I will look that up! Thanks for the tip. I probably can't go this late in the game but my parents might. They are a little free-er with their time, especially if I tell them that Ivanka will be there. How wonderful! If its still going on next year, I'll shoot for that one. I'll let you know if things change and I decide I can go. Thanks! Kath
They have a Medjugorje conference there every year. It has been going on for a long time. There is also one in Chicago every year, put on by a different group called Totally Yours. But the Notre Dame Conference is better, in my opinion, it is more like a wonderful weekend retreat. It starts on Friday evening at 7 (one hour ahead for us though - there is a time change! Make sure your parents know this if they go or they will be an hour late! I know from experience!) there is a speaker and then a Rosary procession from the conference building to the wonderful Grotto that is at Notre Dame. It ends on Sunday around 3 pm. We do have to take Friday off work to get there in time for the first speaker and Rosary, but otherwise it is not too bad for time. They want reservations if you want a dorm room in by May 17 this year so there is still plenty of time. A word about the Grotto there...it is a replica of the Grotto at Lourdes, and there is a piece of the Lourdes Grotto wall embedded in the Notre Dame grotto wall. For my husband and I, this grotto is a refuge...it feels very special and very Holy. We have said that if something happens, or if we are troubled by the Warning, that this will be our sanctuary. We will head for this Grotto if we can. It is 5 hours for us to get there, but it is reachable, whereas other known places are not so close. The Basillica there is a wonderful place to be also. Many Holy people are also buried on the grounds at Notre Dame. Also, I uncovered a little-known fact about this grotto. When it was originally constructed, when they were digging it out, a spring rose up out of the ground similar to when St. Bernadette dug in the ground! The priest at the time insisted that it not be allowed to flow as he didn't want the college campus to become a crazy pilgrimage site, so he installed a water fountain instead, and concealed the reason for it being there. It is still there now. For some reason they have it turned off a lot though. Also, there are a couple of reported healings associateed with the grotto. Whatever you want to believe...for us, we feel the holiness of this place in our hearts, so I believe these things to be true. So, if the bottom falls out anytime soon...that is where you will find us, along with many others, I bet. We will probably go there if the Miracle is announced, if not at the exact time, then as soon after as we can. Mr. Holland, do you think that our feeling about this grotto means it may be a sanctuary place?
