On Tuesday the 27th of September, 16 students and 2 teachers from St Colmcille's Community School set off on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. All of us had, anticipated that this would be a brilliant trip, but no one realised it would be as good as it was.

In Lourdes there was plenty to do and lots to see. We found ourselves doing something different everyday. There were many highlights on the trip.

On the first morning, we paired off and were introduced to the people that we would be taking care of for the week. Our job was to push them in their wheelchairs to the different ceremonies that took place that week. They were all lovely people and were very grateful for our hard work.

That night a torchlight procession took place. A few hundred people took part and the Irish Carmelites led it. The only light was from the candles that we each held. It was a very beautiful sight.

Friday came, and with it, another outing. We walked to The City of The Poor. This was a place where poor pilgrims came and were looked after well during their time in Lourdes. It was a very beautiful area.

On Friday night Fr. Phillip held a Taizé prayer service. This was very spiritual. We all sang songs, while people went up to reflect at the cross. This was a very emotional service, as we contemplated our thoughts.

We got up earlier than usual on Saturday morning and went down to the Baths. We queued for an hour and during this time, the Italians said The Rosary. Each one of us found that The Baths were a strange and unique experience. We each came out feeling different, relaxed and renewed. This was certainly one of the best highlights of Lourdes.

We met many other youth groups, also from Ireland. These included Kilkenny, Cork, Terenure and Kildare. We all got along very well and had lots of fun together. In our free time, we met up with the youths. A favourite place for us all to go was McDonalds!!

On the last night all the youths went to Tostaky's, our favourite club. We danced the night away, but then, it was time to leave for a last visit to The Grotto.

The Grotto was a very peaceful place to pray for all those in need. There is an indescribable feeling in the air there that we all felt.

I think that everyone who went would agree that Lourdes was the best trip we had ever been on. We were so grateful that we were all picked to go on such an amazing pilgrimage. Everyone went with a prayer and came home with great memories. Every student was touched by the whole experience and if we were given the chance we would do it all again!

Maeve McMahon and Sally Medbury.
St Colmcille’s Community School