Private School News

Selfless students embody Jesuit spirit on pilgrimage to Lourdes

Kind hearted students from a Derbyshire school have returned from Lourdes in France after helping elderly and wheelchair-bound pilgrims to Mass.

Twenty two students and three staff from Mount St Mary’s College took part in the pilgrimage to the town, which is situated in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France, from June 27 to July 3.

Lourdes, which welcomes around five million tourists and pilgrims a year, is a major pilgrimage destination for Christians, as the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Bernadette there several times from the 1850s.

The students, from years 11-13, made the pilgrimage as part of the Diocese of Hallam. They helped assist the other pilgrims, who were mostly elderly or wheelchair bound, by taking them to various services, enjoying ice-creams together and being available to the pilgrims throughout the week.

Students transported the pilgrims from their hotel to Mass or services each day. As a result, they were able to attend several services, including Mass at the Grotto, which is believed to hold water possessing miraculous healing properties. A torchlight procession led by the Diocese of Hallam was another highlight of the week.

Mary Forbes-Jones, Head of Year 12 at Mount St Mary’s College, said: “We are very proud of the students who gave tirelessly in time and effort to make sure that the needs of the fellow pilgrims were met.

“The pilgrimage was a wonderful experience for all involved, and the students worked selflessly to perfectly embody the Ignatian spirit of being ‘Men and Women for Others’, which is at the heart of Mount St Mary’s ethos.”

Set in beautiful surroundings on the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire borders, Mount St Mary’s College is a Jesuit, co-educational, boarding and day school, catering for 11-18 year olds, and welcoming children of any denomination.

Picture caption: Four students from Mount St Mary’s with a pilgrim in Lourdes, France