St Swithun Wells Parish Pilgrimage to Portugal

Over the bank holiday weekend, 30 pilgrims went on a wonderful adventure to Lisbon and Fatima in Portugal. Here is what they got up to, and some photos of the trip!

On their first day of the trip, the group were in Lisbon. They had a great day visiting the Cathedral of Lisbon, then the church of St Anthony, where they celebrated Mass. In the afternoon, the group went to visit the convent of the Poor Clares, where two very young nuns welcomed them with joy.

On the second day of the pilgrimage, the group visited Jeronimos Monastery, possibly the most beautiful church in all of Lisbon. After that, they went to the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belem Tower. After a relaxing lunch, they headed towards Fatima, and at night took part in the beautiful candlelight procession. A fantastic day was had by everyone!

On Sunday, the group celebrated Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. In the afternoon, they visited the site where the Angel of Portugal appeared to the three shepherds.

The final day was Monday, and the group went to visit the Monastery of Alcobaca and then headed towards Nazare, where they saw the magestic ocean and seaside. They celebrated Mass in the Church of Our Lady of Nazare, before heading to the airport for an eye-wateringly early morning flight back to England.

Fr Raffaele said that it was a very spiritual pilgrimage that will stay with everyone for a long time.