Sacred Service

From Villanova to Lourdes and back again

By Sarah Sexton

Millions travel each year to the city of Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary appeared to a young woman who would become St. Bernadette. At a sacred site known for reports of miraculous healings, pilgrims discover what caregiving looks like when distilled to its essence: no monitors beeping, no electronic charts, just a singular focus on human connection, spiritual peace and compassionate care.

For Villanova Nursing students participating in an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, this return to nursing’s most basic form becomes a defining moment in their education that carves a path for their vocation. The experience can be transformative, inspiring alumni to return to Lourdes after graduation (read more about one such student, Kate Dowdle ’19 FCN, here). The pilgrimage is organized by the Order of Malta, American Association, a Catholic lay religious order. They share with the students a commitment to witnessing to the Catholic faith and serving those who are sick and suffering.

Each spring, two students from the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing join nearly 400 pilgrims–members of the Order of Malta, medical team members, clergy, volunteers, caregivers and people seeking healing and respite–on this intensely personal journey. For these pilgrims, it is a time for healing, comfort and peace. The experience is made possible through the generosity of Craig and Nancy Gibson P ’20, themselves longtime active members of the Order of Malta, American Association, and parents to Caroline Gibson Schuhlen ’20 FCN.

“We've watched Caroline grow in a powerful way through the pilgrimage,” says Craig Gibson. “This experience has shaped her identity as a caregiver and deepened her faith.”

Student participants are organized into “pods”–small teams caring for a malade (French for “sick person”) alongside their chosen caregiver, often a spouse or family member, and a member of the Order of Malta. This structure creates intimate bonds that often extend beyond the weeklong pilgrimage: Caregivers often find their own renewal through the shared experience, and some malades keep in touch with their pod members–a reminder of the spiritual experience and transformation they underwent, together.

For Crishelle Ildefonso ’26 FCN, who credits her Catholic school education with instilling the virtue of service, the pilgrimage offered insights she hadn't expected. “Going on this pilgrimage is a great reminder of what true nursing can be,” she reflected. The experience helped her further connect the ways that her nursing classes can integrate with her faith, allowing her to bring a spirit and heart for service as she cares for her patients.

One Order member's words particularly stuck with Ildefonso: “Time stands still at Lourdes. In a way, nothing changes. It remains in its most original and pure form.” For Nursing students, the lesson is poignant, reminding them of the importance of communicating with patients and being present as support and accompaniment for those experiencing sickness, injury and disease.

Peyton Shallcross ’26 FCN found the intimate patient relationships deeply powerful and moving. “Being with someone for five days, especially in this setting, makes you feel closer to them–their feelings and day-to-day life, not just their diagnosis,” she says. “Now whenever I go into a clinical setting, it makes me want to get to know the patients more.”