Though the warm weather of July seems ever so distant, The Coach Four meetings have begun and our pilgrimage to Lourdes starts now.
Firstly, I will introduce myself. I am Oliver, and this is my 5th year on Coach Four. For the past couple of years, Beth Hurst has been our official blogger, and has kept us informed and entertained during the week in Lourdes. Unfortunately, Beth will not be joining us this year, so I have been asked to take up her position. Thanks for your hard work, Beth. I have big boots to fill.
At the moment, Lourdes is unrecognisable. The Domain, the sacred area that consists of the grotto, the baths and the chapels, is undergoing a huge development project: "Projet Grotte Cœur de Lourdes" (Grotto Project: The Heart of Lourdes). The place where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette in 1858 has been reduced to a building site. A few years ago, devastating floods hit the domain, decimating the site and calling for an intense restorative project. But now, the beauty and peace of Lourdes is being willingly taken apart by our hands and not those of nature.
Click here for a video of the construction work (en Francais)
What we must remember, however, is that change is often for the best. Sometimes we have to go backwards to go forwards. Despite causing momentary chaos, the relocation of the taps (where we can access clean, blessed spring water) will usher in a new era of prayerfulness around the Grotto. Hopefully, the stewards will have to "shush" us less of the time.
Similarly, saying yes to Lourdes is a massive shift in the course of your life. Working with pilgrims and meeting lots of new people is a frightening prospect, not to mention the difficulty of having a faith in a society that is far from Church-focussed. Naomi Cassidy is new to the coach this year, and, though she has gone through some difficult times recently, she wants to use Lourdes as a way of exploring and regaining her faith. Anxious before Sunday's meeting, she explained that being introduced to the coach and her group wasn't as nerve wracking as she thought. It seems that being on Coach Four is already helping people to overcome worry and to experience peace.
I hope that Lourdes helps to transform Naomi's life as it did for Ella Tobin who is returning for her second year. She described the coach as "one big family". To make sure that 2015 creates those same tight-nit relationships, Anthony instigated some of those dreaded ice-breakers, one of which involved working in our groups to safeguard an egg from destruction after being dropped from the upper floor of church. Needless to say, most of them ended up scrambled (a waste of good eggs in my opinion), but a couple of groups managed to protect it.
Anthony explained that the activities required us to think differently to succeed. The very fact that we have opened up 'The Door of Faith' (a previous theme of the pilgrimage) and are on our way to Lourdes proves that we have made change in our lives. Like with the construction work at the grotto, the meetings, the fun(d)raiser, the coach journey and all our activities in France should mould and reshape us into better people.
I am already excited for next meeting on 22nd February.
See you then.
Oli
P.S. I plan to do 18 blog posts between now and the end of our Pilgrimage, each post corresponding to one of Our Lady's apparitions to Bernadette. If you have read this, you'll have a head start for the on-the-spot question during the meeting on the Story of Bernadette:
Thursday 11th February, 1858: The First Meeting
Accompanied by her sister and a friend, Bernadette went to Massabielle on the banks of the Gave to collect bones and dead wood. Removing her socks in order to cross the stream, she heard a noise like a gust of wind, she looked up towards the Grotto:
"I SAW A LADY DRESSED IN WHITE, SHE WORE A WHITE DRESS, AN EQUALLY WHITE VEIL, A BLUE BELT AND A YELLOW ROSE ON EACH FOOT."
Bernadette made the Sign of the Cross and said the Rosary with the lady. When the prayer ended the Lady suddenly vanished.
