I threw myself into organizing this pilgrimage with real enthusiasm and energy. I wanted to bring along not just the group traveling with me, but also those who couldn't come for various reasons—people who said to me, "A piece of me goes with you."
Before we left and after we returned, I heard plenty of comments, both positive and negative. But with nearly a thousand of us coming from everywhere, with different needs and ways of thinking, friction was inevitable. You encounter everything imaginable. People need to accept what comes, help each other out, work together to make things run smoothly. It takes patience—a lot of it—and not everyone has that.
One wonderful surprise: the trading cards and albums. Both children and adults got caught up in swapping cards to complete their collections. It happened during the pilgrimage days, on the return journey, and even back home.
Whenever I could, I said a prayer for everyone who asked me: "Pray for me and my family when you're in St. Peter's Square, when you visit St. Francis." Prayer helps so much. It brings peace, it steadies you, it lifts you up. It makes us feel connected to each other.
We were blessed with beautiful weather. The sun lifted our spirits and gave us calm.
I'm grateful to everyone. We all did our part to make this pilgrimage work, each of us contributing what we could. We're a wonderful team.