Flowering
B U D S O F
M A R Y
F A L L 2 0 1 7 P I L G R I M A G E :
G R O T T O O F O U R L A D Y O F
L O U R D E S
Our one day pilgrimage to Mount St. Mary Seminary was a beautiful day! It was a gift to visit the place where our current spiritual director, Father Sam Plummer and past spiritual director Father Martin Flum went to school. We started the day with Mass in the chapel where they used to pray as seminarians!
Our Lady brought us on the mountain to pray and be healed. We also went on a pilgrimage (on foot!) to visit Our Lady of Lourdes at the National Shrine Grotto and asked for interior healing from our past wounds. We prayed for all of the members of FBM and your special intentions.
T E S T I M O N I E S
"Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was beautiful, I wanted to sit there in her presence forever. In front of me was my sign, the words that continued to light the way when I felt crazy for having this love and faith in my heart: 'For those who believe in God no explanation is necessary, for those who do not believe in God no explanation is possible.' It was if I was there alone with my Blessed Mother, hearing her heart remind me gently that I can do nothing without His presence and no clear path can be seen by putting our ways or ideas in front of where God is truly calling us to be."
"Before the Mass as we got a few minutes to pray in the chapel was a connection to the infinite and a chance for quiet in our busy and very often noisy lives."
"Father Sam began the day with morning Mass, where he spoke of the 12 Flowering Buds members present; the exact number of apostles. As he spoke I had a feeling of calm and peace which lasted throughout the day."
"I was not the only one thinking there is a lot of stairs, but as often happens in life I realized I was not taking this trip alone but with those on the pilgrimage [and] also those how had gone before as the Saints."
"Being prayed over granted and reminded me of the strength that God longs to give us to get through what we face, a reminder that I can pray for others, they can also pray for me and just how powerful we are as a [community], each with unique gifts."
"One of the parts of the pilgrimage that I cherished was being with a group of women all seeking to grow ... sharing food and talking is something I don’t always take the time to participate in as a group of girls, and to talk about life and be reminded once again of the strength we possess ... power in numbers was what stood out the most from the pilgrimage."
"Katrina's invitation opened my heart to being aware of His voice in my innermost being and really provided me the evidence I needed on what following it can do ... there is a time and a place for everything. The foundation of our life is based on our daily choice of loving him in those moments or not. Life lesson: Don't be afraid to follow the guiding voice that whispers warmly inside your heart. That voice is your reassurance that God has in fact created you for those very moments."
