Six Children to Travel to Lourdes Courtesy of Knights of Columbus

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AnnMarie Nelley has a special devotion to the Blessed Mother. She prayed the Rosary throughout her pregnancy while daughter Caroline was in the womb. Soon, she and Caroline, who is now 14, will be praying together at the place of the famed Marian apparitions in Lourdes, France.

“I feel so blessed to be able to do this,” Mrs. Nelley said of her upcoming sojourn with Caroline, who at age 3 was diagnosed with cognitive delay. The Nelley family belongs to St. Mary’s parish, Washingtonville.

The pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France is possible thanks to the Knights of Columbus of Our Lady of Lourdes Council 5890 in Washingtonville. Six children with disabilities, each accompanied by a parent, will attend.

This is 41st year the Knights have organized the 10-day pilgrimage which begins Sunday, June 28 and concludes Tuesday, July 7.

The pilgrims will participate in a walking tour, following in the footsteps of St. Bernadette Soubirous who, in 1858 at the age of 14, saw visions of the Blessed Mother at a Massabielle cave. It was there the Blessed Mother was reported to have told St. Bernadette, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

The group will visit the place of St. Bernadette’s birth, baptism and First Holy Communion, as well as the place of the apparitions and other sites.

In addition to Caroline, the children pilgrims are: Ninalee Srnensky, 9, St. Christopher’s, Staten Island, who has an encephalopathy seizure disorder; Sean ‘Jack’ Sullivan, 16, St. John the Evangelist, Goshen, who has autism; Adam Lee Rivera Jr., 2, Holy Cross and Our Lady of the Scapular, Middletown, who has Dandy Walker syndrome; Patrick Coyle, 12, St. Patrick’s, Highland Mills, who has autism and epilepsy; and Kenny Aguilar, 13, St. Joseph’s, Middletown, who has autism and developmental delay.

Walter Kozlowski, co-chairman of the pilgrimage from New York since 2005 and a member of the Knights of Columbus, told CNY that his hope for the pilgrims is “that they receive God’s gift of love through the intercession of Mary, and renew and strengthen their faith through this experience.”

He said he is often asked if there was ever a miracle involving the children sent to Lourdes. “My response is always the same: If you mean like Lazarus rising from the dead, then ‘no.’ But, I have seen children who were constantly in and out to the hospital before the pilgrimage not having to be readmitted since returning from their pilgrimage.”

Additionally, “I have seen parents who may have stayed away from going to Mass regularly after the pilgrimage attending Mass... more often,” he said.

“Going to such a beautiful, spiritual place is going to be a nice experience for us,” said Mrs. Nelley, who is looking forward to spending one-on-one time there with daughter Caroline. Mrs. Nelley and her husband Michael also have another daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Michael.

Mrs. Nelley hopes to create a memory that lasts a lifetime for her child. “She’s a beautiful little girl and God chose her to be mine.”

Caroline is equally excited. “She loves Mass,” her mother said. “She’s looking forward to spending time with me in a holy place. And she’s like all 14-year-olds, looking forward to the airplane.”

Both mother and daughter are mindful of the purpose of the pilgrimage. “She understands she is going for a special blessing,” Mrs. Nelley said of Caroline.

“I firmly believe with all my heart, whenever you are feeling doubtful or alone, just pray to the Blessed Mother—she always answers your prayers,” she added.

In order to fund the trip, the Knights of Columbus must raise more than $40,000 to cover costs. Funds come primarily from raffles sold outside churches after Masses in Orange and Rockland counties.

Laura Sullivan will be traveling with her son Jack. “I’m so grateful to the Knights of Columbus,” she said. She noted she saw the Knights working hard to collect funds for the trip after several Masses. “I don’t think they truly understand what this really means to a special needs family.” Mrs. Sullivan and her husband Sean are also the parents of two other sons, Joseph and Gerry.

“While the work is long and arduous, the rewards of bringing the opportunity of a lifetime that these families would not ordinarily afford themselves are immeasurable,” Kozlowski said.

The pilgrims will join members of the 61st U.S. National Rosary Pilgrimage, attend an international Mass in the underground basilica of Pope Pius X and a Mass at the Lourdes grotto.

There will also be a torchlight procession during which the pilgrims will sing “Ave Maria.” Jack Sullivan is a non-conversant child but does love music, according to his mother. “He’s going to love that,” she said of the procession.

Mrs. Sullivan said the pilgrimage “gives us hope that God hears prayers. Our Blessed Mother is watching out for us. As a family, we have been through an awful lot, and a lot of times our faith is tested. I am looking forward to having our faith renewed.”

Financial donations for the pilgrimage may be remitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Benevolent Association and sent by standard mail to the Knights of Columbus, Attention: Lourdes Program, 18 Hallock Drive, Washingtonville, NY 10992. Information: Walter Kozlowski, (845) 863-1494.