PILGRIMS' REPORTS

I am delighted that we have been successful in gaining the award of a grant of £300 towards the cost of a student placement.  I am grateful that the Trustees felt that the case presented was deserving and comprehensive- it is always challenging to find sources of funding which support this type of trip and validation from the Trustees for the effort made when making the application proves that it is worthwhile in trying.

Myself, or other accompanying teacher would be happy to support the pupil who will benefit from this funding to produce a short reflection on his experience along with a few general photographs of the pilgrimage.

Again, I would like to thank the Trustees for their support.  The award will make a huge difference to this pupil and his mother.

A School Teacher

We had another excellent youth pilgrimage to Walsingham this year thanks to the generosity of Templar Pilgrimage Trust.

As always the 600+ youths enjoyed mass every day in the Big Top, a service of reconciliation (11 priests sat in the confessional for over an hour) the holy mile walk, benediction in the shrine grounds and a visit to the Holy House. They prayed the rosary and kept stunning periods of silence too.

There was plenty of fun and laughter, a BBQ and disco on the last night.

A Walsingham Chaplain

  I really appreciate your great generosity in providing funding for my trip so that I was able to volunteer in Lourdes.  My trip to Lourdes was an amazing experience with lots of very special moments that I will always remember. 

The pilgrimage helped to teach me how to care for someone else and was especially beautiful as I was helping her to take a pilgrimage of her own. This added another dimension to my pilgrimage which helps to make it a unique and special event which impacted my journey of faith with God. 

Thanks again for helping to fund my pilgrimage as without your help it would have been extremely difficult to fund the trip. My time in Lourdes was a truly amazing experience and one that I will always hold dear to my heart. 

A Lourdes Helper

  My last day in Jerusalem, I returned to the Temple Mount. Peered again in the slotted window; didn’t see the rock; just chandeliers to die for, and a little boy, clambering inside like on a jungle gym, pressing his face to the glass, maybe to see me, maybe simply to see a world beyond the walls. 

And as I walked the esplanade a second time, I realized the Word is not bound in my books, and the spirit of God, like the wind, cannot be told to wait at the bottom.

A Holy Land Pilgrim

  Picture the narrow paths and multitude of hotels and shops, with the streets slightly too short for space at the quietest of times. Now I ask you to picture these same streets with thousands of HCPT Pilgrims, dressed in their brightly coloured uniforms, singing loud and proud, pushing hundreds of wheelchairs (or holding the hands of) the children of Lourdes – the focus of the entirety of the week.

A Lourdes Pilgrimage Group

  The pilgrimage has left me with a deeper faith, a richer understanding of the Bible and a wealth of experiences to draw from in the future. Thank you for making it possible for me to have these experiences.

A Student