Over summer break, Nazareth Academy Junior, Addie Doyle, traveled across Europe on a Volunteer Service Pilgrimage. She and 20 others traveled to Spain and Rome; however, most of their days were spent in Lourdes, France.  Here they worked together to cart the sick to the healing waters of Lourdes. In fact, one of the men they pushed experienced a miracle: he was capable of walking after 20 years of disability.

“The experience overall was something I will never forget,” says Addie.  “All of my older siblings have gone on [the trip] and always said they would go back in a heartbeat.  Now I understand why.”

First, Addie and her service partners traveled to Loyola, Spain– also known as St. Ignatius’ town.  The group went to mass in Spanish cathedrals and visited St. Ignatius’ home.  In fact, they arrived during the week-long celebration of the feast day of St. Ignatius.  The students were able to experience the festivities taking place in the town, such as carnival rides, vendors, and of course, the overflow of food.

“It was so cool to experience something like that,” Addie recalls.  “It was so different than anything in America.”

Then, the group spent two days in San Sebastian, Spain, a beach town off the Atlantic.  These days– as the volunteers immersed themselves in Spanish culture and enjoyed the beach– were “resting days”.  They needed to prepare for the next week– service in Lourdes, France.

In Lourdes, everything was focused on the sick.  When Addie arrived, she met her malade (which means sick in French).  Addie pushed her malade wherever she needed to go. For example, she would often push her to be bathed in the healing, spring water or to the church.

“I got close with my malade,” describes Addie.  “She was blind, so with the language barrier and not being able to use hand motions, it was hard to communicate.  But we still found ways.”

Furthermore, Addie experienced a miracle while she was working in Lourdes: the spring water healed one of the malades her group was assisting. The man became capable of walking for the first time in 20 years.  In fact, he began pulling his own cart that he was supposed to be carried in.  This miracle proves that Addie’s work had been a success.

“I thought it was awesome because he was crying and said he hadn’t been able to see his family in 20 years, because before he wasn’t able to travel,” says Addie.  “He told us the first thing he was going to do was see his family.”

After this eye-opening experience, Addie spent the last four days in Rome.  Her group stayed about a block away from the Vatican.  They toured the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica; they even saw the famous sights of Rome, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum.  However, Addie has taken far more away from the trip than the memory of the sights she saw.

“I’ve definitely been humbled by the trip,” she observes.  “I am more grateful for everything I have… I just learned that we should count our blessings and neverjudge anyone.”

This fall, as she continues to be involved in Nazareth Tennis and Junior Board, Addie hopes to share this message and all of the insights she has gained from the trip to other Nazareth students.