PEACE

I believe we all seek the divine in our own and private way. Honoring God by going to an extraordinary place, gives me such peace, and a renewal with daily life. The ancient practice of pilgrimage to me is a quick trip to Lacombe to sit in a simple wooden pew.

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, on Fish Hatchery Road in Lacombe, is an awe inspiring chapel built in 1923 by Father Francis Balay. The wooded spot was so similar to the Gave de Pair area in France, that Father Balay believed a chapel should be erected honoring Our Lady of Lourdes of his native country. His belief is enjoyed by many who find their way as a favorite place for prayer and devotion. Many claim with answered prayer that the water from the spring has cured them of mind, body and spiritual ailments. I believe it is a perfect place for a private afternoon of renewal and PEACE.

"Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof." Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical essayist, poet 1883-1931)

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." St. Thomas Aquinas...Scholastic philosopher and theologian 1225-1274.