The annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, at Hednesford in Staffordshire, has taken place.

Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday 5 July to continue their recent Lourdes Pilgrimage experience, or for those who did not go to Lourdes in May, to enter into the experience of Lourdes here in the Archdiocese.

During the warm, summer’s afternoon pilgrims had the opportunity to attend Confession, take part in the Rosary, enjoy refreshments and soak up the calming atmosphere of the site.

Mass, with Sacrament of the Sick, took place at 4pm. The principal celebrant was Bishop David Evans, chairman of the Lourdes Pilgrimage Committee.

Bishop Timothy Menezes and priests and deacons of the Archdiocese were also present, along with guest the Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave, retiring Bishop of Lichfield.

Last month Fr Jeremy Howard, Director of the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage and Chair of the Hednesford Pilgrimage Committee, had shared a personal video message inviting all to Hednesford. The video was filmed in the Underground Basilica in Lourdes, in front of artwork depicting the Apparitions where Mary appeared to Bernadette.

In a special reflection issued in last week’s diocesan e-newsletter, Fr Jeremy said:

However many times you have travelled to Lourdes, there is always a feeling of excitement when you prepare to go there on Pilgrimage. Of course, it is possible to feel close to God anywhere, but Lourdes is one of those places where it seems much easier. In Lourdes the values of this world are turned upside down. The sick, the vulnerable and the poor are the VIP’s and not the celebrities who are followed obsessively in the world outside. The many young people who come on pilgrimage find their true joy in serving others. 

In 1911 Fr Patrick Boyle became the first Parish Priest of Hednesford on the edge of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. He was a frequent pilgrim to Lourdes and became an Honorary Chaplain of the Shrine. To spread the message of Lourdes, he formulated the idea of a great church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes and a Grotto. After his premature death in 1921 his successor, Fr Joseph Healy modified the plans and built the church and grotto. From that time Hednesford has become a place of prayer and pilgrimage where people respond to the call of Our Lady of Lourdes and feel closer to her Son.

The Diocesan Pilgrimage began in 1966 and continues to take place on the first Sunday in July, soon after the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes at the end of May. All are invited to continue their recent Lourdes Pilgrimage experience, or for those who did not go to Lourdes, to enter into the experience of Lourdes here in the Archdiocese. 

St John Paul II visited Lourdes twice and composed this prayer there in 2004. We make his prayer our own.

"Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman, Blessed by the Most High! Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era, We join in your song of praise, to celebrate the Lord's mercy, to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and the full liberation of humanity..."

Our Lady of Lourdes parish website

Revisit this year's Lourdes Pilgrimage

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