Fears and anxieties emerging as the pilgrimage begins to wind down

It seems like ages ago that I was aboard a United Airlines plane over the Atlantic ocean. There was a point where we began consistently descending and that signaled the coming of the end of the flight.

Now, we are nearing the beginning of the end of this European pilgrimage but a smooth landing is not at all assured. A nationwide impending strike by the French air traffic controllers threatens to turn the exodus of this quest into a disaster.

I feel very helpless about this situation but I'm trying to pray, trust and put it out of my mind. I do not want to lose any graces, memories or spiritual treasures.

Yesterday is a day I will never forget. Starting a cycle of the First Friday devotions where it first happened, followed by the place where Bernadette ended her earthly voyage is something I will always cherish.

Today, I will spend the First Saturday of October 2025 in a magnificent cathedral where I will see an actual veil worn by Our Blessed Lady. Then we will go to the place of another cherished Saint who died young- Therese of Liseuex. All of this on the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The image of Bernadette still burns in my mind.

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria