Day 5 Galway—City of Tribes – City of Seagulls

All of us are coming to grips with the noise of the seagulls that are numerous here. My friend, Len Browne was awakened at 4 in the morning by the distinct (emphasis on the stink) sound of a seagull near her window this morning.. We are near Galway Bay, so I guess that it’s an occupational hazard of being in this lovely city.

Today was the first day that we had a steady drizzle for most of the morning, and as luck would have it, this was the day for our scheduled walking tour of the city. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

We discovered that two more pilgrims were under the weather this morning and would not be joining us. After breakfast, we headed to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas for Mass celebrated by Fr. Steve with Frs. Conrad and Vincent concelebrating. Fr. Steve remarked at how friendly all of the hosting priests have been and how genuinely happy they are to have us use their churches.

One of the side chapels of the Cathedral has a mosaic in honor of President Kennedy, who visited Galway a few months before his death. Conor, our pilgrimage guide, said that after President Kennedy’s assassination, it was not uncommon to find a framed photo of the slain president in people’s homes. “I was young, and visiting my grandparents,” Conor said, “I thought that I was related to President Kennedy. We also visited a memorial plinth to President Kennedy in Eyre Square, not far from our hotel.

As I said, our walking tour was a bit of a challenge with the heavy drizzle, but we soldiered on and then had the afternoon free. Some of us had lunch at a small restaurant, McDonough’s, which is famous for its fish and chips. A few of us picked up a few gifts and most all of us managed to find time for an afternoon nap. Nothing quite like listening to the rain as one is sleeping contentedly.

We walked to a lovely restaurant for dinner and enjoyed some meaningful conversations with our fellow pilgrims. One pilgrim eagerly shared with me and the other two pilgrims at our table how meaningful the prayer exercise that I utilized to begin our pilgrimage. After our first dinner together, I arranged a group of stones from the shore of Lake Superior (many thanks to my friend and former colleague, Kris Joseph, who helped me gather the stones and who probably ruined her knees in the process.) I took the tray with the stones around the two tables and asked the pilgrims to select a stone. Unbeknownst them, there was a word printed in the opposite side of the stone. I asked the pilgrims to use this word as a focal point, a guidepost for their prayer and reflection during the course of our pilgrimage. We will have time near the end of the pilgrimage for anyone who wishes to share the impact of this word on their pilgrimage. Needless to say, I am looking forward to hearing the many and varied stories that are in store for us.