After months of planning, on 11th May 2006, a group of 32 parishioners from the Church of St. Thomas, Kuantan together with their parish priest, Fr. Eugene Benedict left Kuantan by air on pilgrimage to Europe. This 13-day tour was specially planned by Fr. Eugene to cater for the needs of Catholics of the parish. It covered many places including Paris, Lourdes, Rome, Vatican City, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Monarco, Bordeaux, Nevers, Nice, Lanciano and Ortona where the relics (bones) of St. Thomas are kept.
On arrival at Paris on 12th May, we were taken for a guided city tour. Next day we visited the Church of St. Vincent De Paul, the Miraculous Medal Chapel where the body of St. Catherine Laboure was kept and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. On 14th May, we went by coach for 2 ½ hours to the Chapel of St. Bernadette at Nevers. Many shed tears of joy on seeing her beautiful preserved body. One of the pilgrims shared that she received a new meaning to suffering through the suffering of St. Bernadette while another felt blessed because of the sweet fragrance in the air as she approached the body of St. Bernadette. Fr. Eugene celebrated Mass. After that, we walked down the Garden of Bernadette and prayed at the Grotto before proceeding to Poitiers, 294 km away where we stayed at Hotel de France.
Monday, 15 May, as usual we had our daily morning prayers and rosary in the coach. We left Poitier to Bordeaux, a city famous for wine. Wine is definitely cheap – even cheaper than mineral water!!! After lunch at Bordeaux, we headed for our long –awaited destination – Lourdes which is 233 km from Bordeaux. After a 3 ½ hour journey, we arrived at Lourdes and many of us were struck by the serenity and beauty of this holy city. After dinner at Hotel Mercure Imperial where we stayed, we were fortunate to be in time for the candle light procession at 9pm. Taking part in the procession was definitely a priceless experience for all of us. The reverence of the crowd was just too amazing – it sent many of us into tears. Some just fell on their knees in prayers some just gazed at the statue of Mary, while others could not contain their joy and shared it with their friends in little murmurs.
The next day, 16 May was a day filled with spiritual and faith–building experiences. We attended Mass concelebrated by Fr. Eugene at the Grotto. After we had our Lourdes bath, we went for the ‘Bernadette walk’ and Way of the Cross. At the end of the day, every one of us had something to share as God touched us in different ways. Some saw Mother Mary with open arms, calling and giving them a special mission/message; some felt the peace and deep spiritual cleansing after bath, some felt conversion deep in their hearts (this includes our 2 non-Catholic tour guides); and others just could not believe they were there, standing on this holy ground, celebrating Mass with thousands of people came from all over the world.
The “One, Holy and Universal Church” was manifested through the International Mass celebrated on Wednesday, 17th May. After the Mass, we left for Nice, the 5th largest port in France via Montpellier. The trip to Nice (733km) took about 10 hours but it was pleasant ride passing through many tunnels – so many that we lost count of them. We arrived at Nice at 10pm and some took the chance to stroll along the beautiful beach facing the Mediterranean seas. On 18th May, we left Nice for Monte Carlo, Cannes and Monaco. We were so happy to witness the beauty of these famous cities – Cannes for the film festival, Monaco for its royal family and Monte Carlo for the grand Prix. The next day, we toured Genoa and Pisa where we saw the leaning tower. Many went shopping as word went around that Pisa offered the best bargain.
Our next stop was Assisi where we spent half a day and visited the Basilica of Assisi, the Basilica of St. Clare, the tomb of Assisi and the monastery of St. Francis. After lunch, we went on to Rome where we were met by Fr. Christopher, a former priest of our parish, who is studying in Rome. It was all joy and laughter at that precious encounter with Fr. Christopher throughout dinner. After a good rest at Hotel Palace 2000, the next day was a busy pilgrimage tour around the Vatican City. The Basilica of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Square thronged by the huge crowd and the appearance and audience of our Pope Benedict XVI were just spiritual feasts for our eyes. As we gazed, sang, sighed and cried at the beauty and greatness of God, a sense of thanksgiving and joy sank deep down our hearts – giving us a great feeling just to be Catholics. On the same day, we also visited the cathedral of St. Paul, St. Peter and Mary Major’s Basilica.
22nd May 2006 was a very significant day for us, the parish of St. Thomas Kuantan, as we were blessed to visit the Church of St. Thomas in Ortona where the relic of St. Thomas was kept. We were welcomed by the parish priest. Many burst into tears of joy at seeing the bones of St. Thomas, the patron saint of our parish. We just could not believe that we at last had a chance to be so close to his relics and to pray at this shrine. With this visit, the Church of St. Thomas, Kuantan has established a very real connection with St. Thomas and many felt that we are one in spirit with this apostle of Christ. The next stop at Lanciano was another unforgettable experience for us all as we were able to see with our own eyes the Eucharist miracle – the wine changing into real blood and the bread into real flesh. What we heard and saw in pamphlets and postcards came alive just in front of our eyes – an amazing experience indeed.
On the 23 May, the pilgrims took the flight home at 1.45pm. It was all praises for the tour. Everyone gave thanks to God for the opportunity to be part of the pilgrimage and many shared their experiences and gave testimony. They expressed their gratitude to Fr. Eugene for journeying faithfully with them and helping them to experience God in such great intensity of love and joy. It was sweet memory for all the pilgrims but the pilgrimage did not end on 23 May 2006, as life continues… but now with more love, more power and more joy.
written by Camelia Fong
