Taking off and in Paris

Firstly, every member of the 2012 Champagnat Pilgrimage group has been thinking of everyone back home; you have been in our prayers and thoughts!! The blog entry you are about to read was initially set up as a breakdown of what happened each day, but due to the fact that last night was the first time we were able to upload any information, I have decided to condense it down to a rough snapshot of what has already been a very moving and memorable experience of walking in the footsteps of Marcellin Champagnat.

The beginning of our journey, has already been one of surprises. Those initial feelings of nervous anticipation and contained excitement have quickly dissipated within our first few days here in Paris. Having visited the magnificent Saint Sulpice Basilica where Marcellin must have prayed and maybe even said mass and also having stood in the courtyard of Missions Etrangers where Marcellin stayed whilst in Paris (both resting and recuperating)...you can understand that Marcellin found some peace and contentment whilst spending time in Paris...there is a sense of escaping the world and you can get lost in the beauty that lies hidden behind so many corners. 

Here is just a snapshot of what it was like getting from Australia to Paris:

We basically all arrived in Singapore having had about a 7.5 hour flight. It was a movie marathon session with The Descendants and The Artist seeming to be the main movies of choice. Disembarking the plane, the pilgrims from across Australia finally met and what was (for example) a group of 8 from Adelaide became a group of 38 from Australia...the Marist Pilgrimage group of 2012.

The next leg of our journey was the 13.5 hour flight from Singapore to London...mega movie marathon for those that couldn’t sleep!! Huge cudos to Marie, Carole and Brother Tony (our fearless and tireless leaders) who managed to negotiate such a large group through the various airport terminals to see us connect with our flight from London to Paris (not as smooth as one would imagine...security section nearly had a couple of people miss their flight).  Needless to say, God was working with us...and the third leg of our journey saw us negotiating our way out of the baggage carousel in Paris into a ground swell of people...and yes, we did find each other and our pink bus. With a sigh of relief (and that was from many of our swollen ankles), we sat back and allowed our bus driver to driect us to our place of residence for the next few days: Hotel Magendie, Rue Corvisert, Paris.

I believe you can tell the fundamental cohesiveness of a group when they are hit with a mild sniff of adversity...we had ours when discovering that after 24+ hours in planes and airports and somewhat in need of freshening up and putting on our best visage for Paris...that our rooms were not going to be ready until 2pm. Our response to that: we dumped our bags in a few rooms and went out to greet Paris...the sun was shining, the sky was blue...not a moment was to be wasted!  

From the tourist perspective, the group has definitely made the most of every prominent site across this spectacular landscape. Each day has seen us crisscross the terrain and every morning over breakfast, the banquet of what was devoured the day before has been shared: Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Le Louvre, Tomb of Napoleon I, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre...and who could forget...the Eiffel Tower (both by day and night, unbelievably spectacular..and it is that reality check that  you are actually in Paris...it is no longer surreal)!  And the food...well, all I can say is...creme brulee!!

It’s been more than just  site seeing though (and gaining a few blisters along the way)...it’s been about absorbing an historical perspective of Marcellin...not only where he walked and what he would have seen but also, through the sharings of Brother Neville, we have gained an awareness of what was happening in his world at the same time. Napoleon and the Revolution, the changes within the Church...Marcellin’s own vision for his order...I know we have only scratched the surface and there is so much to still discover. Paris was enchanting, mesmerising and the memories...especially shared with this groupd of people, will stay with me for my lifetime...but what is even more exciting is that the Hermitage awaits!!

Brother John McMahon...we know that you have been with us in spirit...and our prayers are with you!!

Tracey Dorian