The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Killaloe pilgrims experienced a most successful and prayerful pilgrimage with 60 assisted pilgrims being cared for in Accueil Notre-Dame under the leadership of Dr Martin Fitzgerald, a team of 20 nurses led by Michael Daly and Theresa Nash and a hospitality team under the leadership of Michael Mullally. The parish of Bodyke and Tuamgraney provided the music at all the liturgies on their first pilgrimage to Lourdes as a choir.
Almost 50 young people from secondary schools and parishes, accompanied by leaders, also travelled. On Sunday last, Bishop Kieran led the young people in the annual Emmaus Walk from Lourdes to Bartrès.
Pilgrims from the diocese experienced five days of glorious weather as they celebrated their faith in The Year of Faith. During the five days spent in Lourdes, pilgrims from the diocese tried in different ways to learn about the Gospel message through the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the celebration of different liturgies and sacraments. At the farewell ceremony, Marjorie Higgins from Shannon lit the pilgrimage candle. Marjorie’s father, John Higgins was a pilgrim on the first pilgrimage from Ireland to Lourdes in 1913.
Liz Houlihan, from Doora-Barefield, along with her husband Peter; daughter, Ciara and son Philip, who was a youth helper, participated in the pilgrimage. When invited to share her experience, Liz responded, “Love has no limits. We experience God’s love through other people and this was certainly my experience in Lourdes. From the welcome mass, the processions, the grotto mass, the high and low stations of the cross, the beautiful mass at the City of the Poor, the words that kept coming to me were faith hope and love and the greatest of these is love’.
“My experience of this love in Lourdes is what I want to share with you. Firstly, the team of carers cared for everyone with total love, kindness and ease. There was no limit to what they would do. The young people seemed to be everywhere – caring, laughing and praying. Their energy was infectious and limitless; as was their love for those they were caring for. The bishop and priests were always giving of themselves. I got the feeling that they were being supported on their pilgrimage by the people around them and by the love being shown by everyone.
“The choir created a continuous feeling of peace, prayerfulness and love, which bound us all together at all the ceremonies. The assisted pilgrims displayed incredible patience, happiness, bravery and strength. Their warmth and love was boundless. These qualities, I believe, bound everyone together. Faith, hope and love were experienced everywhere. Every person will now go back to their families, parishes and friends changed people, having experienced God’s love in abundance on this year’s Killaloe Pilgrimage to Lourdes.”
Meanwhile, the Killaloe diocese autumn pilgrimage will leave Shannon on Friday, September 27, returning on Wednesday, October 2. Fr Tom Ryan, PP Shannon, is the pilgrimage director for the diocese.
