On a pilgrimage to Saint Anthony.

A while ago, the idea came to me to go on a pilgrimage to Maastricht, to a chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony. Someone very dear to me suggested that I ask for his intercession to receive grace. Those weren’t the exact words, but that’s how I interpreted it. I thought, I’m going on a pilgrimage. I searched on Google and ended up in Maastricht. Of course, it had to be a real journey. Spoilers ahead if you read on: everything went fantastically. But the journey there was quite special and a bit crazy.

To start with, of course, there’s a relic of Saint Anthony just a five-minute walk from my house. I prayed there every day during the novena leading up to his feast day, which we celebrate today, June 13. That was already intense. And then you arrive in Maastricht, and all you find there is a very large statue. But that shouldn’t spoil the fun.

The plan was to go to Mass in the day chapel of St. Servatius Basilica in Maastricht. That’s an easy task, you might say. But Mass was at 9 a.m. That’s not so unusual either, since I do that every day during the week. One small difference: normally the travel time is five minutes. Today it took an hour and 45 minutes. That’s because I had to take the bus, but more on that later. So I had to get up early. I actually wanted to go to the adoration before Mass as well, but that probably wasn’t going to happen. The alarm went off at 6 a.m. For those who know me, you know that for me on a Saturday, that’s like swearing in church. But oh well. A deal is a deal. Even though I had organized it myself and didn’t have to take anyone else into account.

When I went over the route again yesterday just to be sure—since St. Servatius and the hallways are pretty big, and I didn’t know exactly where the entrance was so I could head straight to my destination efficiently and not waste a second at the adoration, or even make it to Mass on time—I checked the route. I was startled because construction work is scheduled and I couldn’t take the train to Maastricht. I could only go as far as Sittard by train. From there, I’d have to take the bus for the last leg. I started to have second thoughts. “Should I just go to the O.L.V. Munsterkerk tomorrow morning instead? There’s a relic and a Mass there, and adoration too.” But I decided to take a chance.

After the alarm went off at 6 a.m., I was up quickly. Faster than on weekdays. After breakfast, I went to the station for the first train. I arrived a few minutes early. I stood in my usual spot, but the night train pulled in there. I thought, “Oops, this is going to be a problem.” But I needed a different train. It was about to leave. After sprinting onto it, everything went according to plan all the way to Sittard, and I was able to pray Lauds (Morning Prayer) in peace. Once there, a bus was waiting. The bus driver said, “I’m on break now and will leave again in an hour.” That was yet another trial.

But “God will provide,” I thought to myself. And sure enough, I looked around and there was another bus. Hidden behind the bushes. It wasn’t an express bus, but a local bus. I was eating myself up on the way to Maastricht. The bus kept stopping for a while at certain spots. I enjoyed listening to the Classic Rock playlist while watching the train tracks being repaired. But time was ticking away. Once I arrived at the Maastricht station, I walked quickly toward the church. I found the entrance to the church right away. I entered the chapel in silence and saw only two sisters sitting by the Blessed Sacrament. I began to pray and took a photo. It was only then that I realized I still had fifteen minutes to pray. I made good use of that time.

At the end, the emeritus bishop of Roermond entered the chapel, and I was also surprised that the nuncio from Germany gave the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament and also celebrated Mass on the occasion of the jubilee of his ordination. After Mass, I stayed to pray for a while, and then the Rosary began. I was surprised by this, because it hadn’t been announced, and I had planned to pray it at a different time. And yes, it gets even more miraculous. After the Rosary, someone told me that while the chapel is free to enter, the basilica is not. But when I asked at the desk where the statue of St. Anthony was, I was allowed to walk right through. Because it was still so early, it was an intense moment, alone before the statue of Anthony, and indeed alone in the basilica. After a while, the tourists started coming in. I went to have a cup of coffee on the Vrijthof and then went back to pray the Terce (Midday Prayer, before noon) at the feet of Anthony. I was able to take quite a few photos there. Also some of the basilica itself.

Then I turned it into a real “city trip.” I explored the city and noticed it was already very crowded. I took a lot of photos, and it was hard not to end up with other people in the shots. You’ll just have to forgive me for the selfies. I’m really terrible at them. After I stopped by the Basilica of Our Lady to light a candle for all the intentions entrusted to me, and for those I’ve promised to pray for, it was time for lunch. It was a bit early, but breakfast had also been very early today. And yes, man does not live by bread alone. Although that might be a bit out of place, my physical hunger was fortunately satisfied at a small restaurant on the Maas.

The return trip went a lot more smoothly. I was writing this blog post on the way, but I didn’t have enough time since I was already home. It was a very successful day. I hope that Our Lord will hear my prayers and that I will receive the grace I asked of Him. “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.”