Aris Amor, 4B, chronicles the Eucharistic Cruisaders' field trip to churches and retreat houses in Cavite and Tagatay. What seemed to be an ordinary field trip turned out to be the beginning of a young pilgrim's journey into his heart, his own home, and eventually his heaven on this earth.

Departure

We were all excited as we boarded the bus heading for our pilgrimage to
Tagaytay. The teachers had a hard time keeping us quiet. The noise died down after we boarded. To start off, the teachers told us to pray the Rosary before leaving. It’s the best way to start our pilgrimage.

On the Road

Everyone started to chatter and share stories with one another the moment our bus went out of the Xavier campus. Everyone admired the malls outside, like SM Megamall and Shangri-La. We were preoccupied; we didn’t notice the changing scenery. From tall buildings and commercial stores, it changed into a scenery that is green and beautiful. There were farms, carabaos and much more. Some of us admired the fields; others just looked at the billboards, or played with their cell phones. It wasn’t until the bus stopped that everyone looked outside their window. Some students started eating snacks for a few minutes. After a while we reached the first stop, the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Sallette.

The Weeping Lady

La Sallette was so beautiful. It is a large garden with a chapel at the center of it. Once in the chapel, a nun gave us a lecture on how their mission came to be. She told us the story of Our Lady’s apparition to two children of La Sallette in France.

After telling us the story, she gave us an orientation about their gardens. Then we prepared to pray the Stations of the Cross. Ms. Cruz, the Grade 1 CLE teacher, gave us a short lecture on its origin. She further taught is how to pray the Stations of the Cross. We went along a path, praying as we stopped at each of the 14 stations. Once finished, we went to the altar near a “Wishing Well” to have our pictures taken. When we were done, we went to the “Wishing Well”. Our moderator made a wish out loud, and threw in the coins but it was caught in a chain. One student dropped the coin and it fell in one of the holes of the chain. Our moderator made two more wishes. Again, his coin got caught in the chain. One of us made a wish saying “I wish everyone would improve in everything they do.”, when he dropped the coin, it went in one of the holes perfectly. Now we know one of the wishes came true.

Behind The Wall

Once we boarded the bus, everyone was talking about how good the experience was in La Sallette. It took a while before the noise died down. Our next stop was The Chapel of the Pink Sisters and the SVD Seminary. We were all relieved and satisfied upon reaching the SVD compound. When we stepped out of the bus, we stretched and yawned. When we were done organizing ourselves, we went through a thick growth of plants leading to a small green gate on a tall thick wall.

Pink Pilgrims

We were all amazed at what we saw behind the wall. It was a beautiful garden yet again! I could just look at it for hours! As much as there were gardens, there were also lots of chapels. We all went pink, because of the cold weather! Inside the chapel, we saw nuns who were all in pink habit. They sang so beautifully. Their voice is so calming that it could make you forget your problems! We were all so quiet and calm when we left the chapel.

Break

We headed back to the church of SVD. We let out our “oohs” and “aahs” as we went inside upon seeing this big pipe organ from Germany. The church was so spacious, aside from that, the paintings on the wall were very nice. It made this church different from all the rest. After that, we followed a path leading to the gym. There we had our lunch. When everyone was done, the teachers told us that we would be playing group games. It was a fun-filled afternoon playing games and being together.

Atop a Hill

When we boarded the bus (again), we knew there was only one pilgrimage site left. It was time for us to visit the “Chapel on a Hill” in Don Bosco Retreat House in Batulao. Upon arrival, we went up a staircase leading to a small church. It was made of wood and cement, and had a spectacular view. The teachers gave us an orientation about the chapel and told us there would be a mass later on. We prepared ourselves for the mass. All of a sudden, there was beautiful music filling the whole church. It was calming and relaxing, just like the Pink Sisters’ songs. When the music stopped, the priest entered the chapel. We thought it was an ordinary mass until the homily. The priest was animated when he delivered his homily. It was one of the most memorable and inspiring masses I have ever attended.

We have learned that the chapel is named in honor of the Adolescent Jesus. That was something new for us. After the mass, everyone tried the labyrinth. Even the teachers went inside the maze. Some admired the fancy woodwork. Then the teachers told us to form our lines. Our moderators led us downhill, so that we could go to another chapel in the area. The chapel was in a large building with an altar in the center. When we entered the small chapel, it smelled strongly of flowers and incense.

More, Still?

Going out of the chapel, the teachers led us down a flight of stairs towards the shops and boutiques. Everyone was excited, because the teachers told us that they were selling pies. Some went to the boutique and bought baller-I.D.’s, while some just stood, waiting for the others to finish buying things. Some went to the lobby to take in the fresh air that we seldom have in Manila.


On the Road (again)

And then, it was time to go home. Upon arrival in Xavier School, we said our goodbyes and thanked one another. Everyone boarded their cars. I was the last to leave. Inside the car on my way home, I was reminded of a saying: “All roads lead to home.” The crusaders’ pilgrimage was also a journey towards home, our heaven here on earth.

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