


'Blackpool on holy steroids' is how one of the young pilgrims charmingly described Lourdes this year. Of course this year was always going to be a big year for Lourdes with the Church celebrating the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to St Bernadette. Every effort had been made to brighten up the town to receive pilgrims from far and wide, old and young alike. This year one hundred and twenty young people participated in the youth section of the diocesan pilgrimage, and over a third of those were first-timers. 'Overwhelming', 'life-changing' and 'faith restoring' is how some of our young people described the pilgrimage, 'an unbelievable indescribable trip that you just have to experience'.
		What is it about Lourdes that our young people find so attractive? After all, on paper at least, it seems such a long way to go especially on a coach and it's all such hard work when you are out there, up early and to bed late, pushing wheelchairs, and suffering French food! But year after year, young people come in their droves and discover for themselves, as one young person said, that 'through faith and service we receive joy and love'.
Undoubtedly one of the great attractions of Lourdes is that the experience brings together young people from across the whole diocese and over the course of the week a real sense of friendship and community develops. In one week friendships are forged which will undoubtedly last a lifetime. The time together, the laughter and tears, the tiredness and the exhilaration of it all, unite everyone into the family that we are. And then there is the work with the VIPs. It is always a humbling thing to see those with good health helping those who have poorer health, those who are up-and-about helping those who find any movement difficult, the young assisting the elderly, sharing with them their hopes, their joys, their lives.
Lourdes is a special place to reflect upon life, to break out of the strictures of our culture and to come together as a People of God, and this coming closer to God is the heart of any pilgrimage. The young people participated in all the liturgies with their singing, their music and drama, and above all with their hearts as they opened themselves to the Holy Spirit in the torchlit processions, the night visits to the Grotto, the climbing of the Way of Cross (barefooted!) and the joyful celebrations of Mass. For many the experience of prayer in Lourdes was a new experience and the peace and serenity of the Domain, the flickering candles against the night sky, and just the fact of being with other young people from all around the world praying together, made it all a deeply personal and enlightening experience. The capacity of young people to open themselves to the love of God is truly inspiring and this year's pilgrimage to Lourdes was a beautiful blessing for all of us, to learn once again the ways of faith and trust, even in trying circumstances. 'I have found a relationship with God', one young person wrote, 'I know Him more and know He is there'. Another young person said that they had learnt to be 'more giving, selfless and disciplined' and that they felt called to tell other people about the experience and to tell people to 'trust, surrender and believe'. It was with this hope that young people returned from Lourdes. Those travelling by coach took in Nevers where we celebrated Mass in the convent where St Bernadette spent the rest of her earthly life and where her incorrupt body still remains, peaceful and beautiful; a sign to all of us that it is in our everyday life as we return that we must find the way to holiness, that it is in our everyday life we too are called to be saints through our life together, through our service, and through our prayer. So powerful was the experience that, in the words of one of our young people, all that we now need to do is to 'get me m8z to come next year!'
As mentioned above, a good number of the young people came to Lourdes for the first time this year and who better to tell of their experiences than the young people themselves:
	Between the 18th – 25th July I went to Lourdes on a pilgrimage with the Lancaster Diocese. As it was the first pilgrimage I have been on I was quite nervous but those feelings were soon to change completely. As soon as I arrived the special atmosphere hit me straight away and I knew I was going to have a unique experience. I have never had any experience working with the elderly or sick (VIPs) so I was a little anxious about doing so. However, there was no need for me to worry as we (the youth) all had a brilliant relationship with them as they were such a friendly bunch! We did many activities with them such as taking them to Mass, the Torchlight Procession and numerous visits to the grotto. The VIPs were extremely grateful for everything we did for them during the week but I feel that we were all as equally grateful to them for what they gave to us. Throughout the week I went from a position of hardly knowing anyone to feeling like I had known everybody on the pilgrimage all of my life. They are probably the loveliest group of people I have ever met. The organisation of the trip was great, with really enthusiastic leaders and very supportive senior youth who ensured that everything ran smoothly. I can honestly say that going to Lourdes has been the best experience of my life. It is so difficult to begin to explain what a wonderful place it is as there are no words that can really do it justice. Since I have come back I have seen a difference in myself, my approach to life and a strengthening of my faith. I know I will definitely be going again next year! - Maria, Preston



People said to me that going to help the sick at Lourdes was a life- changing experience, and they were right. After making the pilgrimage I felt a strong sense of renewal and accomplishment. The selfless act of helping the VIPs around Lourdes really connected me to my Christian faith and helped deepen my understanding, helping to make me a better person overall. I felt spiritually empowered at Lourdes and had fun with all my friends as well; I would definitely go again if I had the opportunity and I would very much recommend it to other young people of the diocese. - Michael, Barrow
These are just a taster of the photos we have been sent. More will soon be available in our online gallery. If you have any photos you would like to share with us all then please either email them or post a CD to the Youth Office. If you are already counting down to next year's Pilgrimage then watch this space - Lourdes 2009 will be launched in November 2008!