Maureen's thoughts

Day 8 -Thursday, September 14, 2023

sic deus dilexit Mundum

Pat took this photo today at the Sanctuary of Loyola

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Triumph of the Cross

Burgos - San Ignacio de Loyola - Lourdes, France

We travel through the Basque Region toward Lourdes.

En Route, pause to reflect at the 17th Century Sanctuary of Loyola

built in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Founder of the Jesuits

( Society of Jesus )

Cross into France and stay overnight in Lourdes

From Pat a while ago

" We are now in Lourdes. Two long days of traveling but here we are for two days. Thank you, God.

We had a private Mass today in the chapel at the St Ignatius Basilica.

Fr John gave us a homily that (praise Jesus) was a bit shorter than the one last night from the Spanish priest at the Basilica. I wish I understood Spanish, as the priest was quite animated and passionate. What was he telling us?

Tonight we will participate in the candlelight procession. Tomorrow a guided tour of the shrine.

The weather has been perfect, cool in the morning and warmer in the afternoon. " Pat

View from our room window and the crucifix above our door

Rosary and Candlelight Procession

2 nights at the Mercure Lourdes Imperial

The live videocam at Lourdes

https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/

I watched the procession and etc and took a few screen shots

( I know I'm obsessive )

2 messages from Pat regarding Prayer intentions and Fr. John's homily yesterday

To those who gave me prayer intentions:

"Yesterday I left all our prayer intentions at another church

(Former Chapel of las Angustias in Santiago de Compostela)

You can see it in the basket.

And I lit a candle in front of the Sacred Heart." Pat

"Fr John said this in his homily yesterday. Apparently, it is a well-known saying but I had never heard it before. “The devil knows your name, but he calls you by your sin. The Lord knows your sin, but he calls you by your name”

I thought this was a really good reminder for all of us, just how much God loves us."Pat

For the First Part of the PIlgrimage click here

For part two click here

For Part three click here

For part four click here

The Pilgrimage Continues

Day 7: Wednesday, September 13 - Santiago de Compostela and Burgos

Igrexa de Santa María A Real do Cebreiro, also known as Santa María la Real (Royal St. Mary’s), was founded in the year 836 and it is one of the oldest churches on the French Way to Santiago. The pre-Romanesque building is known to house the golden chalice associated with a Eucharistic miracle in the year 1300.

From Pat
"Today we visited O Cebreiro high up in the mountains in Spain.
Once again I was able to leave our prayer intentions and light a candle at a church where there was another Eucharistic miracle. Built in 836. See below for more info on the miracle. Igrexa de Santa María A Real do Cebreiro, also known as Santa María la Real (Royal St. Mary’s), was founded in the year 836

There are also thatched-roof homes that I imagine would have been very similar to where my great great great (not sure how many greats should be in there) grandparents lived when they came to Canada in the 1840s during the potato famine from Ireland.

https://caminoways.com/o-cebreiro

https://waypoints.ace.fordham.edu/items/show/41#:~:text=Igrexa%20de%20Santa%20Mar%C3%ADa%20A,miracle%20in%20the%20year%201300

O Cebreiro is a small village in the municipality of Pedrafita do Cebreiro and the province of Lugo. It is one of the first establishments pilgrims encounter when they enter the region of Galicia. The population is mostly made up of a few inhabitants and pilgrims. The language spoken is Gallego, which is spoken throughout Galicia. It is a combination of Spanish and Portuguese. O Cebreiro is known for its stone huts with thatched roofs called pallozas. These huts were built approximately 1500 years ago and it wasn’t until the 1960s that the people of the village stopped living in them. Today, there are only nine pallozas left and they are used as museums to show what life was like in the huts. The inside of a palooza is quite simple. There are only two rooms: a private room and a living area. The private room is where the parents or owners of the household would sleep while the living area is for cooking and eating. Attached to the living area would be a space that was used for the livestock.

Another prominent location in O Cebreiro is the village church. Igrexa de Santa María A Real do Cebreiro, also known as Santa María la Real (Royal St. Mary’s), was founded in the year 836 and it is one of the oldest churches on the French Way to Santiago. The pre-Romanesque building is known to house the golden chalice associated with a Eucharistic miracle in the year 1300. According to legend, a man named Juan Santin, a devout Christian, still attended mass despite the horrible storm that prevented others from doing the same. The priest who was leading the mass did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus and did not want to celebrate the mass. He had hoped the storm would keep everyone away from the church, so he was obviously not happy to see Juan Santin. As he read the words of consecration the Host and the wine turned into real flesh and blood. The blood ended up overflowing and stained the chalice and the white linen cloth. The two items were deemed as relics in 1486." Pat