Lourdes

The 1883 Pilgrimage to Lourdes
In 1883, the Oblates led their first pilgrimage to Lourdes. From 21-24 May, a total of 310 Pilgrims travelled. A report in the Annals of Our Lady of Lourdes gives an account of this pilgrimage which was organised by Father William Ring OMI, and he was joined in his endeavour by many other Oblate priests...

Torchlight Procession at Sacred Heart
Yesterday evening, at Sacred Heart parish, in Kilburn, London, we had a beautiful torchlight procession to mark the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Check out the photos!

Lourdes 2022 Day 5 – A Final, Beautiful Day
And like that, it was all over! At least, that is what it felt like. The days have gone by so quickly here and this evening, we had our closing ceremony, placed our pilgrimage candle opposite the Grotto, said our goodbyes to our friends – old and new – and began to put our mind...

Lourdes 2022 Day 4 – Healing the Healer
In the weeks leading up to this pilgrimage, we spoke frequently about how different this pilgrimage was going to be in so many ways. To be sure, not having been in Lourdes with the pilgrimage after an absence of three years, we knew that being back would have a different sense about it. A year...

Lourdes 2022 Day 3 – Rediscovering Lourdes
Our day starts at the Crowned Virgin statue. Anyone who has even been to Lourdes knows this place. For those who have not, it is a central point, in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes, with a statue that faces the Basilica. By now, all of our groups have arrived. Despite the...

Lourdes 2022 Day 2 – A Beautiful Day
Long lost friends! So many times today, it has been a case of catching up with long lost friends. The reality of the time gap has taken hold today. When we talk, the first phrase can be to refer to, “last year” until we have to stop ourselves and say, no, it wasn’t last year...

Lourdes 2022 Day 1 – Back in Lourdes after Three Years
If everything had gone as planned, then I would have started writing my first instalment of the pilgrimage blog yesterday, Friday. However, French Air Traffic Control had other plans and so it was that there was no travel yesterday. People are converging on Lourdes from many parts of the Oblate world throughout Britain and Ireland....

Pay for a Candle to be lit in Lourdes
If you would like, you can pay for one of the following options, to have a candle lit in Lourdes:

20 Inspiring Quotes by Saint Bernadette
Bernadette is a young French saint whose life and legacy has touched the lives of people all over the world. She is, of course, best known for a series of Marian apparitions in Lourdes, where Mary asked for a chapel to be built near the cave grotto. The Story of Lourdes > She also said...

My experiences of working in the baths at Lourdes as a volunteer
My experiences of working in the baths at Lourdes I have had the privilege of coming to Lourdes for the last six years as a volunteer. The first time I came I really had no idea what to expect but I volunteered to work in the Baths. At this time in my life I wasn’t...