[prepared by Daniel Prodger, Mary Phillips, Hannah De Souza, Sam James, Amy Vandevelde, Andy Smyth]
Redshirts at the Torchlight Procession...
We will start at the Torchlight procession where Hugo and Alice left off yesterday…
The torchlight procession was amazing, awesome and many other words… a lot of people have holes in their candle holders and some have none left at all. Yes, fire was a real risk! On more than a few occasions people would suddenly find that their candle holders were catching light. Apart from the fire though, the procession was really nice. It was lovely to see the thousands of people watching and it was nice to hear the Rosary in so many languages. It reminds us that Lourdes isn’t just an english thing, but Catholic – in other words, universal. All in all, it was a peaceful and calming experience and it was amazing to see so many people raising their torches at the same time.
Before the procession began we had to rope off an area. In doing this, we learned a lot about how to communicate with Italian pilgrims!! Barney also got to try his hand at skipping over the ropes as did (shall we say) a few other figures from the diocese!
We got back to the hotel with our candles lit, singing on the way and had a night prayer in the garden before bed.
A lot of us were up at 5 am this morning so that we could take part in the High Stations, which the main pilgrimage had invited us to lead. It was a little bit wet and cold and it was hard going however it was good because it was really nice to see the sun rising, which fitted in beautifully with the whole crucifixion and rising thing of the stations experience. A lot of people got very emotional about it all. The pilgrims that we took really loved it and appreciated us being there.
Today's Red Carpet, welcoming pilgrims to Mass...
After breakfast we went to the Cote Grote for this morning’s Mass. We brought Alfred our Redshirt mascot with us, complete with sunglasses and a hat. This was his first Mass. It started to rain quite heavily during the red carpet (welcoming pilgrims in to the Mass) however the spirit kept going. The Mass was really moving this morning. The spirit wasn’t dampened by the rain!
After Mass we had a Redshirts photo. Well, two actually. One of our faces and one of the logos on our backs. When we turned around for the second photo it because clear that some people had been pegged! Some things never change.
After lunch – which was a very good lunch, the best meal we have had so far – we split up and went to a few different places. Some of us did a red carpet to welcome people into the pilgrimage reconciliation service in the underground basilica. Others had a tour of the Accueil. It was interesting to see the Accueil and the view from the top was amazing. The hospitality there is amazing. Some of the other pilgrims visited the baths and some others went to the high stations with some of the children from the pilgrimage.
How are we finding the week so far?
It has been both long and short at the same time. It is going so quickly, but it feels like we have been here for ever. It’s fun and really weird, but in a good way!! (Sam James)
Awesome, emotional in all the right ways. The best bit so far has to be when we led music at the baths yesterday and got applauded by the waiting pilgrims. It has been great meeting new people too. Some very funny moments too. Just amazing. (Hannah De Souza)
It is tiring but immense. I like meeting new people. Singing at the baths was awesome yesterday. Seeing people smile when you wave at them on the red carpet is also a highlight. (Mary Phillips)
My highlights have been singing at Mass with the diocese. It has been really emotional. (Nikki Coetzee)
It has been exhausting but much better than I imagined. The coach trip was not as pleasant as being in Lourdes, but worth it. It was a good chance to get to know people. I believe that coaches should be extended so that we can have at least a foot of leg room. This should be a law. Being in Lourdes has been a wonderful experience and I would love to come back next year. (Dan Prodger)
Fun-filled, action-packed, amazing, awesome and epic. (Andy Smyth)
I think the best thing so far would have to be singing in the small groups at the Masses or singing in the baths. When we do this we are sharing an emotion with somebody which is generally joy or happiness, and to share this with thousands of people is something amazing. (Amy Vandevelde)
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We will add more photos from Sunday later 
