With travel to the Holy Land impossible this year, Mountaineers continue to pray for peace. The international students had the opportunity to experience a new Easter trip destination travelling to Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Lourdes before finishing the trip in Croatia and Medjugorje. Mr. Walters, the boys program dean, shared the highlights of the boys trip:
“The day finally came for the boys to depart for their Easter trip! They had a late night flight out of Detroit with a long layover in Istanbul, then finally flew to their destination- Barcelona! They toured around the city seeing historical spots. They also visited the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, where they participated in the celebration of the Passion of the Lord with the bishop of Barcelona!
The boys continued their adventure in Barcelona, Spain. They went to a park called Park Güell, which gave homage to the legacy of the artist Gaudí. They had Easter Vigil Mass and also got to attend a real Barca soccer game! Ian Gaona is a huge fan, so he loved it!
The following two days were a big days of travel for the boys. They started to venture towards France. Before they departed, they got to go to the location of the Virgin of Pilar. They finally got to their destination in Lourdes, France. They had Mass in the grotto and experienced the Lourdes Pool, where they prayed really hard for their families
On April 2, the boys finally arrived to Croatia! They visited the city of Split, where they learned about Emperor Diocletian and visited a historic museum. They also had some free time and explored the city.
The trip drew to a close with the arrival to Međugorje! It was the highlight of their trip. They visited the apparition site of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many prayers were said it and was very solemn. Fr. Luis Felipe, LC also gave the boys a special “military” rosary! They will use that as a weapon against the devil in the battle for their souls to get to heaven! It was a long journey to get there and atypical from the traditional Jerusalem trip, but the boys enjoyed every step of the journey and had a special encounter with Jesus along the way!”
