Purpose Lived

This summer marked the momentous 25th anniversary of the Lourdes, France pilgrimage, Canterbury’s longest-standing service opportunity. Lourdes, an internationally-known Marian shrine, is noted for being a destination for over five million malades (sick individuals) who make excursions to the site in faith of finding a cure. Canterbury has sponsored 25 summers of students making their own treks to the site, aided by long-standing former

faculty members Marc Vanasse ’73 and Guy and Viv Simonelli as well as current faculty members Julio Omaña and Tracy Garcia LaVigne. “At every step of the pilgrimage, it is impossible to know what students are downloading,” notes Julio, who accompanied the 2018 group. “But we know that the impact continues for a lifetime.” During the pilgrimage, the group from Canterbury spends the week surrounded by other pilgrims from across the globe. The fully-engrossed nature of the week challenges students, leading them to think outside of themselves for the entirety of the trip. “It is really faith in-action,” remarks Marc Vanasse ’73.

The Lourdes trip sits at the intersection of Canterbury’s emphasis on faith and morality. At one point during the trip, students accompany the malades into an indoor bath; in many instances, they must help individuals from stretchers or wheelchairs, grabbing their arms and pulling along their hands, fingers intertwined as they enter the sacred space. “It is a very corporeal understanding of what it may mean to walk in another’s shoes,” Julio continues.

The trip has inspired, pushed, and challenged students for a quarter of a century. As it is open to students of all Forms, many choose to go for more than one year. Some return as alumni. The Kim sisters, class of 2011 and 2012, have returned for severals years following their pilgrimage as students where they stay and serve with the Canterbury group.

The determined purpose of the School has always been based outside of the confines of the School itself, an incorporeal place beyond each student, grounded in service, social justice, and duty to others. Molded in the founding of the School, Canterbury students have always been asked to care for others and inspire the same from their peers. And while the student body has transformed since 1915, the original purpose of the School has not. Over the last decade, evidenced in the programs abroad and within the Theology Department, Canterbury has solidified its commitment to providing students with the opportunity to grow in their compassion and understanding of others and become moral leaders. And while perhaps daunting to enter our complex, secular world, our students and alumni have been ready to do so, backed by Canterbury, where they learned and lived the mission every day.