Lourdes - Pope Benedict XVI
The Pope was in Lourdes from the 13th-15th of September to celebrate the 150th year anniversary of the Apparitions (of the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette.) I had classes on Saturday so I opted to go for the day on Sunday with my flat mate Bea.
I woke up at around 4am, showered and dressed. As Bea and I were getting ready, she received a phone call and we found out that the person who was supposed to bring us to the meeting point was sick! So we quickly got all our stuff and left. We walked to Plaza Merindades which is in the city center. It wasn't that far, about a 15 minute walk, but it was early in the morning and pretty cold. We got to the plaza on time, and boarded the bus. We left Pamplona at around 5am. The trip to Lourdes was around four hours. We stopped only once in a gas station near the border where it was freezing cold. I had breakfast on the bus as well.
When we got to Lourdes, the bus parked in the parking lot, and we walked to the site a few meters away. It was crowded with people, but very organized. Before we entered the field, we were given a foldable stool, which had a pocket to store your things in, bottled water, and an envelope which contained papers about the event, etc. The field was divided into sections and each person had a card which indicated the section we were in. We were in sector 56, which was mostly people from Pamplona. We managaed to find our section and Bea and I saw the other girls from Larrabide (the center that runs the apartments I live in). We settled down just in time for the mass to start. We were a little far from the tent where the Pope was in, but there were large screens where videos were projected.
The Mass of the Triumph of the Cross started at 10am. It was celebrated for the special intentions of young people. It was mostly in Latin and French, but some parts were said in different languages, like the responsorial psalms . We had a pamphlet though to follow the mass, and there were some portions in English. The Pope gave his homily in French. After the mass we walked to a less crowded area and had lunch. We rested awhile then proceeded to the Grotto. We didn't go in the grotto because the line was very long, but we sat down nearby and prayed. I prayed the rosary and the special Jubilee prayer.
In order to fully celebrate the Jubilee year, the "Jubilee Way" was designed as a spiritual route for pilgrims to follow. It took one through four important places in Bernadette's life, with prayers and things to do in each stop. The four places were the parish church where she was baptized, the Cachot where her family lived, the Grotto where the apparitions took place, and the Hospice chapel where she received her first communion. Unfortunately, when we were there the only place that was open was the Grotto.
After praying we went back to the field for the Blessed Sacrament Procession. This time, we sneaked into a different sector so we were closer to the front. The Blessed Sacrament Procession was really long, and there was a lot of chanting and singing. The choir though was very good, it was composed of people of different ages. The youngest members must have been about 12 years old. The Pope joined in at the end and gave the final blessing. After the blessing he went somewhere behind the tent.
We moved closer to the barriers so we could see the Pope when he passed by. While waiting for the Pope, there were many Spanish people (mostly the girls from Larrabide) cheering on the Pope, shouting Viva El Papa!, and others. Finally the Pope came out from behind the tent in his special white car. There was louder cheering and waving as he rode pass the people. I was able to get a good look at him and we didn't stop waving and cheering as he passed by.
After the Pope left, Bea and I said goodbye to the other girls and went back to our bus. It was eight in the evening and another four hours back to Pamplona. Back in Pamplona it was freezing cold and Bea and I half walked half ran back to the apartment.
It was a really great day and an amazing experience for me. You can read more about Lourdes, the Pope, the Jubilee year by clicking here.
I woke up at around 4am, showered and dressed. As Bea and I were getting ready, she received a phone call and we found out that the person who was supposed to bring us to the meeting point was sick! So we quickly got all our stuff and left. We walked to Plaza Merindades which is in the city center. It wasn't that far, about a 15 minute walk, but it was early in the morning and pretty cold. We got to the plaza on time, and boarded the bus. We left Pamplona at around 5am. The trip to Lourdes was around four hours. We stopped only once in a gas station near the border where it was freezing cold. I had breakfast on the bus as well.
When we got to Lourdes, the bus parked in the parking lot, and we walked to the site a few meters away. It was crowded with people, but very organized. Before we entered the field, we were given a foldable stool, which had a pocket to store your things in, bottled water, and an envelope which contained papers about the event, etc. The field was divided into sections and each person had a card which indicated the section we were in. We were in sector 56, which was mostly people from Pamplona. We managaed to find our section and Bea and I saw the other girls from Larrabide (the center that runs the apartments I live in). We settled down just in time for the mass to start. We were a little far from the tent where the Pope was in, but there were large screens where videos were projected.
The Mass of the Triumph of the Cross started at 10am. It was celebrated for the special intentions of young people. It was mostly in Latin and French, but some parts were said in different languages, like the responsorial psalms . We had a pamphlet though to follow the mass, and there were some portions in English. The Pope gave his homily in French. After the mass we walked to a less crowded area and had lunch. We rested awhile then proceeded to the Grotto. We didn't go in the grotto because the line was very long, but we sat down nearby and prayed. I prayed the rosary and the special Jubilee prayer.
In order to fully celebrate the Jubilee year, the "Jubilee Way" was designed as a spiritual route for pilgrims to follow. It took one through four important places in Bernadette's life, with prayers and things to do in each stop. The four places were the parish church where she was baptized, the Cachot where her family lived, the Grotto where the apparitions took place, and the Hospice chapel where she received her first communion. Unfortunately, when we were there the only place that was open was the Grotto.
After praying we went back to the field for the Blessed Sacrament Procession. This time, we sneaked into a different sector so we were closer to the front. The Blessed Sacrament Procession was really long, and there was a lot of chanting and singing. The choir though was very good, it was composed of people of different ages. The youngest members must have been about 12 years old. The Pope joined in at the end and gave the final blessing. After the blessing he went somewhere behind the tent.
We moved closer to the barriers so we could see the Pope when he passed by. While waiting for the Pope, there were many Spanish people (mostly the girls from Larrabide) cheering on the Pope, shouting Viva El Papa!, and others. Finally the Pope came out from behind the tent in his special white car. There was louder cheering and waving as he rode pass the people. I was able to get a good look at him and we didn't stop waving and cheering as he passed by.
After the Pope left, Bea and I said goodbye to the other girls and went back to our bus. It was eight in the evening and another four hours back to Pamplona. Back in Pamplona it was freezing cold and Bea and I half walked half ran back to the apartment.
It was a really great day and an amazing experience for me. You can read more about Lourdes, the Pope, the Jubilee year by clicking here.
Comments