Just to wish all you who are going a good Pilgrimage on 22nd to 24th June. I have a return coach ticket booked for August 13th to 15th, just waiting for email from Michael in Kildare. hopefully with somewhere to stay in Enfield. Thank you Adoremus and Border Collie and everyone for your helpful advice and the links.
Here you are Juila: http://www.loughderg.org/public-bus-transport It's in Donegal: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...2!3m1!1s0x485fadff8d345a71:0x9e34b361dab1c9b1
Keep me posted on dates I was there last year I was going this year with the same group but it clashed with the dates I was going to Fatima.
Well I am sitting here all excited, read to go!! My brother Fergal got his days mixed up (or maybe I did) and thought we were leaving tomorrow! I take it he is making urgent phone calls to his wife and kids. But I will still head on down on my own. I have made arrangements at work and cannot change them. A pity if he cannot make it, I would have enjoyed the company on the long drive. Ah well I will ask Mary and Joseph to keep me company.
Ah good Fergal is going, I have company. You know I think the devil often tries to mess these things up at the last minute. I note from the Luz messages Our Lady has asked people to say the rosary every day at midday for the next three days! Why is that? Something big shortly! I am so glad to have this time to get set. God is very good, pray , pray, pray.
Fergal has just gotten a puncture and his wheel nut is jammed and has to be cut off. He will end up the Holiest man in Ireland. The devil will be high level bombing us next.
Julia, I hope to go August 13 to 15. There is a coach to Lough derg travelling through my area for that date. Mary
I will pray for a safe journey to Lough Derg for all of you travelling today. My spirit is with you all. God bless Mary
God bless you and Fergal - remember us all in your prayer. I'll try to remember you both in my prayers tonight and tomorrow - a tough 24hrs!
I am just back from the Lough Derg pilgrimage. It was very,very hard indeed. I have do doubt ,as they say it must be the hardest pilgrimage in the world. After staying awake the first night freezing and faced with staying awake the next day I was about to run away. But feeling ashamed of being a quitter and noticing it was getting warm, a beautiful summers day I gritted my teeth and stuck it out. I am glad I did, it was a wonderful spiritual experience. I will post photos later. It was great to meed John (Border Collie) and Brian (Schollaire Bocht) who are both made out of much sterner stuff than myself. My brother Fergal loved it too. When I recover a little I will post some photos and an account. I have to go on night shift tonight with my body already in a state of Revolution. Agggghhhhh..
I wrote earlier on this thread that it wasn't one hard slog, but I have to admit I found this pilgrimage to be just that! As Padraig has already said, it was very, very difficult! I had an image of Jesus crucified and our efforts to soften the blows in my mind for the 3 days, and on the many times I was tempted to give up or take a short cut around the various physical/spiritual activities, that image sustained me and urged me on. "I'll do it for you Lord". I feel perhaps the Lord allowed it to be so tough because of the serious reparation that is needed. Some people I met couldn't believe my reason for being there, nor see any need for it. I was told I was taking the whole situation in Ireland too seriously and for a while I wondered maybe I was. Well done to Padraig, Scolaire Bocht and Fergal for doing it too, for helping make it an enjoyable experience in spite of the hunger, tiredness, cold, pointed stones, sore feet and knees and not to forget the famous lough derg midges! The craic was good in the break times . Thank you guys on here for praying for us too, I could feel the graces.
That is proof in itself of how badly this reparation is needed! Not only for the offences committed by this country in recent times, but for the lukewarm souls (myself included) who basically continue on their merry way and cannot even see how seriously we have offended God... I am not at all surprised that the pilgrimage turned out to be so difficult for you guys, you were carrying the weight of a lot of sin on your shoulders.
I am in the same boat anyways. As it happens I went to Medjugorje a short time ago without knowing the details of the place before I went. So when you get there they tell you that you have to climb this and that huge mountain and the difficulties therein lose nothing in the telling. Basically you would imagine it was going up Everest the way they talk about it so much. But I found it mostly a refreshing stroll in the sun, it was lovely, if it wasn't for the heat I wouldn't have generated much of a sweat at all, honestly! So then you hear about Lough Derg and its supposed to be terrible but going by that experience I was thinking, really, how hard can it be? The answer is very! After only a couple of hours I had to go early to get that one meal because I needed something to revive me. I was already partially lame (you have to kneel on sharp stones and if you don't take care on finding a good spot, and I was new to this and didn't realise it was so difficult, you butcher your knees as I did) and dizzy and couldn't figure out how I could possibly finish this thing! In retrospect the first day is the worst though. To finish three stations before 9 o'clock outside is very difficult, especially if you take time to think about what you are saying as you pray as Padraig recommends. In that event its takes a long time even to complete the 7 Rosary decades that you have to start off with. In any case we got through it and its a beautiful place with lovely staff and a great bunch of pilgrims to talk to as well. Border Collie did great work in inspiring this and its great that Padraig stuck it out - I never realised you were on night duty after it then, that sounds very difficult - and it was lovely meeting Feargal too. Full credit also of course to Padraig for keeping this forum going. It takes a long time each day but it is definitely a great forum and is doing very good work. So all the rest of you now have to turn up at the other date in July, no excuses people you all have to do the pilgrimage! We suffered now its your turn!
Thank you Maryrose, I am sorted with Michael Sammon from Kildare. He has even sorted out accommodation for me. Bless his cotton socks and his short brown curly hair.. I am sure we will see one another if it is Gods will. And that will be nice to look forward to.
One little snippet of learned experience... one will find it difficult to finish 3 beds on the first day if one doesn't arrive on the island before 1.30pm, especially if it's crowded. So guys get there as early as you can and have time to chill out and get acquainted
