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8/1/23 & 8/2/23: Glory to Jesus Christ! I decided to combine the entries for these two days, because on the 1st we spent most of the day traveling & arrived to Portugal late at night. We all were beyond thrilled to finally be able to shower after 4 days (even though only cold water is available) and sleep on the floor instead of bus seats! It was and continues to be a GLORIOUS experience! I was grateful for Bishop Milan reminding us throughout our trip that we are pilgrims and comfort is not guaranteed. His words planted seeds of encouragement, and they bloomed (and still continue to) in times of exhaustion and desperation.
On the 2nd we went to a Slovak Catechesis talk and a Slovak Mass then followed. I was very grateful to witness so many beautiful people from such a beautiful country. My new friends Ivett & Daniel translated bits of the talk for me (which I was very grateful for), and afterwards we headed to find lunch! For those of you who don’t know, Lisbon is a lot like San Francisco, with steep hills and close corners. We walked a lot, burned off a few pounds (Lol), and met once again with our group to visit Fatima!
Though it was pouring rain in Fatima all throughout our visit, our guides still managed to make it an enjoyable and fruitful trip. We were able to visit the Basilica and see the tombs of our beloved Saints (and Venerable), St. Jacinta, St. Francisco, and Ven. Lucia! This made up for the fact the the shrine itself was closed (mainly due to weather). Soon after, Bishop Milan led an Akathist prayer to the Holy Theotokos in one of the chapels on site. All of my pilgrim-mates sing so beautifully! It was a truly wonderful experience! We then headed back, arrived quite late, grabbed food quickly and RAN to bed! We had such a spiritually fruitful day, and rested so peacefully.
Until tomorrow! God bless you! - Gina
