A Pilgrimage to Lourdes

Peter Green, October 1998

It certainly raised a few eyebrows when I announced that I had accepted an invitation from a very good Catholic friend of mine, John Davis, to join him on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The plan was to motor through France from Le Havre and on-route visit Lisieux to see the Basilica dedicated to St Theresa, then carry on down to Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrenees. It was at the rock of Massabielle, Lourdes where at the age of 14 St Bernadette Soubirous saw the first of many visitations of Our Lady in 1858. On our return journey we planned to call at Nevers to visit the chapel and final resting place of St. Bernadette.

The Basilica, Lisieux

Our first port of call at Lisieux was my second visit to the Basilica dedicated to St. Thérèse, my first visit being during a gite holiday in Normandy with Elaine and John Hayward in 1984 when we saw a laser production about St. Thérèse within the vast building.

Thérèse Martin was born in Alencon in 1873 and entered the Carmelite Convent in Lisieux at the age of 15 and died of TB when just 24 years old. It seems she was not known until the publication after her death of her autobiography "The Story of a Soul", but she was canonised in 1925 and Pope Saint Pius X called her "the greatest Saint of modern times". John had loaned me a copy of the book which I have yet to read, but gather that her "Little Way" is to have absolute love and confidence in God and  to spend her time in heaven "doing good on earth". Clearly  her short life and aspirations to help others in her afterlife have been an inspiration to the million pilgrims who visit Lisieux each year.

First impressions of Lourdes were not good. The little winding road that follows the foothills of the Pyrenees in breathtaking countryside bodes well. However, the town of just 17,000 inhabitants houses 360 hotels and seemingly many more souvenir shops selling tacky religious souvenirs. The commercialisation of the area is not surprising though as over 5 million visitors from 150 countries descend on Lourdes each year!

My views about the place changed as soon as I entered the domain. The vast area houses the grotto in the rock cave of Massabielle where Bernadette was privileged to receive the visitations and messages of Our Lady. An upper and lower Basilica have been created and built on the surrounding rock, and all around are a number of other churches, pavilions and other places of prayer and witness.

Words, even the photographs I took and show on these pages fail to convey the feeling one gets from joining in the witness and prayer of so many people from so many walks of life. The nightly candlelit procession of thousands of Christians (this was just a typical 2 days in the life of Lourdes but the crowds were reminiscent of those we see down the Mall and around Buckingham Palace on special royal occasions), the equally large gathering for the blessing of the sick in the vast square on the afternoon, the masses and other services going on day and night in the grotto and so many other places are simply overwhelming.

I joined John in a Mass celebrated in Italian in the Upper Basilica but also went on my own to two English Masses - one in the Chapel of St. Bernadette and, what was for me one of the most moving experiences of all, a Mass for Children in the underground Chapel of St. Joseph. The routine is that those who are handicapped are admitted first and children, in a seemingly endless stream of old-fashioned looking, blue wheelchairs, passed the able-bodied by as we waited to go into the chapel. I am sure there was not a dry eye around as we saw each child, handicapped in body but lively in spirit and full of life, with their young helpers eagerly pulling them along. I sat by a very old lady who was also being looked after by a young-lad who took no end of trouble to make sure she was comfortable.

The younger members of the congregation had their own little orchestra with a few violins and other interesting instruments and the hymns were a wonderful balance of old and new. There were numerous readings by handicapped children and as each finished their particular piece there was rousing applause. At the time for the homily the priest admitted that a number of his flock had approached him beforehand and said that (in football parlance) they would show him a "red card" if he went on too long. He no sooner began than there was a great display of red cards held up by the congregation and to rousing cheers the priest agreed to stop there and then and get on with the Mass!

On the return trip we stayed at Nevers and on the morning of Sunday 14 we were able to go to the Convent of Saint - Gildard where Bernadette Soubirous came as a Sister of Charity of Nevers in 1866 and died there thirteen years later. The simple but moving Mass was held in the grounds of the Convent at a grotto that was constructed in 1884 similar to that at Massabielle. Afterwards we entered the chapel and actually saw the serene body of Bernadette laid in an open glass case. Before we left we visited the small museum which had a wonderful photographic record of Bernadette as she appeared at the time of the visitations including one at the grotto.

We were now prepared for the last leg home and resigned to the fact that the pilgrimage was all but over and there couldn’t be any more highs in a pretty amazing week. However I was wrong. We decided on the spur of the moment to stop at Chartres - a place that one is constantly reminded of when passing through Chichester! Nothing could have prepared us for the reaction to seeing and then entering Chartres Cathedral. What a magnificent building and surely one of the finest churches raised to the Glory of God. The scale, the colours of the stained glass windows, the wonderful feeling of being somewhere very holy in were awe inspiring. Despite the large number of visitors it was clear that this magnificent building was no museum but a real and sincere place of worship in most uplifting surroundings.

On arrival back in England I was met by Guy Beesley, one of several residents of Ashley House (home for disabled people run by the Shaftesbury Society) who are regular visitors to Lourdes, and he was eager to know when would I be seeking conversion to the Catholic faith! I told him that on the contrary the visit had reminded me how similar our Anglican service in St Wilfrid’s was to all the wonderful services that I had joined in France.

I think what had moved me greatly though was the realisation that prayer and communion with God was happening on a vast scale around the clock and involving Christians from all corners of theworld. It all forcibly demonstrated to me that worship was not a weekend or even 9 till 5 activity but a continual rising of the mind and heart to God.

It was interesting to read in the July/August edition of Catholic Life that Frances Shand Kydd, the mother of Princes Diana and also the Duchess of Kent are much involved with Lourdes. Frances, despite the terrible tragedy in her family, is busying herself with the Catholic charity HCPT, the Pilgrimage Trust which organises trips for handicapped children. Frances was there earlier this year with a group from Scotland. She says Lourdes has inspired her - "You are so aware of the distress and the thanksgiving and the hope," - I couldn't agree more.

Peter Green
October 1998

Footnote:
My dear friend John was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2004 and this accelerated his plans to spend his last days reunited with his two daughters who lived in Noosa Head, Australia. In view of his medical condition, it was some time before he could get clearance to make the journey and whilst waiting he made one final trip to Lourdes with his son Damien. I was privileged to see with John a wonderful video that Damien, a professional actor, had made of the trip and the familiar sites at Lourdes brought back many memories of our earlier pilgrimage together.

A Bon Voyage Party for John (see here with his son Damien) shortly before he left for Australia.

John died peacefully in Noosa on the 13th February, 2005 watching a video of one of the many pantomimes he had directed in Bognor and surrounded at his bedside by all his family who had flown out to be with him – so no miracle cure at the rock of Massabielle on this occasion. I am absolutely sure though that God answered John's prayers there as I am sure he has done for millions of others who believe and make the long journey to this holy place. Thank you John for letting me join you on the pilgrimage and for being a very dear friend. God Bless you.