Day of Purity, August 11

On the feast of St. Clare, and in the city of Our Lady, the Lord poured powerful of purity into our hearts. The day began with the great gift and priviledge of going into the baths of Lourdes. Through a miracle we were able to enter as a group in front of the line. Before going in, we had a time of profound silence and prayer in order to prepare ourselves for the graces of healing that the Lord would be giving us through the miraculous waters. With us spiritually, we took all of our families, loved ones, and those who in need of healing. We asked Our Lady to purify us from deep within, going down to the very root of our sins. In a special way, we went in for all those who remained at home, receiving graces on their behalf. It was a profound and deep moment of grace for all our hearts. 

After we gathered to pray a Rosary in order to thank Our Lady for the graces received. Following the Rosay, Sr. Sara gave a teaching and reflection on the virtue of purity, calling us to a purity of heart like Our Lady: a heart that loves only One; a heart that accepts suffering as a gift of purification from a loving Father; and a heart lovingly trusts the Lord and is willing to go forward on the path to holiness. 

 

Our day culminated by receiving and being with the only One who can bring this purification about: our Lord. We had Mass together again in St. Gabriel chapel, in which Fr. Adam exhorted us to take up more fully Our Lady's call to penance, in order to purify the world and ourselves. We culminated our encounter with our Eucharistic Lord with a powerful time of Adoration. In this time, the Lord personally invited us to make Him Lord of our hearts and lives, knocking gentely on the door of our hearts, inviting us to open. He "opened the floodgates of heaven" pouring down a torrent of healing water for all those who would choose to receive him. 

Finally, we made a final night visit to the grotto to thank Our Lady for all the graces that she bestowed on us today. We praise and thank the Lord for all that he has been healing, restoring and rebuilding in us. May He praised forever.

Arrival in Lourdes

August 10, 2011

Arrival in Lourdes!  After a long day of travel, we finally arrived in the blessed city of Lourdes, France. Immediately, we sensed the strong maternal presene of Our Lady. What a gift that we have made it to be with Our Lady to enter into her Heart and School to begin our formation under her care and guidance.  

Our Eucharistic Lord greeted us, as we arrived just as the daily Eucharistic procession was beginning. The students were overwhelmed to see the splendor of the universal Church as she gathered to adore her Lord, care for her treasures - the sick, and unite themselves in honoring our Blessed Mother. They were moved to understand how human suffering opens the heart to receive graces of interior conversion.

We celebrated Mass next in St. Gabriel Chapel. Through the Gospel and the homily, the Lord exhorted us to be willing to die to self so that others may have life. In the evening, we came together with pilgrims from all over the world, uniting ours joys, sufferings, and prayers in the recitation of the Rosary, a procession of the Blessed Mother, and the singing of hymns - in all languages.

The night ended by greeting Our Lady in the Grotto, giving her thanks for the work she has begun and will continue to do. Our Lady has begun to prepare our hearts for an ecclesial experience with the univrsal Church, as the World Youth Day encounter approaches. 

How I Got to WYD.....Part 3

Hannah Adams

The Lord has a plan for each one of us. Each of our plans have many sufferings and sacrifices, but also more blessings and graces than we could ever imagine. I would have never imagined that one of the blessings that he had in store for me was to make the pilgrimage to World Youth Day.

I first heard about World Youth Day on Holy Thursday 2010. Liz Kunkel, Sister Silvia, Sister Sara and I were driving to the cathedral in Peoria for Mass. The sisters and Liz were all talking about this event coming up next summer. It sounded really cool and everything, but I had no clue what they were talking about. I didn’t want to sound stupid so instead of asking everyone in the car I texted Liz who was sitting right next to me in the car asking her what World Youth Day is. She texted me back, and I thought it sounded amazing. I felt the desire in my heart to go to World Youth Day. Although I felt the desire to go I didn’t think I would actually get to go. But, though the grace of God and intercession of Blessed John Paul II I’m leaving in three days to go on this pilgrimage.

When I first signed up to go I was extremely worried about coming up with the money in order to go. The sisters reassured me saying that if I really am supposed to go God has a plan of how I am going to get there. Throughout the school year I was able to take part in many fundraisers for World Youth Day. It was a blessing to be a part of these fundraisers. I met a lot of very generous people. I thank God for their generous hearts because it is by their sacrifices not only of their money, but of their prayers as well that I have to amazing gift of going to World Youth Day.

Noelle Curry

God has put the desire in my heart to attend the WYD pilgrimage. He has blessed me with a job, supportive parents, family, and friends. My tita sold tons of raffle tickets for me as a fundraiser. When she gave them back to me she was sorry because she wished she could have sold more. God bless her! She sold more than I ever had the guts to ask for. God has blessed me even through donations from other individuals I may not even know that well. God is so good! And I truly thank everyone who has helped us along the way through their donations, offerings and prayers. I wish everyone could go. God has blessed me with beautiful people and has shown me love. I know all of us will come back and share our blessings just as we received them. As the Sisters have taught, God gives us gifts to give back.

Anonymous

When I first heard about the World Youth Day trip I thought it sounded pretty cool, but I never expected that I would actually be going.  I had very briefly considered it, but quickly dismissed the idea due to the financial obligation and missing the start of the school year. The deadline passed and I thought nothing more about it, but then a couple weeks later there was a last call to sign up.. Ever since then, this has become my total leap of faith year.  I am not the kind to make hasty decisions, but within three days after the opportunity presented itself again I just decided to say yes.  Beneath all the doubts and insecurities, I felt like I was supposed to challenge myself and all my fears.  That's why it became my leap of faith.  I had no idea if I would be able to afford it, among several other obstacles, but I figured it would all work out in the end.  When I told one of my friends about the decision, she responded by saying, "That is so unlike you!"  She thought that I always had everything planned out, and it surprised her that I would make such a big decision without being able to anticipate the possible outcomes.  She was happy with my decision, and I will never ever forget that conversation.  Since then, I have faced some of my fears and grown in so many ways: public speaking, friendships, faith, and my thoughts and actions are just a few examples.  I have noticed a lot of subtle changes in my life, and I know there are many more to come.  As much as I am looking forward to this journey, I know that it will be an extremely challenging and emotional one.  Leap of faith: ready, set, go!

How I Got to WYD.....Part 2

Kayla Bess 

"I remember when I first heard about World Youth Day, I had not been going to the Newman Center for very long, and the whole "catholic thing" was still very foreign to me.  Initially I was very skeptical about committing to go; all I knew was that the trip was just the right cost to completely empty my savings account, and that it sounded like an amazing opportunity that could not possibly be regrettable.  So thankfully, I accepted.  I believe the biggest sacrifices being made have been those from other people.  I've received almost too generous of gifts from my dad's elderly neighbor whom I barley know, and from a lady who lives in the same apartment building as me and paid me to "water her plants" every few days while she was on vacation for a week, even though they were nearly drowning from all the rain we had received earlier.  God bless them.  Even my dad bought my painting from Dare to Soar, for far more than I had ever expected to receive.  Thanks Dad :)….  

It is also very exciting when people ask me when I'll be leaving for school again, because I always get to throw in that even though school begins the 22nd, I'll be leaving the 9th for World Youth Day.  Since many do not know what it is, I get to tell them what the journey is all about, and, Catholic or not, their eyes light up and they are astounded at how many other youth will be joining in the praising.  It makes me want to be that "authentic witness of Love, Truth, and Life" even more.  I want others to feel the joy that comes from having a Father with unending love, and I hope that with Christ's help, we can show them the beauty of it."

Dana Garber

As soon as I found out that World Youth Day was in Madrid, I was signed up.  I have always wanted to go to Spain and I knew that it would be a great trip.  I did not think that money would be too much of a problem; I had saved up some money and I was also planning on doing fundraising and sending out support letters.

I will be a graduate student at ISU this year, so last March, I applied for a graduate assistant position.  I actually applied for a few different GA's.  If I received one of these, I would receive a scholarship and a job for my last year of school.  In April, I found out that I had received a GA position in one of the departments at the University.  I called to accept the position, but informed them that I would be a week late to school since I was going to World Youth Day with the Newman Center.  They told me that they would have to rescind my offer, as they needed a student to be there the first week.  I began to doubt God a little bit during this time because I had known the entire time that I was supposed to go to WYD.  After this, I wasn't sure how I was going to go on the pilgrimage and pay for school for the next year, as I was kind of counting on this GA position.  

However, as I had felt that the Lord wanted me at WYD, I knew that He would work it all out, and that I would be able to handle whatever He chose to give me.  I continued to wait, praying that another opportunity would come up.  A few weeks later, I was contacted by another department at the University; they offered me a different GA position.  This position was in the department that I had wanted anyways, and was a better position in my opinion.  Through this all, I learned that God really does know what we need, He was just testing my faith.  He reminded me of his promise - "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Liz Kunkel

“I am having a hard time putting into words the experience I have encountered even just to get to World Youth Day.  I guess the only obstacle, or at least the biggest obstacle, I faced was figuring out how to pay for the trip. After each payment was due, my "World Youth Day Fund" dropped back to zero, and I started over trying to fund raise for the next payment.  And almost every time I did not come across the money until a couple days before the payment was due, or even the day it was due. 

As I sit here looking back, I am truly speechless at the awesomeness of God and the faith of some of His people.  I wasn't sure this pilgrimage was what God was calling me to do, but I figured I could at least try to get the money, and if God wanted it, He would find a way.  And He did.  He is so faithful. 

I wish I could give credit where it's due, but majority of my donors were anonymous, an act that I am completely humbled by.  Others who donated un-anonymously - is that even a word? - (a few of you might even be reading this), I want to take this opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I am sure the pilgrimage will be more amazing than I can even fathom right now.  Know that you and your intentions are in my thoughts and prayers, especially as I travel to Spain and France!

I don't know what the Lord holds in store, but when are His plans anything but amazing?  Challenging, yes, but never without the grace to succeed, and always just what we need, even if we don't realize it right away.  He is so good to us.  We only have to say ‘yes!’”

Ali Lundstrum

The Lord is so good! I had saved enough money for the trip from last summer at Walmart, but I knew many people were having trouble raising the money so I asked Father to help and he was very generous in letting Andrew and I give hot chocolate away after Mass and we made $128! The Holy Spirit really was working through the parishioners in Havana. Hannah and I also went to other parishes in our home town asking to speak at the parishes but none were successful. One of the most fun fundraising events was "Karoling for koins"- poor Hannah was wearing clogs in the snow. That’s a good offering. Praise be to God she has all her toes. ;)

How I Got to World Youth Day.....

“He who calls you if faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thes 1:24)

The Lord promises that when He calls, He himself will provide the grace for us to answer his call. We simply have to couragously and generously open our hearts to his call and choose to accept his grace. Before leaving on our Pilgrimage to Lourdes and Madrid for World Youth Day, we would like to share the stories of some of the students who – despite obstacles, difficulties, sacrifices, and adversity – have been “blessed” because they have “believed that what was promised by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45).  We invite you to read their stories and rejoice in the Lord who calls and provides the means and the grace to answer his call, even when it sometimes seems like it might not be possible. However, like our Blessed Mother, the Model of Faith, they chose to believe even in the impossible….“for nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). May we respond always with her faith: “Let it be done."

Chelsea Koechle:

“A year ago I became Catholic and was baptized....At first I was not able to attend WYD due to unexpected financial difficulties when my Dad lost his job. I prayed so hard that I could go because I knew this trip would hold great spiritual challenges for me. One day, while at dinner with my parents, they looked at me and asked how bad did I want to go. I quickly explained how much I wanted to go, but that I understood our financial situation and had accepted that I would not be going. Then they surprised me by saying they would do anything in their power to help me get there. These past few months have been difficult for my family both financially and spiritually, but I knew the Lord would provide like he always has for me. During these past few months I have made many sacrifices including working more, giving up things I enjoyed in order to save the money, and controlling my sometimes bad spending habits. In return the Lord has given me the grace to pursue his beautiful heart through his Blessed Mother. I have attended daily Mass for a large portion of the summer, prayed more rosaries, attended adoration frequently and sacrificed my time to pray and offer up my struggles. I have had struggles with understanding our Lord's passion and love for ME while undergoing spiritual attacks in which I was completely convinced I was worthless and saw no point in praying. Thanks to the guidance of my amazing roommate I have been able to overcome these attackes with renewed passion and desire to please and worship our Lord. This time of preparation has been very fruitful for me. I continue to pray for a stronger understanding of the Lords works and desires. When I look back to before I started pursuing my faith I realize how far I have actually come. Though I have much to learn, the Lord has blessed me with an amazing roommate who has helped guide me and inspire me to pursue love unceasingly. I do not feel worthy of any of the blessings I have received this year while preparing for this pilgrimage, I only ask for the wisdom to understand and share this feeling of total happiness with everyone.

P.S. Yesterday I received the news that my Dad was finally able to get a job after more than 6 months of searching, the Lord truly does provide”

Molly McClowry:

 

“Praise be to God that I'm going to World Youth Day! I give him all the credit for making it possible for me to go on this pilgrimage. I first heard about WYD a little over a year ago and the trip sounded fun, but I knew it wasn't for me. At the time, I was not even interested in the Catholic faith or God in general so the thought of going on a pilgrimage to visit the pope and holy sites did not really interest me. Aside from these thoughts, I knew there was absolutely no possibility of me going on the trip because I had no money and I planned to start my career as a teacher, so WYD just wasn't going to work out with my schedule and job situation.

However, my mindset and desire to learn about my faith completely changed my senior year of college because for the first time ever I allowed the Lord to be a part of my life. As the year progressed, I started to grow more and more in my faith. I was able to come to know the Lord and desired to remain in his love. I became dependent on the Lord to help me through all of my struggles. I dedicated more time to prayer and allowed the Lord to work in me. I wanted to follow him more and more because He has placed such a peace in my heart when I listen to him and do his will. His will is our peace.

In March, the Lord revealed to me through prayer that he wanted me to go to WYD. I took a leap of faith to trust him and say YES despite my financial and job situation. I knew if it was the Lord's will he would open doors for me and make it possible for me to go. And he sure did! He is so good! The Lord is teaching me to trust more in Him each and every day. I thank God for all the graces he has given me to allow me to go on WYD. Life is so much easier when we "LET GO AND LET GOD.”

Mary Fase:

“I must admit that this the World Youth Day trip has sort of landed in my lap. One of the items on my bucket list is to go to or live in Europe. I have heard so many amazing things about that area of the world and have always dreamed of experiencing it. When I was asked about the trip I was more than thrilled. I was fortunate enough that my parents were willing and able to pay for the trip. Some of the preparations have been a bit hectic especially as the trip gets closer but I am so excited I can barely contain my joy.”

On Our Way to Lourdes and Madrid

On Wednesday, August 9th we, 5 sisters of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, will begin our journey with 38 pilgrims to World Youth Day 2011. We will first arrive in Lourdes, France, to be with Our Lady and to enter into Her Immaculate Heart. We will sit at the School of Our Lady to ponder upon on the virtues of mature Christian living.  We will seek Her maternal mediation to prepare our hearts for our encounter with the Holy Father and with thousands of youth, representing the Universal Church. Through the School of Mary's Heart we will prepare to sit at the School of Peter. Guided by our Holy Father we will be consecrated to the Heart of Jesus to enter into the School His Heart, to be living witnesses of the splendor of the Gospel in the World.

On August 15th the pilgrims will consecrate themselves to Mary through teachings of St. Louis de Montfort so powerfully enfleshed in the life of Blessed John Paul II. Totus Tuus!

Please keep us in your prayers and walk with us into the Pierced Heart of Jesus through the Heart of Mary with the Heart of Peter.

Servants of the Pierced Hearts