My amazing Ave Maria pilgrimage experience

Friends have often asked me

why I do not tire of organizing pilgrimage tours. Quite frankly, I too, have asked myself the same question and the answer has always been the same. There is a great inexplicable joy and satisfaction that come in traveling with people who love God or who want to know and love God more! Ask any of the Pilgrims who have joined the tours and you will hear many wonderful, intimate and miraculous experiences that they felt - a feeling that cannot be put into words, but one which brings tears to the eyes. As a tour organizer, my greatest joy is when I see the "loving" and "caring" that permeates among the group

as the tour progresses. This becomes very evident when one develops a simple cold, a fever, or the like. The spirit of "caring" for one another immediately becomes evident. During our Ave Maria Pilgrimage to Europe last May 2005, covering major Marian Shrines like Lourdes, Fatima, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Montserrat as well as pilgrimage centers like Assisi & Rome, one of my passengers Edna Miralles, tripped in the sidewalks of Monte Carlo while admiring the beautiful landscape above and around us.

In seconds, members of the group, immediately rushed to help her, showing genuine care and concern as she complained of sever neck pain. When it became apparent that Edna needed to be brought to the hospital, our guide immediately assured her that she need not worry about hospital expenses - she was in Montecarlo! By God's grace, a policeman happened to be near the scene and immediately called for an ambulance. In less than 10 minutes, Edna and I were on our way to the Princess Grace Hospital. Despite her great discomfort, Edna still had the sense of humor to say that even if she was in pain, the Lord brought her to Princess Grace Hospital of Monaco "in style naman".

I could not help but admire her courage and strength. I prayed over her as she lay in the stretcher waiting for the doctor to examine her. In my heart, I asked the Lord to take care of Edna and allow her to finish her pilgrimage. In less than an hour, she was discharged with a brace around her neck. We were happy to know that nothing serious happened. Edna was okay after a few days. Our motor coach driver, Juan Carlos, found a way to contact us and picked us up at the entrance of the botanical garden. Meantime, Fr. Armand Obal, our Spiritual Director, led the group in praying for her. I had no doubt in my mind that this was the source for Edna's strength. When I look back on the chain of events, I now know that it was not just "good fortune" that there was a policeman nearby who was able to call for an ambulance with paramedics who came to Edna's aid right away. It was not just "good fortune " that we had a Dr. Samuel Trocio, (and his wife Emma, herself a nurse), who is a well known and respected surgeon of Cebu, as one of our pilgrims.

It was God's presence in the hearts of all the pilgrims that put all these elements together to enable Edna to make it through. At the sight and sound of Edna in pain, the group, especially the ones around her, rushed to prop up her head with a pillow which one conveniently found in the overhead rack of our coach. I also witnessed how the group took turns in helping Edna finish the tour despite her condition. Edna on her own was an epitome of strength and courage as she bravely finished the tour full of faith and determination that she will not cause any problem to the group. I would like to especially acknowledge in this article, the help of our much-loved and much-admired Dr. Samuel Trocio who would wake up in the middle of the night to check on Edna. Her roommates did their part in helping her cope with her situation. While we were all hopeful that it was only a case of "whiplash", Victor Tan showed his concern by advising Edna to have another check-up when she got home. Victor did not believe that it was only whiplash and he was right. After a CT Scan, a Cebu bone specialist advised Edna that she had a slight crack in her neck bone which needed an immediate operation.

Thanks to her PhilAm AIG ASSIST Travel Insurance, she was able to get full reimbursement of all her expenses. I have no doubt that the Lord used each one of us to help Edna overcome her ordeal. God is good and one should never travel without Him. Emma Trocio also lost her passport, tickets and some dollars in Spain, but the Lord took care of that, too! We got everything done just in time to join our group in the airport for our departure to the Philippines.

Whether the destination is to the Holy Land or Europe by land or on a cruise, or whether it is the "nth" time that I have escorted groups to these places, the pleasure of being on one has never failed to motivate me to keep on organizing more. Unlike the pleasure trip that I have organized in the past, which filled our eyes with beautiful sights, a pilgrimage tour fills not only our eyes with beautiful sights, but touches our heart, the very core of our being. For this privilege and all these amazing experiences, I have only one thing to say: "To God be the Glory!"

If you wish to join any of our pilgrimage tours, just contact Delmar Travel & Tours, Inc., Tel. (32) 253-6561 & 253-6571 or Land & Sky Travel at 254-0101 and we will be most happy to entertain all your travel concerns.