Above left: Peaks of the Pyrenees; Above right: Lourdes
While in France, I made a pilgrimage to Our Lady's Shrine in Lourdes, located southwest of France - a 6-hour direct (SNCF) train ride from Paris (round-trip cost 135E). The spiritual visit was a little disappointing as the town was overly-commercialized with hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. Medjugorje it is definitely not! That aside, I participated in pilgrimage activities like walking the Jubilee Way and the Way of the Cross, attending Mass, and joining the nightly Marian candlelit procession from 9-10 PM in the Sanctuary.
A visit to Lourdes would also not be complete without a visit to the Grotto. I paid homage to the Sacred Shrine of Our Lady in the Grotto and frequently drank and collected water from the taps nearby. For believers, the water from the Grotto has miraculous healing powers - spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically. This would explain the many sick, disabled and elderly pilgrims who visit Lourdes with steadfast faith for healing. If anything, the support, empathy and shared pain and suffering amongst the sick, disabled and elderly pilgrims, and the love and compassion from the volunteers seemed to lift the spirits of those involved. That, to me, was the biggest take-away of my brief pilgrimage to Lourdes.
Above: The church where Bernadette Soubirous was baptised - also the start of the Jubilee Way
Above left: The start of the Jubilee Way
Above right: The Jubilee Way led me to the Sanctuary
Above right: The Jubilee Way led me to the Sanctuary
Above left: The water taps; Above right: The line leading to the Grotto where the Lady of Lourdes first appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858
Above left: The Grotto
Above right: At the start of the Way of the Cross
Above right: View of the Sanctuary from the Castle
Above: View of Lourdes from the Castle
Above: Pilgrims gathering for the nightly Marian procession
