Loreto Letterkenny pupils complete seven‑day pilgrimage to Medjugorje

Thirty girls from Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny, returned home after a seven‑day pilgrimage to Medjugorje.

The group, accompanied by spiritual director Father Damien Nejad and teachers Ms Bernie Sweeney and Ms Mairead Boyle, spent the week attending daily Mass, praying the Rosary and the Luminous Mysteries and reflecting on their faith.

Key sites and activities

Highlights included visits to Apparition Hill, the Blue Cross and a climb up Cross Mountain, which began at 5 a.m. and featured stops at the Stations of the Cross. The students also visited the grave of Fr Slavko Barbarić and attended Mass at St James’s Church in Medjugorje.

At St Anthony’s Chapel the girls took part in a special Mass celebrated by Father Nejad and received a blessing with a relic of St Anthony. A missing set of keys was later found, prompting a light‑hearted appeal to the saint.

A day trip to Mostar saw the pupils explore the historic city, admire the mosaics of the Church of St Peter and St Paul where Father Nejad celebrated another Mass, and enjoy leisure time that included shopping, ice‑cream and a speedboat ride.

The pilgrimage was described as a balance of faith, friendship, adventure and fun, leaving the students with new friendships, treasured memories and a deeper appreciation of their spirituality.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Rachel Randall / Pexels.