If you walk past the Living Water Community car park on Frederick Street, you can’t help but notice the collection of national flags dotted among the parked cars.

In fact, football fever has so infected the Community that they have organised a pilgrimage to Germany during the World Cup, and included Soca Warriors’ matches in the itinerary!

Thirty-six pilgrims will don their national colours at stadia in Dortmund, Nuremberg and Kaiserlautern on June 10, 15 and 20, respectively, to watch T&T square off against some of the top teams in the world.

“We thought it would be lovely to have a community presence to provide prayerful support,” said LWC leader, Rhonda Maingot. “We phoned Jack Warner and booked our tickets (to the matches) the next day!”

It was T& T’s victory over Bahrain last November 16 at the National Stadium that gave Maingot the idea of a pilgrimage where people could visit holy shrines and attend the Soca Warriors’ matches. But, a pilgrimage that combined visits to holy places and matches was a little difficult for some people to accept.

“People can’t understand how we could marry the two and call it a pilgrimage,” said LWC member, Sandra Armstrong, who has been organising pilgrimages for the community for the past 24 years. “They feel it’s not the place for World Cup and, of course,” she grinned, “some are very excited about it!”

The community had never been to Germany on pilgrimage, said Armstrong, so they relied on longtime travel agents, Mancunia Travel, London, to put together a package.

“Some of the shrines I’d never heard of,” she admitted, “but there are some very famous shrines there.” So, are people going for the soccer or the shrines?

Trier Cathedral, photo taken from sacred-destinations.com

“I’m a football fanatic, but I’m not going to allow it to take away from the religious aspect,” said community member and pilgrim, Marguerite Rodriguez. “You have to be open and know what you’re entering into; as long as you know it’s a pilgrimage, and you don’t lost sight of that.”

Despite the many other tours available to Germany during the World Cup, even non-community members have signed on to LWC’s pilgrimage from the beginning and “never wavered”, said Armstrong.
“They want an experience of pilgrimage. The people who signed up with us know our tours are different.”

Armstrong will be leading the Germany pilgrimage, along with spiritual director, Fr Robert Llanos. She looks forward to this one, in particular, because of the differences inherent in the journey.

“(During) the last few pilgrimages we’ve done since the turn of the century, we’ve carried the country in our hearts in a really sorrowful way,” she reflected. “At the Divine Mercy shrine in Poland (2004), we beseeched God’s mercy on our land. At the last pilgrimage in 2005 to France and Spain we sang “Heal Our Land” at all the Marian shrines.

“I feel this year we carry our country in a celebrational way!” she declared. “There will be a real sense of celebration because of the World Cup. There’ll be a lot of prayer, there’ll be a lot of spiritual food, we’re going to visit a lot of beautiful shrines. God sees our hearts and always blesses us.

 “It’s very special that Living Water should be there,” she said. “We’re part of T & T!”