Our pilgrimage to Fatima and now, Lourdes

LOURDES, France — If not for this journey of a lifetime, I would have missed knowing many important historical facts and religious beliefs that enhance my faith and knowledge.

The pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal, and this religious visit to Lourdes, France, are both spiritually uplifting. I would certainly recommend this to those with the means and opportunity. God has blessed me with friends who provided me the means and opportunity, not just for myself but for my family as well. We flew in to Lisbon from Doha. In Lisbon, we savored history, culture, arts, and wine. Then we proceeded to Fatima, going north along the beautiful highway going to Porto. All around were luxuriant vegetation, and no trace of any damage to the environment. The Portuguese have cared for their country well.

In Fatima, we saw the Sanctuary and were awed by the magnitude and grandeur of the edifices. We saw the chapel of the apparition where the Virgin of the Most Holy Rosary appeared before the three shepherd children, Lucia Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta de Manto, in 1917. They were then tending to their sheep in the grassy hills of Cova da Iria, Aljstrel in the Parish of Fatima, when the Virgin appeared. Jacinta died at nine years old and Francisco at 10. Lucia grew up to become a nun and founded the Discalded Carmelite Order. She died at 97. Lucia and Jacinta have been canonized saints, while Francisco awaits the final stages to sainthood.

Earlier than the miracles in Fatima, was the one in Lourdes, France, when a 14-year-old girl, Bernadette, reluctantly told her parents her vision of the Immaculate Conception in 1858. Then a series of appearances were also reported, which caused a stir in the town. Authorities arrested Bernadette and imprisoned her for disturbing the peace. But the virgin continued to appear on February 14 and 18, 1858. Hundreds and then thousands of pilgrims flocked to Lourdes to bathe in the miraculous waters in front of a grotto built in honor and veneration of the Blessed Virgin. Bernadette was canonized 1933, with February 11 as her feast day.

It’s the same Virgin that we venerate in Baclaran, Parañaque, Lindogon, Simala, Sibonga, and Ronda, Cebu, and in thousands of many places all over the Catholic world. The message is the same; to repent and make ourselves holy, to pray the rosary and invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mother for the salvation of the world. Our pilgrimage to both Fatima and Lourdes has enriched our spiritual life. Our chaplain, Fr. Rey, says Mass every day of our journey and we reflect deeply on our lives in relation to God. I will never regret having devoted a month of my life and career to pay tribute to the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Then to visit Vatican again and see the Pope, to view Michelangelo's obra maestra in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and to see hundreds of cathedrals, basilicas, and churches.

I would urge all of you to find the time, means, and opportunity to do this pilgrimage. I went to the Holy Land two years ago, then this pilgrimage. I am ready to face the Lord.