Day 3 - In the silence

Sometimes Lourdes can be the most hectic place in the world. Like when you get woken up at 6:15 (as we are doing tomorrow), or are in the St Frai with Hospitalite running around and you crossing with other pilgrimages. Today we had our first chance to meet with the pilgrims, which in itself can be a stressful particularly for first timers. The sheer number of visitors to Lourdes makes the domain a busy place, so it's quite easy to get bewildered in the face of everything.

However Lourdes is also a quiet place of prayer and reflection. Small moments of calm happen all the time. Tonight in the torchlight procession we stood in the light of our candles in front of the Rosary Basilica. Walking around in silence gave a sense of being part of something huge, whilst still giving the chance for individual quietness. The night prayer that followed maintained this feeling, based around the theme of unity and togetherness. Ten minutes later we were shaking tambourines, playing instruments, singing loudly and dancing our tired little feet off. Still the same sense of togetherness, just expressed in a different (more vocal) way.

We are sharing this wonderful experience of opposites together as a Coach. There are so many ups but also downs but experiencing these emotions is simply experiencing Lourdes. Group 1's night prayer yesterday focused on the theme of peace. It can be found in feeling happy  with the coach members, singing loudly and clapping; or as Group 1 put it simply, "Peace can be found in the silence".