Do You Believe in Miracles?

By Michelle Laque Johnson

Some people might think it’s a bit of a miracle to successfully bring a group of young children on a pilgrimage without their parents. But what if that group also happened to be special needs children with disabilities ranging from Down Syndrome to cerebral palsy?

Father Angelus Montgomery of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal decided to lead just such a group to Lourdes, France – a site known for miracles. They traveled under the auspices of the American Special Children’s Pilgrimage Group. The ASCPG provides life-changing pilgrimages to Lourdes each Easter week for youth with physical or developmental disabilities. The children’s own parents are not allowed to come. That’s why, in addition to these children, the ASCPG recruits adult volunteers, medical professionals, and high school students looking to serve.

See what this experience looks like – and find out what happened – when EWTN premieres the first episode of this new seven-part EWTN series entitled “Icons: Finding Grace” at 10:30 p.m. ET on Fridays and 2 a.m. on Sundays beginning Friday, May 7. After watching the program, you may just want to volunteer for such a pilgrimage yourself: www.ascpg-lourdes.org.

The pilgrimage provides a one-week break for parents from caregiving for their special needs child, but it does even more for the children. As one volunteer noted, the miracle of Lourdes is not that someone gets up and walks – “that’s so infrequent” – but that parents frequently see an inner transformation in their child who becomes more independent because of the experience. “I think it has something to do with Lourdes and being here,” says a volunteer as she watches a young lady joyfully pushing her wheelchair from behind at a rather rapid pace.

Hear from ASCPG founder Gerry Flood and his wife Rosemarie, who say the vision for the American chapter of this group, which originated in London, started with two “ordinary” people who just figured out how to make it happen. “Each person can make a difference,” says Rosemarie. “You don’t have to have some degree or have a lot of money. … It’s amazing what you can do when you want to do something.”

As they make their way to Lourdes, you’ll hear from the adult laity and religious volunteers as well high school volunteers, who say such things as:

“There’s something beautiful, free and uninhibited about them [special needs kids]. They don’t really care what people think about them. They have the great gift of being themselves… You might see that in the way they sing, they dance, the way they interact, the way they live. …Isn’t that what heaven is going to be like?”

“My youngest [able-bodied volunteer] son says it’s the best thing he’s ever done.”

“This is the future. When you see these children and you see these helpers working so well with them I know that God has the world in His Hands and He will take care of it.”

As you watch, ask yourself: Do I believe in miracles? It’s not just Catholics who do. A recent Pew study found this is true of almost 80% of Americans.

If I say I believe in the miraculous, do my actions show it? Not sure? Consider joining the next ASPCG pilgrimage. It might end up changing not just the life of the child you help, but your own.

Do I believe in miracles? Do I really? This beautiful series will strengthen your faith!