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on pilgrimage-holiday in Lourdes with HCPT
on pilgrimage-holiday in Lourdes with HCPT
SUNDAY
We were all very excited to be going on our Lourdes pilgrimage but no-one was very impressed about the 3.15am meeting time! We all made it though and, after our enormous quantity of luggage had been loaded onto the coach we set off for Birmingham Airport just after 4am.
We got to the airport and checked our luggage before going through security. Some of our little stars had never flown before and were a bit nervous but everyone was very brave and loved flying up through the clouds.
We just had time for a drink and a cake from the cabin crew before we began our descent to Lourdes airport. It was very warm when we landed but we could see snow on the nearby mountains.
We went to the hotel for a late lunch of chicken and chips and then unpacked our bags before going out for some fresh air. We visited the Grotto and said a prayer of thanks for our safe arrival. We then spent some time on the meadow chilling out in the warm sunshine, chatting, and playing quiet games.
We went back to the hotel for our dinner before the little stars got ready for bed. We were too tired for a bedtime story and went straight to sleep. The big stars had their helper meeting and planned more fun for tomorrow!
MONDAY
After a good night's sleep, we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast, before setting out to explore the old town of Lourdes with our brilliant youth helpers. We used a special lift instead of walking up a very steep hill! We learned all about St Bernadette and how she saw Our Lady at the Grotto. We saw the Boly Mill, where Bernadette was born and the Cachot, which used to be the town prison, where Bernadette's whole family lived in one room. We finished on the meadow where we washed our faces with Lourdes water and said prayers to Our Lady and St Bernadette and had some time to enjoy the sunshine before going back to our hotel for lunch.
It was such a lovely afternoon, we decided to go back to the meadow where we enjoyed a craft activity together and then some of us played ball and parachute games, some of us got very engrossed in making friendship bracelets and some of us simply chilled out!
Later on, we all went to a big church for the HCPT Welcome Mass, which we all really enjoyed. There was lots of singing and opportunities to use our tambourines and shakers, or dance, as well as quiet thoughtful time. Our helpers said that the main Trust Mass, on Thursday, will be even better.
We went back to our hotel after Mass and said goodbye to our youth helpers. After some quiet time, we had our dinner and then listened to a funny story and said bedtime prayers. We were all very tired and went to bed to fall asleep and dream about what we might do tomorrow...
TUESDAY
We had to be ready in good time today to get to the Domain to have our group photo taken. Everyone was in their best group clothing and wearing their best smile.
It wasn't very sunny, but we went back to the meadow and played games and did crafts, and some of us had our nails painted. We even time for a cafe visit for ice cream, pancakes and waffles before going back to the hotel to collect our picnic lunch.
We walked through town to get our coach to Hosanna House where we ate our picnic on the terrace with an amazing view of the mountains. After lunch we had Mass with our friends from Group 36 in the beautiful chapel and then had time to enjoy some of the activities. Some of us played ball games and hook-a-duck and some of us visited the mobile farm where we cuddled guinea pigs and baby goats. We promise we didn't smuggle any animals out in our bags!
We travelled back to our hotel and spent some quiet time in our rooms before having dinner. After we had eaten it was time for our bedtime story and prayer and then it was time for the little stars to go to sleep while the big stars had their helper meeting and planned tomorrow's activities before chilling out together...
We had to be ready in good time today to get to the Domain to have our group photo taken. Everyone was in their best group clothing and wearing their best smile.
It wasn't very sunny, but we went back to the meadow and played games and did crafts, and some of us had our nails painted. We even time for a cafe visit for ice cream, pancakes and waffles before going back to the hotel to collect our picnic lunch.
We walked through town to get our coach to Hosanna House where we ate our picnic on the terrace with an amazing view of the mountains. After lunch we had Mass with our friends from Group 36 in the beautiful chapel and then had time to enjoy some of the activities. Some of us played ball games and hook-a-duck and some of us visited the mobile farm where we cuddled guinea pigs and baby goats. We promise we didn't smuggle any animals out in our bags!
We travelled back to our hotel and spent some quiet time in our rooms before having dinner. After we had eaten it was time for our bedtime story and prayer and then it was time for the little stars to go to sleep while the big stars had their helper meeting and planned tomorrow's activities before chilling out together...
WEDNESDAY
Everyone enjoyed a bit of a lie in today and we skipped hotel breakfast because today was Cafe Breakfast day!! We arrived to a warm welcome at our favourite cafe and were soon tucking in to a variety of dishes. Our choices ranged from a banana to crepes, waffles, and omelette, all the way through to spaghetti bolognese and lasagne and chips!
After breakfast we made the most of the last of the dry weather and spent some more time on the meadow. Our youth helper friends joined us and helped with bracelet making and played ball games.
Our afternoon began with a trip to the HCPT fun base where we joined in with different activities, including decorating cut out sheep to be used at the Trust Mass. We then went to our Regional Mass with the other groups from the Met Deep South region. We enjoyed the music and singing and are really looking forward to the Trust Mass.
The hotel conference room played host to an exclusive talent show this evening, featuring Group 170's little stars. We were treated to a DJ's set, a rugby training demo and, in keeping with the rugby theme, a hakka. We also enjoyed a series of amazing magic tricks and a sparkling performance of a remix of Twinkle Twinkle. As ever, the clapometer had to be employed and, for the first time ever (honestly!), the result was a dead-heat! Everyone won a certificate, a medal, and a huuuge round of applause!
We enjoyed another lovely story and said our prayers to say thank-you for another lovely day and are now fast asleep...
THURSDAY
We had to be up and out in good time today so that we could get to church early to secure a good spot for the Trust Mass. Our dedication paid off and we secured front row seats! We spent the time before Mass making friends and swapping badges with other groups, having our faces painted with the Group 170 logo, listening to the musicians, and watching all the other groups come in. There were lots of them wearing every colour of the rainbow.
We settled down when Mass started but were ready to join in with our musical instruments whenever there was any singing! We knew the Mass was being livestreamed and watched out for ourselves on the big screens in church so we could wave to our family and friends at home. Did you spot us? We sang our favourite song, Rise & Shine, at the end, some of us got up and danced, and we looked out for our Group 170 banner in the procession at the end.
It wasn't raining too badly as we made our way back to our hotel, but the weather forecast was so bad that we had to cancel our trip to the animal park. We were sad to miss the animals but glad to avoid getting soaked. Instead of our planned trip, we spent some time in small groups when some of us had fun in the group room, some of us enjoyed a bath, and a few of us took advantage of a short break in the weather and went for a walk round the Domain.
We also spent some time as a whole group in the hotel lounge area, where we had an Easter chick hunt and did some craft activities before using the conference room to play hide-and-seek and indoor parachute games.
After dinner, our day came to a close in the usual way, with a great story and a lovely bedtime prayer with musical accompaniment. By the time you read this, we will all be fast asleep before our last day of fun in Lourdes. Can you believe it will be Friday tomorrow...?
FRIDAY
After having our breakfast, we gathered in the hotel lobby before setting out for our coach to St Savin. It was quite dry when we set out but by the time we reached the coach park, it was pouring with rain. Fortunately, the coach was able to drop us very near to the church, so we didn't get wet. The church was very old and a bit dark but we soon brightened it up with our lovely singing at the beautiful Mass, which we all enjoyed. Towards the end, we were joined by a black cat which lives nearby!
It had stopped raining when we came out of church so we were able to go round to the view point and take some lovely photographs with the mountains behind us.
We went back to our hotel for lunch and had some time in our rooms before we all gathered in the hotel lounge area with a great big candle. We were each given a sticker with our name on it to decorate and some blank ones fir the names of our family and friends who we wanted to pray for. The candle was decorated with ribbons in our group colours and we added all of our stickers - there were a lot of them! When the sun came out we took our candle down through the Grotto to the special shelters by the river. We said some special prayers and lit the candle. It was very windy and took several attempts to get it burning steadily but we did it in the end.
We went back to the hotel to start packing to go home before we went down to our last night party. We were each given a T-shirt to decorate and keep as a souvineer and were served party food for dinner. After dinner there was an award ceremony and all the little stars were given a present from their helpers, which we loved! It was soon time for little stars to go to bed so that the big stars could have their helper meeting and pack all of our belongings for tomorrow's journey home. We can't wait to see our families and friends.
SATURDAY
After a late night packing our group equipment, the big stars were up early this morning to finish their own packing before getting the little stars ready for the journey home. The baggage handlers were up extra early to get their own breakfast and help with their little stars before making sure all our luggage was in the right place when the coach arrived.
The journey to the airport was short but we had to wait a long time while our luggage was checked in. While we waited, our littlest star managed to peg the big model 'plane in the departure lounge - with some help from his Daddy!
By the time we had been through security, boarded the 'plane, with our friends from several other groups, and everyone's luggage had been loaded we eventually took off - only an hour behind schedule!
The flight was smooth and it wasn't long before we were descending to land at Birmingham Airport. We decided our pilot might appreciate some help in the form of a full performance of Rise & Shine - we're sure he loved it!
As usual, it took a long time to be reunited with our luggage, our wheelchairs and each other! Everyone and everything made it on to the coach in the end, and we set off on the final leg of our journey together.
It was lovely to have the sun shining in the windows as some of us took a nap and others enjoyed some snacks. We entertained our driver with another rendition of Rise & Shine and even had time for a few rounds of Eye-spy as the coach drove through Southampton.
The little stars' Mums and Dads were waiting for them at our drop off point and there were many happy reunions. Everyone had a wonderful week but you can't beat being home with your loved ones...
So, our 2023 HCPT Easter pilgrimage has come to an end but we are left with many happy memories of our wonderful experiences. We are grateful to have had the chance to be in Lourdes after so long and hope we will be back again next year.
