Lourdes Pilgrims - Clongowes Wood College

Posted: 6th September 2017

Making a difference

On Thursday the 7th of September, five Rhetoric students – Joe Bullman, Tommy Inglis, Ben Matuschka, Ronan Molony and Paddy White – will travel to Lourdes as part of the Dublin Diocesan Annual Pilgrimage. They will be accompanied by Mr Francis Marron, Fr Dermot Murray SJ, Mrs Eileen Lumb and one of our GAP students, Philip Playoust.

While there, the boys will be working with over 120 sixth years from all over the Dublin diocese and their role will be to act as helpers in order to make the pilgrimage experience more enjoyable for over 190 sick and elderly Dublin pilgrims. Their duties will include checking pilgrims in at the airport, loading and unloading wheel chairs from the hold of the airplane and – once they arrive in Lourdes – cleaning the wards, wheeling the pilgrims to and from the many ceremonies, chatting with their new friends, performing party pieces and regularly making cups of tea!

The boys will also be working on reception at the accueil, which is where the pilgrims reside during their stay. There they will help to transfer pilgrims from their wheelchairs to the voitures or three wheeled buggies, which are used as a more comfortable mode of transport for the pilgrims to move about in the domain and various holy sites within the sacred area. These holy sites are also an opportunity for the boys themselves to reflect and they include the Grotto, the healing baths, the stations of the cross and the Rosary Basilica.

We keep them all in our prayers at this time and wish them a very worthwhile experience

 Mr Francis Marron

You may follow coverage of the pilgrimage on the blog on the Archdiocese of Dublin website here.

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