At times much of our faith seems hidden in our hearts and in our church buildings, and yet on occasion it shows itself in a beautiful and striking way and we see that indeed we are the Church, alive and active.

It began simply as a Mass for the sick of our two parishes, on the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to Bernadette at Lourdes. However like the seed of any good or Godly idea, it grew quickly and beyond all expectation.

                                                                              We decided to begin on the Sunday afternoon. After a short gospel reading, a prayer and a hymn we would take the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes from St Mary’s in Arisaig via Morar village into Mallaig and there we would bless the West Highland Hotel for Mass the next day.

As it happened, when we began our service in St Mary’s the church was filled with people. The gospel was proclaimed and the people and statue blessed. The image was carried from the church to the strains of the Lourdes hymn. The sun glinted on the prayerful cavalcade as the line of ‘pilgrim’ cars stretched as far as you could see along the Mallaig road.

I doubt that a Sunday afternoon has ever seen such a sight on the road to the isles. Over the river and into Morar to the sound of the pipes and the church bell echoing across the loch.  A volley of 15 fireworks from the games field marked our passing and on to Mallaig where the cross and candles led the youth carrying the statue from the church steps up to the West Highland Hotel, where she was welcomed by the pipes. Once everyone was finally inside, people representing the elderly, youth, married couples and children led the rosary with short meditations and four priests heard confessions for an hour.

The next day we were joined by more than thirty of the sick and housebound with nurses and helpers and around one hundred and twenty parishioners from Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig. During Mass Fr John Paul MacKinnon preached about the power of the Sacrament of the Sick and the beauty of healing which God brings us, after which the sick were anointed: a beautiful, prayerful and emotive moment for so many.

Mass continued with enthusiastic singing and fiddle music and afterwards Lourdes water was given out for each family to take home. During the weeks before the feast the two parish priests had invited those who wished to stay for lunch in the hotel with the sick and their helpers, so ninety seven stayed on to continue the day’s celebration.

A great many graces were given on those days and more will come to light as time passes and the ripples of faith move outward. Perhaps it shows us that at times apparently small acts of faith can inspire us with deep and lasting effect.