all to be friendly. The only challenging part to the day, in my opinion, was getting out of bed in the morning, but thanks to my trusty and ridiculously loud alarm and a hot shower this was just another obstacle that could be easily overcome.

The interaction with the guests was just fantastic, and many great friendships were formed in those five days that I am sure will continue for many years to come. I became quite close with many of the guests, especially Mary or Maimie as many liked to call her. I had met her before while working in the airport the previous year. To my surprise she remembered me and it was great to see her again and catch up on how her year had gone. Unfortunately she had been diagnosed with a serious illness for the second time which struck me hard. I was surprised by her spirit however, she was over the moon that she could be in Lourdes. Her openness in sharing such personal and private stories with me touched me deeply.

There were so many highlights for me while over there. I got to see a relative of mine Ray who has been confined to a wheelchair since a young child but none the less has made the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Oblates year every year without fail. It was very humbling to see my fellow members of the OYS to take such good care of him and Lourdes truly brings out the good in people. I also learnt an important lesson which is to look beyond the disability of someone, a real character lies behind and we should drop the barrier that asserts us into different categories of society.

I would like to conclude by thanking all of the Oblates who went on the pilgrimage with me. You really made it so easy to have a great experience. I would also like to thank the 11 other Belvedere students, who came on the pilgrimage, you were great lads! The effort and care you gave to those less fortunate is inspirational.

I couldn’t finish this piece without thanking Mr Ger O’ Sullivan and Ms Audrey Doran. There was no sense of a student-teacher relationship with either of them. We all got along famously. They both offered the group great support whenever we needed it! There is a huge amount of work that both of them put in for the continued success of the pilgrimage which should not go unnoticed, and for that a most sincere thank you is in order.

Finally, I cannot recommend the Lourdes pilgrimage enough to current fifth years, and indeed to all students. It really is an absolutely unbelievable experience, and one that must be experienced first hand. You will have brilliant craic and make loads of new friends, and the immense satisfaction that is gained from helping those less fortunate is fantastic.

Lourdes 2011 was a wonderful experience, and I will definitely be going back next year.

Conor Holohan
Rhetoric Loyola