Education Beyond Borders

The Legacy Pilgrimage begins in Bordeaux, France, walking in the footsteps of Jeanne de Lestonnac’s life and ministry.  Students’ time in France concludes with a one-day visit to Lourdes, where students pray, experience the holy waters, and visit the five churches stemming from Saint Bernadette’s experiences with Our Lady. Students then travel to Barcelona, Spain, to visit a sister school—Colegio Lestonnac—and its students, visit churches and cathedrals, and attend Mass at La Sagrada Familia. Finally, students travel to Rome, where they attend an audience with Pope Frances, visit Saint Peter’s Cathedral, and learn about the prayer and social work of the San Egidio community. Students  travel to Assisi to experience the paths of Saint Francis and Saint Clare and visit the Catacombs of Priscilla. 

Walking the Streets
After pilgrimaging in Bordeaux for less than a day, I’ve especially appreciated walking down the different paths and streets. The roads here are mostly one way and extremely thin, but it’s all built around the cities historical and beautiful architecture. Walking around the streets of Bordeaux this morning was a surreal experience, as if I were in a movie. Every street was embellished with plants hanging off balconies, the walls of the building in its original state, and the bricked streets with quant shops scattered throughout. We walked in many of Saint Jeanne’s footprints as Bordeaux was her home city. Although her family lived right outside the city! We saw where she was baptized, married, her relics, the first school she built, where they hid her body for over 100 years, and where they put the body after soldiers discovered her! To this day, Saint Jeanne has made an impact throughout the city and the world, and it’s still present here in Bordeaux. After she died, her legacy lived on thorough the many schools she built, and we got to visit the school in Bordeaux for the first time last night! It was amazing seeing how welcoming and curious these students were as most didn’t hesitate to meet us all the moment we walked in. I can’t wait to see what tonight has in store for us!

-Rachel

Beauty of La Mothe

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac was able to be comforted by La Mothe’s beauty when she needed to seek comfort and peace, bringing her prayer. She felt compelled to La Mothe after her homecoming and being homesick from the monastery. Saint Jeanne was convinced she needed a new path of life and the first place she thought to visit was a beautiful green scenery with a natural pond area. While I was there, you could hear the water move over the logs and slowly move with the wind at a peaceful pace. The water was a green brown color from the moss and dirt, but still extremely and surprisingly clear. You could see every little bug, acorn, rock, and leaf in the water. There were a few fallen trees and branches you could sit on all around the different parts of the area. Leaves were scattered all over ranging in color from a dusty red to a hunter green. The little pond traveled all around going from one to the next, over and under different branches as well as under one small bridge. In one area, there was even a small broken down cement arch. You could hear the birds and the dragon flies flying over the water and whistling over the trees. Each time an acorn fell it plopped into the water making the sound of a rock being thrown into a lake. It was so peaceful sitting there, as I looked around I found it very easy to reflect in my journal and have a quiet mind. It was a very beautiful place that I wish we could visit one last time before leaving. 

- Kendall Kelledy

Starting this pilgrimage, I was “going with the flow” trying not to expect anything because I did not want to ruin the experience of journeying with my faith. In our first day, we arrived in Bordeaux and settled into the hospitality home that the sisters prepared for us. The sisters were extremely welcoming and excited to see us. I was looking forward to getting to know them more in the little time we had with them. The next thing we did was meet and eat dinner with some French students at the Company of Mary school. I did not get to know these students well, but I was happy that my classmates were making French friends. After dinner, Sister Colette took us to the chapel where Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac now remains. She introduced us to the chapel and delved into the meanings of every symbol. From the designs of her tomb to the amount of lights in the room, it all correlated to Saint Jeanne’s life. To me, the most impactful symbols of the chapel were the wooden planks on the walls. Every plank of wood symbolized a tree cut down in the forest to make a path to Landiras. It was as if her tomb was hidden among the trees, but just in reach. Placing myself in the time era and city of Saint Jeanne prepared me for all of what was to come next. 

- Kayla Marie Latscha

 

My mind goes straight to two events I  experienced on the pilgrimage when I am asked, “What was your favorite part of the pilgrimage?” It goes to a museum tour in Bordeaux on the history of the Company of Mary and a mass our group attended in the La Sagrada Familia. I will be talking about this mass in another blog post. Sister Colette was our tour guide for the museum and she explained all that she could in the little time she had. First, we visited a room full of every document found on the Company of Mary. I would guess there were about 16 shelves full of documents and data. We also met the woman who was studying these archives along with the sisters. Next, we visited rooms full of vestments, statues, artifacts, and relics. The room that amazed me the most was the one full of handmade vestments by the previous generations of sisters in the Company of Mary. There were so many fascinating designs that I could not believe that they were not sewn by a machine. I learned that a dying pelican can also represent Jesus’ love for us. A pelican has a pouch in its body that its offspring will eat out of. Sometimes its offspring will accidentally eat the inside of the parent pelican and kill it. This shows that Jesus will give us everything he has so that we may live happily. Another fantastic thing I encountered was Saint Jeanne’s death mask! It is the only thing in the world that will give her appearance. This museum tour brought me to understand the roots of the Company of Mary and how it came to be today. I realized that I am part of something ultimately bigger than I thought. I now take pride in attending a Company of Mary school and know that it is my mission to make a difference in the world.

- Kayla Marie Latscha

 

Touring and attending mass at the La Sagrada Familia was fascinating! I didn’t know a church could be so detailed and symbolic. I remember our tour guide telling us that existing structures and ones that will undergo construction have specific meanings. Certain numbers and different parts of the church would represent the twelve apostles, Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and many more significant religious figures. The outside church walls were so detailed because they needed to depict Bible stories and scenes to the illiterate society of that time. Inside the church, the walls were built in a way where the choir's voices would reach the thousands of people attending mass there. During mass, I had the opportunity to experience how efficient that design was in carrying out the choir’s acoustics. The choir sounded like angels from Heaven! Even though the mass was in Latin, I enjoyed every moment because I was able to celebrate and worship God with people in Barcelona. I now realize that I am blessed to be in a religion that is striving to be ecumenical and universal. I would have never felt the same in celebrating with others if the La Sagrada Familia mass was performed entirely differently from what I am used to. 

- Kayla Marie Latscha

Travel Day 

I awoke at 7:30 in the morning preparing to leave to Europe for the next two weeks. As I left my house I was eager for the trip. I arrived at school at 10 and was greeted by my friends. The bus departed from school 10:30 towards the long day ahead of us. We arrived at the airport and made our way to our terminal which was as far a it could possibly be. We boarded the plane prepared for the 10 hour flight before us. Luckily I slept a good majority of the time and before I knew it we landed in Amsterdam prepared to make our way to our connecting flight. We waited in line for what felt like forever at the passport checkpoint and once we made it through we headed to our gate. We had about 20 minutes before our next flight which quickly passed. I slept the entire two hours and before we knew it we made it to Bordeaux. Once arriving we were greeted by the local sisters and made our way to the house where we will be staying for the next few days. Once we had finally made it, it had been over 24 hours since our day originally began.

 

-Sophia Martinez

Public Transportation 

In California, many of us do not use public transportation because carpooling, driving ourselves, or even driving with family is just easier because of the community we live in. In all the places we visited I noticed public transportation was a large majority of commuting for the population. In Rome, we used public transportation the most out of all the beautiful places we were fortunate to visit. We went on a train as well as multiple buses. Something to always be self conscious of is pick pocketing. I feel like in California, that is not our top priority of worries when we are in public, but when in Rome, it is. It is very important to have your bag(s) in front of you, not behind or on the side where you can miss someone grabbing something or something falling out. It is very easy for someone to slowly undo a zipper or reach in and sneak something out. Small bags are easier to carry than with a large bag, but even if a larger bag is brought, still put it on the front side of you to be cautious. There are seats and places to stand on both buses and trains. On the bus, sometimes you are not lucky enough to sit down right away or at all, so when you get the opportunity, take it. Bus rides are not always smooth and you can get tired quite fast especially after a long day of walking. Your body will thank you in the end for the rest. 

Kendall Kelledy

Food
Lined before me was dishes I had never seen or heard of. The cafeteria food of Boudreaux changed every night, and although it wasn’t the best food I’d ever had, I was exited to try these new foods as part of experiencing their culture. I had my first “French” french fires,  a hamburger patty without its bun, and ham with some sort of sautéed vegetable. But from then on, I couldn’t wait to encounter new foods. The last American meals I had before getting on that bus to the airport consisted of Canes and Starbucks. Canes cost me about $15, Starbucks about $10. The last meal I had here included margarita pizza, pistachio gelato, and a coke, which all together came out to $7. And by far, this was the best pizza and gelato I’ve ever had. Aside from the prices, nearly every meal I’ve experienced here has been fresh and flavorful. I’ve been informed in some places how they prepare their meals with the finest, fresh, local ingredients. For example, we enjoyed a lunch made by the sisters in France in which we were welcomed by the mayor in a humble dinning hall. It was a “make your own sandwich” lunch with a baguette, tomato, hard boiled egg, and spreadable cheese. They had gotten all the ingredients the same morning. Everything was fresh and ripe. That was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Just last night, I enjoyed home cooked pasta from the sisters with bread and salad. It was amazing as well. All the food I’ve had, I’m truly glad I tried.

-Rachel

Money Concerns While Traveling

Since the pilgrimage is coming to an end, I learned a lot about how to budget/save money. At the beginning of this pilgrimage it was easy not to spend money since we did not go shopping or eat out in Bordeaux, although this is a good thing it was also a bad thing because once I had the opportunity to shop I spent a lot. I think the biggest lesson that I am taking away from this pilgrimage is that everyday to have a set amount of money, and try my best to not exceed it. It was very tempting to go in every shop to get some gifts for family and friends but at a certain point in this trip, I realized that I already got everyone gifts and I didn’t need to buy anymore for anyone. Going to Europe was a great experience in many ways. And learning how to manage my own money, for me I think was vital. Although I did lose a lot of money due to spending it on unnecessary momentum’s, the next time I travel, I now know that some purchases are unnecessary and some are necessary. 

-Isabella DuBois

Travel day time frame coming home!

On Thursday 20 October I woke up at 7 am European time had breakfast at 8 am European time arrived at Saint Peter’s at 10 am European time for 1 hour and a half then arrived at the Catacombs at 2 pm European time left the catacombs at 2:50 pm European time had lunch and arrived at the convent at 4:45 pm European time. This is where things get crazy after we got to the convent we had to start packing our luggage and have them ready to go downstairs before dinner at 8 pm European time. It was funny with my two roommates at night when we would pack because we would have to play music and sit on the floor or on the bed for a while to destress from the packing craziness. I didn’t sleep at all after dinner because I knew that if I did fall asleep I wouldn’t have been able to get up in time to leave the convent at 3:25 am European time to go to the airport to leave for Amsterdam. We got to the airport at 4:15 am European time where we got on our first flight from Rome to Amsterdam at 7:20 am European time where we landed in Amsterdam at 9:23 am European time where we then had a layover for 1 hour and a half. After the layover in Amsterdam, we got on our 10-hour flight to Los Angeles at 1:50 pm European time and landed in Los Angeles at 3:20 pm Pacific time. Once we got to Los Angeles we got on the bus and had a 2 hour and thirty-minute bus ride to school we got to school at 8:15 pm Pacific time where we were reunited with our parents after the long two-week Pilgrimage.

- Victoria Castillo

Traveling with Friends

Traveling with friends is something we all say we’ll do in our future when we’re adults. But I was lucky enough to be able to experience this in my high school career. I was lucky enough to be able to have relationships with everyone, if not almost everyone on this trip. Being able to learn more about other people on this trip while becoming closer to my already close friends was something I’ll never forget. Being able to venture off with friends for different periods of time throughout the places was exciting each day to get the opportunity to experience these new places with them for the first time. From playing uno on the bus, to racing up the stairs to our rooms after a long day, and being able to get meals and shopping done together. Each day I got to create so many memories with my friends and it was one of the best parts for me on this trip was being with them. 

Kendall Kelledy

Communicating in a Non-English Speaking Country

While I've encountered non-English speakers before it was extremely different being in a non-English speaking country where almost everyone but me spoke the language. The hardest part was trying to communicate when purchasing items from stores or restaurants. I learned the basic phrases such as hello, goodbye, and thank you but besides that, I had no idea what they were trying to tell me. The majority of the time I resorted to trying to say the name of the items but most time I would just end up pointing. Luckily for me, most of the time people would know enough English to complete the desired transaction but I NEVER began by asking if they knew English right away. Along with not learning the language, it was also hard to be switching the language every couple of days. After I would finally learn basic words we would completely switch the language and I was back at square one. 

 

-Sophia Martinez

Going to a different country that speaks the same language that you grew up with feels nice and comforting, however, when the language is slightly altered and pronounced differently, it is a fantastic new experience. My time in Barcelona, Spain, was one filled with just entertainment, discovery, and overall rediscovery of my Spanish roots. I felt very useful, having this sense of pride because if my group of friends needed help with ordering or asking questions in Spanish, I was there to translate for them. Personally, I felt like I had rediscovered myself on my mom's Mexican side, although they aren't Spanish they still use the same language. I've always been told by my mom that actual Spanish is very similar to the Spanish I grew up learning, and I can see now that she was right. 

Kevin Davis

It was Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. I had eaten breakfast and was waiting for the time to leave my house. The time soon flew past and I was out the door in the car and down the road. The car ride to school was exhilarating, though I had suffered from an injury in my arm from playing in a football game a day prior, I was ready to experience Europe. During the football game prior, our team trainer told me it was most likely an over extension of my arm and would take around three to four weeks to heal. But me, eager to go on this trip, I have been waiting for, thought the pain wouldn’t be that bad in a couple days. I arrived with my luggage and set it aside by the bus ready to be loaded in by the driver. The bus ride to the LAX airport was fun when talking to friends about how the trip will be and the expectations we have. The reality of the pain of my injury really hit me when I was on the flight to Amsterdam. It was a ten hour flight and it was very uncomfortable for my arm to rest, and it ultimately got worse as we landed in Bordeaux. 

- Elias Ray

The 9 hour flight to Amsterdam was very long and felt like years. My body was exhausted from having to sit their the whole time. I feel like in the past maybe I should walk around instead of trying to sit the whole nine hours. However, it was not as boring because I was sitting next to Elias, Shane, and Rowan. We were messing around the entire flight which made the time go by quickly. I started playing the games that were on the airplane TV, my favorite game to play was Trivia. I felt like trivia helped me focus on something other than the flight and sitting their there the whole time. Next, was a short flight to Bordeaux. I sat next to Sister Ernestine but I fell asleep for the whole flight which was only 1 hour. On the flight back to California I was excited because I got to go back home and see my family. 

- Elias Roman

To me I thought every country we visited was beautiful but the country that stood out to me the most that was amazing was Barcelona. Everything about Barcelona was eye catching especially the Sagrada Familia because it was hard to believe that I was there, seeing the Sagrada Familia was so special and the meaning behind everything. The towers for the apostles and Jesus Christ, God, Glory, Judgement Day, Mary, everything was amazing and shocking. Another thing that really stuck with me was seeing the other St. Jeanne school. It was crazy to me seeing everyone their and how all the people are united. It shocked me the differences from this school and the one in Barcelona. I met a few people their that I thought I would never meet before.

- Elias Roman

Appreciating Another Culture

 

Ever since I was little I loved Rome. Something about the culture being depicted in the movies and how old the structures are and how they’re placed intrigued me. The most exciting thing in Rome to see was the colosseum for me. I always saw it in movies and in pictures and was in awe when I saw it in person. I think I was so amazed about this particular structure because they built this with no modern technology, and it’s still standing amazes me. Although we did not go inside it, it was still a feeling that I’ll never forget. Knowing that the Romans were walking on the same streets as we were, and how they thrived in this environment is an experience I’ll cherish forever. Hearing how advanced civilization was before technology was a great experience that I appreciate because of my own experience learning my culture. I feel as if Rome captures everything that always made me love history. The streets and how the roads are bricks, the buildings and how closely they are placed, the historical paintings and sculptures inside churches. I believe that Rome was the best experience for me for looking at the culture, although I do think that the faith side of things would be Bordeaux.

 

--Bella DuBois