a teacher at Holy Family School

Being a healthy person in Lourdes is a humbling experience. Recently, 80 pupils from the Holy Family School, together with 40 helpers, went on the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Many people imagine that visiting the Marian shrine is done to achieve physical healing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Physical healing miracles are rare, but personal renewal and spiritual healing are commonplace. People from all over the world meet, communicate and help each other with an honesty and sincerity which restores belief in humanity.

The courage, faith and lack of bitterness among the sick people has to be seen to be believed.

The Holy Family youngsters soon overcame their initial shyness and hesitancy about helping very sick people and quickly forged meaningful relationships with old and young alike.

Too often these days old and frail people are unsure of teenagers.

Many who have no family may rarely, if ever, speak to a young person. Imagine their delight when they are fussed over and treated with love and care by these very people they have tended to be wary of.

The international nature of the place made a great impression on our Keighley children.

During their eight day visit they pushed, pulled, carried and cared for people from London, Plymouth, South East Ireland, Southern Germany and Sri Lanka. They also found time to help severely handicapped children and adults at Hosanna House, with Across and through Faith and Light.

I have yet to meet any pupil or adult leaving Lourdes who is unaffected by what they have seen and done.

To watch our Keighley young people bidding a tearful goodbye and exchanging addresses with sick people who they have known for barely a week is a true miracle of Lourdes.

And just as important as the lame man who throws away his stick or the blind woman who sees again.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.