Latest Diocese Life Blog 'Never have I been part of such a huge gathering of pilgrims at a Grotto Mass before' Following our recent story on Worcester parishioner Frank Tota, cycling 800 miles to join the Diocesan Pilgrimage in Lourdes, he has shared reflections from his incredible journey. Frank is fundraising for an overseas Medical Centre. Below Frank has captured his daily activities and highlights during his time on the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Please sponsor Frank if you can, thank you Day 26. Saturday 30 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes The journey home, Part 2 The ship will soon be docking at Portsmouth and then I will cycle to Portsmouth Harbour train station to book my ticket home to Worcester. The night crossing was very smooth and I had a couchette to sleep in. It's good to be back in Blighty. On my way to Portsmouth Harbour rail station, I passed St John's Cathedral where Sue and I married. One of the historic ships in Portsmouth harbour is HMS warrior, the first iron clad warship built. I am currently waiting for a train to Basingstoke, where I will catch a train to Reading and then on to Worcester Shrub Hill. From here I will cycle to Blessed Edward Oldcorne's shrine at Red Hill and give thanks for his prayers of intercession for my pilgrimage to Lourdes. I will also be praying to Blessed Edward Oldcorne for all the kind and generous people who have sponsored me and prayed for the success of the St David's Medical Centre in Nyandoro, Zimbabwe. I arrived at Worcester Shrub Hill Station and my dear wife Sue was there to meet me. What a wonderful surprise! We both went to Blessed Edward Oldcorne's shrine to give thanks for his intercession. Home sweet home 🏡. Thank you Jesus! 🙏 Day 25. Friday 29 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes The journey home After breakfast this morning, I walked down to the Grotto to pray. I thanked Our Lady and St Bernadette for ensuring their prayers of intercession for my safe travel from Worcester to Lourdes. I prayed also that my journey home will be covered by their prayers to the Lord. I have experienced another wonderful pilgrimage in Lourdes and I ask God’s blessing on all the pilgrims who visit the shrine. Thank you to Archbishop Bernard and all the priests and Hospitalite, who have ministered to the pilgrims during the week. Currently, I am sitting in Lourdes railway station waiting for the 10.58 train to Paris Monparnasse. I will cycle across Paris, to Paris St Lazare train station, to catch the train to Caen. From there I will sail to Portsmouth and then take a train to Worcester. When I arrive in Worcester I will cycle to Blessed Edward Oldcorne's shrine on Red Hill, to give him thanks for interceding for my safety during my pilgrimage. I am sitting opposite my bike on the train to ensure it doesn't feel lonely 😁 I sat next to a Belgian guy named Michael who had been cycling in the Pryrenees. He's crazy about cycling. His English is excellent! Puts me to shame. Like London, Paris has safe cycling lanes to allow passage across the city. I think cycling around Paris is much quicker than driving. There were lots of traffic holdups. I cycled from Caen train station to Ouisteram, the ferry terminal that serves Caen. Waiting with the bikers for the ferry at Caen. Day 24. Thursday 28 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Eternal High Priest celebrated in St Bernadette's chapel, in the Grotto. All the Lourdes pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Birmingham were present to celebrate the Mass together. It was very fitting that so many of our priests have come on this pilgrimage to support the sick and disabled pilgrims. This happens every year and is a testimony to their priestly vocation. St Bernadette was told by Our Lady in one of her visions at Lourdes, "Go and tell the priests that people are to come here in procession and to build a chapel here”. Priests are key to the mission of Lourdes. Archbishop Bernard presided at the Mass and Bishop David gave the homily, once again stressing the work of the Holy Spirit in inspiring sacred scripture. Many of the Hospitalite group received medals for service at Lourdes over five, ten and twenty years. What wonderful people! Following Mass, the Worcester pilgrims had their photograph taken in St Bernadette's chapel. After lunch, Janet, Peter, John and I walked and prayed the high stations of the cross in Lourdes. We took it in turns to read the guided meditation on each station. The heat was stifling and at about 3pm we reached the 12th Station, 'Jesus dies on the cross'. Day 23. Wednesday 27 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes The beauty of the Pryrenees This morning, after breakfast I set off for a cycle ride from Lourdes to Garvarnie in the high Pryrenees. I have often visited this beautiful Pyrenean village before but I was always transported by coach up the mountain roads. On my cycling pilgrimage to Lourdes I read about this year's stages of the Tour de France and how Stage 6, on July 9th would be from Pau to Garvarnie, passing through Lourdes. I wanted to experience the final 48 kilometres of the race from Lourdes to Garvanie. By God's grace I was able to achieve this on my touring bike without any stops. When I reached Garvarnie I marvelled at the immensity and beauty of these mountains. At a café I met a French/Canadian named Patrick, who had spent most of his adult life, living and working in Quebec. Now in retirement he was getting to know his country of birth, travelling round in a camper van. Like me, he was overwhelmed by the majesty of the mountains. Returning to Lourdes from Garvarnie was much easier than my ride up. As I cycled, I prayed the rosary for many intentions but also for my mum, Teresa, who died seven years ago. Today would have been her birthday. Rest in peace mum 🙏 Day 22. Tuesday 26 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes Mass at the Grotto Never have I been part of such a huge gathering of pilgrims at a Grotto Mass before. As well as pilgrims from the Middlesbrough Diocese and Birmingham Archdiocese there were groups from The Society of Our Lady of Lourdes and others that I can't remember. The sun was blazing down on everyone and it was extremely hot and uncomfortable. Since the theme of recent sermons has been the power and effect of the Holy Spirit, a thought crossed my mind. At the moment of St Bernadette's first vision in 1858, of Our Lady, the power of the vision's light frightened her and she tried to make the sign of the cross. However, she wasn't able to move her hands to do this until the vision of Mary made the sign of the cross. The awesome light of the Holy Spirit which reveals so much to us about our innermost selves, can sometimes cause us to be disturbed and fearful. However, this is only to manifest to us how God wants us to live our lives and enlighten our inner spirit. The series of visions that St Bernadette witnessed gave her guidance about her life and mission. For a frightened child of fourteen years old, this mission must have seemed daunting but with God all things are possible. We are challenged today to live by the Gospel values, which can seem daunting. Like St Bernadette we too can be assured that the Holy Spirit will guide us to do God's will. The Torchlight Rosary Processions gives pilgrims the opportunity every evening to encounter God through the power of the rosary. Day 21. Monday 25 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes Our first Mass together in Lourdes, as pilgrims from the Birmingham Archdiocese in the Rosary Basilica. How fitting that our first Mass in Lourdes was on the feast day of Mary, Mother of the Church. Canon Brian McGinley, our beloved, former parish priest from St George's, Worcester, was the chief celebrant. At the end of Mass, Canon Brian very kindly promoted the self-funded sponsored pilgrimage that I completed on Saturday. It humbled me to receive a round of applause from the pilgrims. Canon Brian, whilst he was at St George's was a huge supporter of our fundraising for the medical centre in Zimbabwe. Now in Lourdes, he continues to support the cause. God bless Canon Brian and his priestly vocation. Many pilgrims then came to me, to donate money or collect a QR code from me. As a result, the amount donated has increased significantly. Thank you Birmingham Lourdes pilgrims for your generosity. Please continue to pray for the success of this project. A lovely husband and wife couple from Zimbabwe, now living in Walsall, came to introduce themselves to me. Their names are Sylvester and Patience. Sylvester is a CAFOD representative for Archdiocese and works with Sean Devlin, who was my Headteacher when I taught at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College. Patience has kindly agreed to carry the Zimbabwean flag at this evening's candlelight procession in the Grotto. My fellow parishioners from St George's were also at the Mass and we will meet together this evening to share our pilgrimage stories. Day 20. Sunday 24 May, cycling pilgrimage from Worcester to Lourdes A blessed feast of Pentecost to everyone! The birthday of the Church🙏 How privileged I was to celebrate the feast of Pentecost at the International Mass in St Bernadette's chapel at the Sanctuary. The chief celebrant was Father Jim Phalan, the Sanctuary Chaplain. In his sermon, Father Jim talked about the power of the Holy Spirit, here in Lourdes. On the first apparition of Our Lady to St Bernadette in 1858, our beloved saint witnessed a powerful wind, which did not move the branches of the trees and of course the luminous light, in a vision of the Mother of Jesus. Both of these signs are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Father Jim then went on to talk about how we must allow the power of the Holy Spirit to enter our lives and give us the courage, like the first apostles, to proclaim Jesus our Lord and Saviour, in our lives. Photos from Frank's Cycling Adventure Manage Cookie Preferences