Pilgrimage charity wins Cardinal’s company

A small Christian charity which enables sick people to travel to visit Lourdes has this year attracted the support of the Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who will join the pilgrims for their annual visit departing England on 24^th May.
A spokeswoman for the charity, Catherine Casey, explains “This is really quite a coup for a small Catholic charity such as ours.  Last year we celebrated our centenary but the Cardinal was unable to join us when we invited him as it coincided with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, at which he was required to be present as Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster.  He has done us the honour of arranging to come with us this year instead.”

The Society of Our Lady of Lourdes was originally formed in 1912 to care for the sick on the English National Pilgrimage to Lourdes.  Ten years later the society took over the entire organisation of the annual trip and has been running the pilgrimage ever since.  Relying solely on donations and voluntary help, the members enable and encourage pilgrims to visit Lourdes, minimising the barriers of cost and disability.

In the foothills of the French Pyrenees, the small market town of Lourdes has been a focal shrine for the Catholic Church since 1858 when a 14 year old girl, Bernadette Soubirous saw repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary, subsequently known as Our Lady of Lourdes.  Today, with a population of around 15,000 residents it is visited by around 5,000,000 pilgrims and tourists every season. An estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine and its spa waters since 1860 and the Catholic Church has officially recognised 68 healings as ‘miraculous’.

The Society of Our Lady of Lourdes annual trip to the south west of France usually comprises around 400 people in total of which around 100 are wheelchair bound or suffering from some of medical condition or disability.   The experienced helpers who commit to the trip are supported by qualified doctors and nurses who are on hand to provide 24 hour care.  Schools  including Holy Family in Keighley, St Bedes in Bradford and St Michael’s in Watford continue a tradition dating back near a quarter of a century in bringing pupils along to help with pushing wheelchairs and other supporting roles.

The valuable service provided by the charity is unique, given that individual diocesan trips to Lourdes are unable to deliver the same level of skilled support. The trip offers an inspirational and spiritual experience enjoyed in the spirit of love, hope and acceptance which provides a lasting influence on the pilgrims.

With the Cardinal at the forefront as a very important figurehead who will be as much respected in Lourdes as in the UK, for the pilgrims, members and helpers, this year’s trip is certain to be a significant milestone in the history of the charity as the Society of Our Lady of Lourdes looks forward to its next 100 years.