1. Is there anyone you’d like to thank for the trip  / any particular locations or people that treated you very well?

Sister Lucia: The gentleman from St. Peter’s Parish who financed the trip but he wants to remain anonymous. All the pilgrims, the tour referred to everyone as a “pilgrim,” helped me out. They asked if I was okay and helped me to make little clothing adjustments as we went because of my arm.

2. What were you looking forward to seeing?

I wanted to be wholly present at the sites where the Virgin appeared and to the cultures there. I always felt good about the places and cultures. Even though my arm hurt or there were other inconveniences I never said or wished to go home.

3. What was a trip highlight?

The highlight was praying at the places where the apparitions took place. I also celebrated a birthday while there. The hotel chef brought out a big cake. Someone else also had a wedding anniversary. There were two to three pilgrim groups in the hotel at the same time. I made it a point to sit at different tables so I got to know a lot of new people.

4. Do you want to talk about your accident before the trip? Were you worried you wouldn’t be able to go?

I fell. I worried that I would not be able to go. I called the tour company to find out what an appropriate physical condition would be before going. My goal was to be self-sufficient enough to enjoy myself.

5. Who were some of the people on the trip with you?

Mostly couples around the age of retirement, either slightly before or after. They were completing an item on their bucket list. Many were much younger than me. I am guessing I was the oldest on the trip.

6. Did any specific experiences stand out to you?

I was surprised by… not sure of the word but there was not much grass or crops growing. No industry, but perhaps it was olives. I was also taken aback by the streets. They were only wide enough for one car with narrow sidewalks. Very few cars and those that were around were very compact. People used the street to walk and moved to the sidewalk only when there were cars.

The terrain was up or down not level. There were hilly towns and sites that had town squares only, no strip malls or shopping malls. We were told that people gathered in the town squares for festivities, very different from America.

7. Did you receive any profound insights while you were on the trip?

Maybe six months before the trip, I was walking at the Grotto at the Monastery. I was thinking of the Virgin Mary and said, “I don’t have great devotion to you like many people do. I would love that sense of dedication, but my life journey hasn’t contained a lot of opportunities for Marian devotion.

As Benedictines we are dedicated to other prayer styles, other than strictly devotion. I was walking and kind of apologizing, saying I’d like to know her better. A couple months later, the gentleman from St. Peter’s Parish offered the pilgrimage. The opportunity to go was a response to my earnest desire.