Friday 31 May 2024 Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady to Elizabeth Friday – Grotto Mass - Closing Mass We are blessed today, to celebrate the great Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin, Elizabeth – the meeting in the wombs of both of Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist. We are also blessed to celebrate this Feast at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to St Bernardette. These are moments to savour where we reflect on the experiences of our week together. As we prepare to return home, we hope and pray that something of this week will remain with us and that we will be changed by our Pilgrim experience. Grotto Mass: Homily Archbishop Bernard Longley delivered the Homily during today's Mass: "When I woke up this morning it came as something of a surprise to realise that today we would be celebrating the Closing Mass of our pilgrimage. Lourdes has been full of surprises over the last few days – and we can only imagine St Bernadette’s surprise at meeting Our Lady just here beside the River Gave – just as St Elizabeth must have been surprised as well as delighted at seeing her cousin Mary at the Visitation." Read Homily in full Photo Gallery: Closing Mass in the Grotto Friday Evening Prayer Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer of the Church are two hinges of the Church’s day. They are prayed by Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Religious each day as part of the promises of their chosen vocation. But every one of us is asked to consecrate the different parts of the day by our prayer. You might consider making Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer of the Church something that you could pray more regularly as a fruit of your pilgrimage this week. A good app to buy which can help this is called Univeralis. It has Morning and Evening Prayer, Readings and Mass responses and much more for all the year round. Photo Gallery: Friday Evening Prayer and Eucharistic Procession Manage Cookie Preferences