Latest Diocese Life Blog 'Cycling is the perfect activity to pray the rosary...it helps to still my mind and to focus on the Lord Jesus' Following our recent story on Worcester parishioner Frank Tota, cycling 800 miles to join the Diocesan Pilgrimage in Lourdes, he has begun sharing reflections from his incredible journey. Below Frank has captured his daily activities and highlights from day 3 to day 7. Please sponsor Frank if you can, thank you Day 7. Monday 11 May, cycling pilgrimage to Lourdes Illiers-combray- Lamotte-Beuvron At 9am today, I said thank you and goodbye to my hosts Claude and Marie. I booked the attic room in their restaurant/home for the night. On their restaurant wall are photos of my hosts with Emmanuele Macron and his wife Brigitte. They were very proud to host two such distinguished guests. Across the road from their restaurant is the beautiful Romanesque church of St Jacques. Next to the church is a statue of Marcel Proust as a young boy, sitting on a bench. He spent many summers in this village, with his aunt and he based some of his writing on his childhood memories of the village. Just before I left I sang one verse of John Bunyan's hymn, 'To be a pilgrim' (in Eng) to Claude and Marie. I asked them to pray for me and said that I would pray for them. It was raining for the first three hours of my ride but by God's grace, the wind was at my back and I was able to complete the ride much faster than normal, in less than five hours. My accommodation for tonight is a studio in a garden. It's just a glorified garden shed but it's really comfortable. Day 6. Sunday 10 May, sponsored cycling pilgrimage to Lourdes Alençon to Illiers-combray My field of vision on route was fields to my right and left and straight roads. I am being spoilt with beautiful countryside and fascinating tracks through forest areas. I stopped for lunch at a delightful Brasserie in the charming village of La Perriere. Everyone whom I have met in France have been really pleasant and helpful. The local farmers have been given a Sunday blessing of rain for their vast fields of crops. Fortunately, my months of training around the Malvern Hills included quite a few occasions when it was cold and wet. Day 5. Saturday 9 May, cycling pilgrimage to Lourdes Rest day in Alençon Alençon is a beautiful, bustling market town and today it is full of traders. On offer there is food from Asia, Africa and France, as well as other merchandise. The glorious, sunny weather has brought the townsfolk out in force. I was fortunate enough to attend Mass in the family home of St Thérèse. The chapel was built in 1957 and it is an integral part of the home. On one side there is a glass window looking into the room where St Thérèse was born. In the cot are prayer intentions from the people who have attended Mass. Every Friday the Carmelite nuns who care for the shrine pray for the intentions offered. My Mass intention was for my wife Sue, whom I love and miss very much. The rose bush to the left of Sister Catiene in the photograph has been in the garden since 1873. Father Paul, from Rennes, celebrated Mass. He was taking altar servers on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Martin family home. I spoke to several of the altar servers after Mass. They are proud supporters of Renne FC, who are 5th in Ligue 1. Sadly, none of the boys had heard of Stoke City FC. After Mass Sister Catiane from the Carmelite community based in the home, gave me a guided tour. Sister Catiane is from Brazil and she gave me the most charming and spiritually uplifting history of the family. Thank God for the service of our religious sisters. The rosary beads in the photograph were bought in Lourdes by Zélie Martin, when she went on pilgrimage, to ask Our Lady's intercession for her terminal cancer. Sadly, she was not cured and soon after died. However, in Zélie's letters to her sister at this time she did not show any anger or frustration towards God. She kept on repeating, 'Only if it is God"s will'. Her life was lived in faith whether times were joyful or painful. 🙏 I have been so very blessed on this pilgrimage to have this wonderful experience in Alençon. I went to the 6pm Vigil Mass at St Claire's Basilica in Alençon. After Mass I was talking to a Brasilian Carmelite Brother named John Paul. He is the actual brother of Sister Catiane who lives in the home of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin and who gave me the guided tour this morning. Brother John Paul is pictured in front of the altar of St Claire's Basilica. Day 4. Friday 8 May, cycling pilgrimage to Lourdes Flers - Alençon Recognising the role of providence in your life is a great joy and blessing. Praise God! I write this, because last night in Flers, I decided to change my plan of travel. Instead of cycling to Laval, where my accommodation was pre-booked, I booked accommodation in Alençon. When I messaged my wife, Sue she asked if I did this in order to pray at the former home of the Martin family, Martin Louis et Zélie Martin. Although I have read a great deal about the Martin family, it completely slipped my mind that they lived in Alençon. So, here I am in the town of Alençon where St Thérèse of Lisieux was born. The photo below shows me standing outside the Martin's former home. I am staying for two nights, so I will be able to visit the church and places connected with the Martin family. On a practical note I was able to access a very good launderette and ensure I will have clean cycling gear for the next part of my pilgrimage. Day 3. Thursday 7 May, sponsored cycle ride to Lourdes Portsmouth to Flers I am so grateful for all the good wishes, thoughts and prayers that everyone is putting on my Facebook page. It is helping me enormously to know that so many of you are following my progress on a daily basis. The Good Lord ensured I was given VIP treatment by the staff of Brittany Ferries. I led the cars, trucks, motor homes and motorbikes onto and off the ferry. This really made me smile. The bikers in the photo at Portsmouth Ferry port were charming people who was able to talk to about the importance and meaning of a pilgrimage. France is a superb country for cycling. After riding off the ferry, Google maps led me to a dedicated cycling road made from a disused railway line. The surface was immaculate, not a pothole in sight. I cycled for 40km along this road which ran parallel to the River Orne. The rest of the ride was on very quiet and peaceful country roads with huge fields of crops on either side. Cycling is the perfect activity to pray the rosary. I have been doing this for at least a year now during my long rides. It helps to still my mind and to focus on the Lord Jesus. 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