Crew on a mission to Lourdes (From St Helens Star)
Send us news by text, start your message Star News and your send photos and videos to 80360
Crew on a mission to Lourdes
8:00am Saturday 21st July 2012 in News By Stephen Mather , Senior reporter
A TEAM of 500 youngsters, including 50 from St Helens, will travel to Lourdes in France to help sick and elderly people.
They will make the pilgrimage to the shrine in the foothills of the Pyrenees to care for 100 people from the north west.
Tom Williams, 17, from St Helens, will be among those travelling. He said: “Lourdes is such an amazing experience. Knowing you’re giving hope to those in need and giving them a friend, or even just having a nice chat or cup of tea could make a pilgrim’s day, and that’s what I love about it. “The thrill is in being helpful and improving the image of today’s youth.”
The youngsters, aged between 15 and 22, have spent several months preparing for the trip. They have been fundraising, undergoing practical preparation and learning about the needs of the disabled, vulnerable and elderly.
They will leave from St Mary’s, Lowe House, on Friday, returning on Saturday, July 28.
The town of Lourdes has been a pilgrimage site since 1858, when peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous reported a number of visions of the Virgin Mary.It now attracts more than five million visitors a year.
Report this comment