Chronicle of Thursday 30 July

Dear parents, and all of you who have faithfully followed these chronicles:

Tonight your children are already sleeping in their beds, just a few metres from the Carmel of Lisieux, where the remains of St Thérèse rest. And I can assure you that no mattress has ever been so warmly welcomed.

Today has been a memorable day, full of emotions and mixed feelings: the immense joy of arriving and the nostalgia of knowing that this is coming to an end. But above all, a deep gratitude to God for how well this pilgrimage has gone.

As every day, we got up at three in the morning. Ahead of us were the last thirty kilometres between us and our goal: the Carmel of St Thérèse. In the morning meditation we were encouraged to have great desires for holiness, the ones we have learnt about these days by getting to know Louis and Zélie Martin and St Thérèse: that holiness is within everyone’s reach, and that now, back home, following Thérèse’s spiritual “little way”, everything can become an act of love for God, even the smallest service.

The walk went smoothly, we kept up a good pace, and there was no shortage of laughter and singing. At half past eight the last breakfast of the pilgrimage was waiting for us, for which the logistics team brought out everything that was left: chocolate, Nutella, brioches, fruit, sandwiches, juices... Just imagine: we wolfed down such a huge breakfast that we came out rolling. There was no holding back. One pilgrim even wondered whether you could enter Lisieux on a stretcher and still gain the indulgence.

So, as was to be expected, the second part of the stage felt a bit heavy: the sugar overdose we were carrying stopped us from walking fast. Luckily Thérèse used to say that God makes use even of our miseries, because today ours were mostly made of Nutella.

And then came one of those touches that only heaven knows how to prepare: it had been cloudy for the whole stage, and just as we reached the gates of Lisieux a radiant sun came out. There the logistics team was waiting for us again, and Alejandro, of course, went in first. We entered Lisieux at twelve noon, praying the Angelus.

When we arrived we went to the tomb where St Thérèse rests and, with restrained emotion, we laid at the feet of our beloved saint all our intentions and situations; you can be quite sure that each and every one of you was there. It was a long, lingering silence; nobody wanted to leave. Everyone deep in recollection. How beautiful to see the young people leaving at the saint’s feet so many, many joys lived during these days.

Then we settled into L’Ermitage, a spirituality house right next to the Carmel, where we were able to shower —the first to take an interest in this point were, without a doubt, our own noses— and eat some sandwiches that the logistics team had prepared with such care.

At three o’clock we went to the basilica and, with all the solemnity we could muster, we celebrated the Eucharist in the crypt where the bodies of Louis and Zélie, St Thérèse’s parents, rest. In the homily we were encouraged to do three things: to have a childlike life of prayer, simple, not at all complicated; to let ourselves be moulded like clay in the potter’s hands; and to let Jesus, the great teacher, following the Gospel readings, draw out of us whatever is bad and keeps us from coming close to Him.

After the Eucharist we went back to the residence to rest a little and recover from an exhausting stage. At six o’clock we had exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, adoring Jesus until a quarter to eight, when Fr Joan preached the meditation and once again encouraged us towards holiness: to thank God for what we have lived, to recognise the change we have experienced —because now you can breathe a very great joy here— and to go back home with a grateful heart.

Then we went to dinner. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Just imagine: there was nothing left. Jose Gomar, Alex Freixes, the Arroyo sisters, Quique, Raúl Crespo and the Gel brothers wiped out the entire stock: each of them went back for pudding two, three and even four times. When the cook saw us, he didn’t know whether to cross himself or call for reinforcements.

And afterwards we had a spectacular get-together. Alejandro Recolons gave us his testimony. It was especially beautiful because Father Louis, the priest who helped us prepare the pilgrimage, was with us. For almost an hour and a half, Alejandro told us things and answered our questions, each more interesting than the last. Father Louis was moved when he saw the group, when he saw Alejandro, Raúl, Gerard, Quique... and he told us that he had a sister with Down syndrome who became a nun and who, having died five years ago, now enjoys the company of heaven. The whole evening revolved around disability and the great gift it has been to have these young people among us. We’ll greet him again tomorrow. It was a really lovely evening.

It has been a memorable day. This pilgrimage, which had a beginning, is starting to have an end, but you can be quite sure that St Thérèse has poured out so many, many graces on each and every one of us who made the pilgrimage.

May God bless you. Until tomorrow. Tomorrow, more and better.