DAY 4 – BISHOP DENNIS SULLIVAN AND FATHER MICHAEL ROMANO JOIN PILGRIMS TO LOURDES, FRANCE

This week, Father Michael Romano will be sending back reports of his pilgrimage with Bishop Dennis Sullivan and the Knights and Dames of Malta to Lourdes, France. This is the fourth in his series of reports. 
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!” So began our Mass this morning in multiple languages. Thousands came together in the underground basilica for an international Mass of the Order of Malta. The Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, united us all no matter our native tongue. It was great to hear everyone singing and praying together.
At the end of Mass, the nearly 300 priests and bishops processed from the basilica to the grotto where Mary appeared, fulfilling one of Our Lady’s wishes that she expressed to Saint Bernadette. We all chanted the great Easter prayer to Mary, Regina Coeli.
As it is Sunday, a day of rest, and following very full days, the remainder of the day was free for people to do as they wish–rest, relax, share a meal together, shop, pray. Everyone seemed quite content to have a relaxed schedule today.
However, the Knights and Dames of Malta continue to give great witness that this week is all about the malades and no one else. Even if they were interested in doing one thing this afternoon or tonight, they are totally at the service of what the malades desire…and seem very happy to be so.  A week of selfless service. It is truly remarkable. Making a visit to the grotto myself in the evening, I experienced this when I saw a group of our malades being brought by their caregivers to the grotto to pray. It was a moving site.
I cannot help but think about how wonderful it would be for the Order of Malta to grow in our diocese. One man said to me this evening that joining that Order has made him feel like he is doing what he was taught to do from his parents as a child. His success in business only brought him so far, where he asked himself, “Is this really it?” Then, filling up with tears, he said that these pilgrimages and the ability to bring sick people and care for them all week, remind him there is something more and that he can be a part of it. How true for every single one of us, if we can just be open to discovering how the Lord is inviting us to take a part.