The Marian pilgrimage, except for the "bumpy ride" that ticket agents of Air France both in San Francisco and Paris gave us, was a success. SFO ticket agents attempted to bump off two of us with the excuse that their names were not in the computer. However, at the last minute Air France decided to let the two pilgrims come with the group. We took off from SFO on June 20, 2000 more than an hour later than scheduled and when we arrived in Paris we couldn't have sufficient time to clear the French Immigration office to catch the connecting Air France flight to Lisbon. Air France didn't bother to hold the Lisbon plane for fourteen pilgrims, but we did manage to catch another Air France plane THREE HOURS later to Lisbon.

The staff at Hotel Tres Pastorinhos in Fatima had wonderful meal for us at our hotel rooms when we came in at about 11:30 p.m. The next day, June 22, we had to go back to Santarem to venerate the church of the Eucharistic miracle, something that we scheduled to do the day before. We returned to Fatima in the afternoon to visit the homes of Lucia and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta. We celebrated Mass before dinner in one of the chapels at the shrine and later that evening we joined the candlelight procession.

On June 23 Friday, we took off for Salamanca, Spain and we stopped to celebrate the liturgy in the Carmelite chapel at Coimbra where Sr. Lucia lives. It was a privilege moment to celebrate Mass where Lucia stays. Teresa, the tour manager, tried very hard to convince the porter, Sr. Maria Elena, to have us meet Sr. Lucia, but the porter, Sister Maria Elena, would not budge. Salamanca is a town that has a colorful history, marked by the Roman settlement and struggle between the moors and the Christians. The majestic old cathedral towers above the city. However, the heart of the city is Plaza Mayor. People, young and old, come to this most beautiful portico squares in Spain to enjoy themselves.

Then it was time to leave Salamanca for Madrid. We stopped at Avila and visited Segovia on June 24, Saturday. We celebrated the liturgy at the basilica of St. Theresa of Avila. The church is built on the site of her ancestral home. Only a small portion of the ancient home is visible today - garden where Teresa must have spent her time in her youth.

Crowne Plaza Hotel is located in the heart of Madrid. On Sunday, June 25th we celebrated Mass in the basement chapel of the Madrid Cathedral and after the liturgy we proceeded to visit the Palacio Real. On our way to the Royal Palace a pickpocket tried to open the bags of Sara, but Leo's presence of mind thwarted the thief's attempt. From the Royal Palace we proceeded to visit the Prado, Spain's premiere museum. We had the chance to admire the works of artists such as Velasquez, Goya, El Greco and Rafael. In the afternoon we traveled to Toledo, the ancient capital of Spain. El Greco painted it as that divine city that illuminated Spain, while the moors saw it as an excellent town for a walled city. The pilgrims and tourists come to wonder at its architectural treasury.

After Madrid it was time to move to Zaragoza. From a great distance we could see the towers of the basilica as we approached the city on Monday, June 26. However, the new high rise buildings are beginning to spoil the beauty and grandeur of the basilica of Zaragoza. Inside the basilica is the fifteen-inch wooden statue that Our Lady gave to St. James. Behind the statue is a small opening where we kissed the statue as pilgrims have done in the past. We celebrated Mass at the chapel of St. Anthony that evening. However, we could not sing because there was a Mass going on in the main altar.

Tuesday, June 27 saw us moving from Spain into France. We went Lourdes via the long route. We crossed the French-Spanish boarder by way of San Sebastian-Irun area. We arrived in Lourdes early in the afternoon to have Mass at the chapel of St. Anne in the upper basilica. In the evening we attended the Rosary procession where the sick as well as the healthy participated in this most moving devotional practice in honor of Our Blessed Mother.

Wednesday, June 28, 2000. After Mass at St. Michael's chapel we posed for a group picture in front of the basilica. After the picture taking, Christina, the local tour guide, led us on a tour of the home of St. Bernadette as well as the "cachot" or jail where St. Bernadette and her family lived during a low period in their lives. In the afternoon, some of us went to the famous Lourdes bath while others made the Stations of the Cross.

Thursday, June 29. Today we celebrated Mass in front of the grotto where Mary appeared to Bernadette more than 100 years ago. The bishop of Killaloe presided at an English Mass with more than 30 priests concelebrating. The music was inspiring, the homily uplifting and the grotto atmosphere was one of peace. After Mass, Christina and Teresa helped brought us to the Tarbes airport for our flight to Paris.

Upon our arrival in Paris we expected our new tour manager, Franca Garcia, to be there to meet us. But she was nowhere to be found. Neither the driver nor Max from Kuoni knew what happened to Franca. So the tour leader, Fr. Lim, decided that we proceed to the hotel in Lesieux. Later we found out that Franca's flight from England was terribly delayed and so she had to take the train from Paris to Lesieux to meet us at the hotel. She arrived at the hotel at about 7:30 p.m. that evening. There wasn't much to do after dinner since Hotel Campanile was located in an isolated area outside of the town of Lisieux. Hotel Campanile operates like an American motel. There are no elevators and you carry your own luggage.

Friday, June 30. After Mass at the chapel of Carmelite Convent at Lisieux we drove to Caen, continued to Bayeaux the first town the Allied liberated in 1944 and from there we proceeded to St. Laurent to visit the National cemetery at Omaha beach. We prayed for the American men and women who gave their lives for the freedom of the world in WWII. That evening we had dinner at a restaurant near Hotel Oceana in St. Malo where we had escargot and seafood as appetizer!

Saturday, July 1. After breakfast we visited Mt. St. Michel, the remains of an ancient Benedictine monastery. Today it is a national treasure and tourist attraction. Christine the local guide did an excellent job in explaining the details of the medieval monastery. We climbed more than 300 steps to reach the top Mt. St. Michel. We celebrated Mass in the chapel of St. Michael located at the base of the monastery.

After lunch we stopped to see the birthplace of St Therese at Alencon and then later proceeded to the ancient city of Chartres. There we had to opportunity to marvel at the ancient Gothic cathedral and to listen to the pipe organ of the magnificent cathedral. We left Chartes at about 7:00 p.m. and arrived in Paris some time after 9:00 p.m. and the summer sun was still up.

Sunday, July 2 was a day to visit the city of Paris. We visited Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Montmarte, the chapel of the Miraculous Medal at Rue de Bac and the church of St. Vincent de Paul. The tourist spots were crowded. Parisians as well as tourists competed for spaces in the most popular sites of Paris. We celebrated Mass at the chapel of the Miraculous Medal at Rue de Bac.

Monday, July 3 was a free day. Mass today was at the parish church of St. Dominic; a few minutes walk from Hotel Sofitel. Ten of us went to Nevers to see the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette while the rest visited the Louvres. The train ride from Gare Lyon was quite an experience. Trying to look for the platform of the train to Nevers forced us to use broken French and sign language to communicate with the natives. We did find the correct platform of the Nevers train! But next time remember to take the first class train from Paris to Nevers!

Tuesday, July 4. Every good thing must come to an end. After Mass at the church of St. Dominic our driver took us to Charles de Gaul International airport. But Air France did it again! We left CDA at 4:00 p.m., three hours later than the scheduled flight. But thank God we came home safe and sound. It was indeed a pilgrimage that will be talking for a long time. We saw the sights, prayed at the sacred spots and did some penance for our sins.

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