Lourdes - Day Six

Thirty people from Hotel Europe were up with the lark and began the High Stations just after 6.00 am, together with representatives from the other Arundel & Brighton Diocese hotels.

The high turnout from Hotel Europe was due to an appeal from our Sister who was organising the Stations, and included most of the deaf plus a number of helpers. Several people had prepared mediations for their assigned Stations. Alas, somewhere there were crossed wires and a priest was there and directed other folk to read their meditations. There was some angry mutterings among the Hotel Europe pilgrims – but, on reflection, that reaction was a good reminder of our natural human frailty and lack of charity…so, I’m sure we all either (eventually) practised forgiveness or offered it up!

On returning from the Stations, I put my hand in my rear trouser pocket – and discovered it was empty, except for a five Euro note. My pocket had been professionally picked yesterday afternoon as we were walking through town and several folded banknotes were missing. Forgiveness may take rather longer in this case!



Busy Helpers

Morning mass at 9.45am was in The Grotto, under a blazing sun, and was shared with the Diocese of Salford. As usual, we set of from the hotel an hour before it was due to start..and then stood waiting for ages in a holding area until the other hotels and Salford Diocese joined us. It was like the army joke “Hurry up – and wait!”

The Mass gathering was a beautiful sight, ranks of wheelchairs at the front, and behind them massed  uniformed helpers and red and blue tee-shirted youngsters with brightly coloured umbrellas. Throughout the Mass they shielded the invalids from the hot sun, passed out water or applied sun cream.

Bishop Kieran’s homily began with a joke. An American Indian Chief called his tribe together and told them to gather firewood as it was going to be a cold winter. He later checked the weather forecast and found out that the weather was going to be quite severe so he told the tribe to gather more firewood. They did and he checked the forecast again to find that the projected severity had increased and it was now forecast to be extremely cold. Again, he asked the tribe to gather yet more wood. When he checked the forecast again he was surprised to find that it had been upgraded further to exceptionally severe cold weather. Puzzled, he phoned the station’s forecaster to find out why. He was told “Well, the Indians, who know about these things, are collecting huge amounts of firewood…”

The Bishop’s point was that there were two realities in the story, the factual reality and the inflated reality. Do we think Lourdes is unreal and that we return to reality, the real world, when we go home? No, Lourdes is the reality, it is a vision of God’s intent for creation, a world of true awareness, reconciliation, healing and love that should transform us so that we in turn may return home and bring with us the reality of God’s love in order to change our surroundings as well as our own lives.

Lunch was gigot of roast lamb. After lunch the options were going to the Baths or doing the Water Walk (the stations of the Water Walk, introduced in 2002, were washed away by the recent flood, so the ‘Walk’ is now a virtual one!).

The Baths are heavily booked and involve stripping and then immersing oneself in a bath of Lourdes water for a minute or two, reciting prayers and venerating a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, aided by a couple of volunteers.  Since I had experienced the Baths last year, I opted for the Water Walk and sat under the trees in a shady spot on the other side of the river, opposite the Grotto, and participated in a series of meditations on the use and nature of water, led by Sister Patricia.

After dinner (Cote de Porc Salsifis au Jus) Sister Patricia led us in a hymn, several prayers, intercessions and a blessing from Father Laurence. The Sign of Peace was quite extraordinary, it seemed that almost every one of the 70-odd pilgrims greeted everyone else, in fact so much hugging, kissing and handshaking went on that Hotel Leader Moira had to call a halt, fearful that there would be no time to get the necessary administration done. It was a practical sign of the extensive friendships that had been formed and of the overflowing love and goodwill generated by just one short week together in the transforming environment of Lourdes. And with one voice, the pilgrims paid tribute to the Marvellous Moon Girls with a spontaneous chorus of ‘Plastic Jesus…’ It doesn’t get any better than this!    

And, finally, a last trip to the Grotto at 11.00pm to say goodbye...(hopefully, for just another year).

 

Lourdes - Day Five

Only three of us departed Europe Hotel this morning at 5.50am for High Stations, but the group had grown to 21 A&B pilgrims by the time we started. It was still dark, especially under the canopy of trees, and we needed torches to read our books at the first Station. Very calm and peaceful, only the occasional birdsong broke the silence – except at the Second Station when a very loud group of 70 Italian pilgrims, complete with loudspeaker, came rushing up behind us. Fortunately, Barbara , a forceful lady when the need arises, went to remonstrate with them, and both the volume and speed of their advance slackened markedly.

We got back in time for 8.00am prayers at the hotel. The basic format, with hymns, prayers and intercessions is established by the Pilgrims Handbook. However, the contributions of individual pilgrims often make an indelible impression - and today was no different. One pilgrim talked about how a background of disability and pain caused her to question the value of her existence. It was the experience of Lourdes that persuaded her that life was worth living, that God had a plan for her and that, like Our Lady, she needed to trust in His providence. I think all of us had lumps in our throats, which was a suitable introduction for what followed.

The Annointing Mass for the A&B Diocese took place in St Pius X Basilica at 10.00am. The homily, by Fr. Rob Esdaile echoed the theme of this morning’s prayer. The Gospel was from 2 Corinthians where Paul pleads with the Lord three times to remove his ‘weakness’ but is told ‘My grace is enough for you; my power is at its best in weakness.’ Fr. Rob talked in a particularly insightful way of honouring the vulnerability of suffering through prayer and faith.  

Those to be anointed from each of the 12 hotels used by the A&B Diocese formed a circle, outside which was a further circle of helpers and able-bodied. Healing was available for physical, mental and spiritual needs and many took advantage of the opportunity, it was not just the wheelchair-bound. The holy oils of healing, blessed by the Bishop annually at Easter, were distributed, and the priests (Fr. Ian Byrnes and Fr. Laurence Quin-Morris for Hotel Europe) anointed each petitioner on the forehead and the inside of each wrist. As each person was annointed the ‘supporting’ helpers and friends of the outer ring placed their hands on the person’s shoulder and simultaneously prayed for healing. It was a very atmospheric, highly-charged, moving and deeply emotional experience with many tears, much hugging and patting; it was easy to believe that a higher power was at work and, hours later, many of the participants were still visibly moved.

After a smoked salmon lunch it was time for a coach trip to the City of Saint Peter, a Catholic charity that was founded in 1955 to provide basic accommodation for poor pilgrims who pay a small charge based on their ability to pay. It is based in beautiful wooded countryside just outside Lourdes and consists of administration buildings and several accommodation ‘pavilions.’



Tour Group Outside Pavilion

  The inspiration for the facility is a wish of Bernadette Soubirous (the Lourdes visionary) that shelter and food be made available at minimal cost to families in great need (like her own) so that they could come on pilgrimage.

Parts of the site were so steep that we had to resort to pulling the wheelchairs along with ropes!

 

Before leaving we visited the City’s church, a rustic stone-built building, a replica of the animal shed in Bartres where Saint Bernadette worked as a child.  

Chapel

After dinner (Rousette Porchee Epinard au jus), it was Party Night for the pilgrims at the Hotel Europe and the fare on offer included fan dancing (by a clothed gentleman!), songs, jokes, skits by the deaf group, impressions and a performance by visiting Redshirts.

The entertainment value of all the acts was high but, judging from the audience appreciation (and my own highly- biased opinion), the Marvellous Moon Girls blew the opposition away. Their performance of ‘Plastic Jesus on my Dashboard’, originally previewed last year, was updated and extended for tonight’s performance and brought the house down.  



the Marvellous Moon Girls

Credit also to the deaf group for very funny and original sketches.

 

And to Barbara (centre below) for organising it!

 

Lourdes - Day Four

It was still dark as we left the hotel before 6.00am. The shops were shuttered, the streets quiet, no traffic, just a refuse truck collecting bins. It had rained heavily the night before and the air seemed fresher – and it was quite chilly.



Basilica at dawn (opposite entrance to High Stations)

When we reached the entrance to the High Stations of the Cross, the A&B group gathered around Father Rob, over 100 people, including all the Redshirts. The Stations we were assembling to visit were built just over 100 years ago on a steep hill overlooking the Domaine. The 115 gilded cast iron figures of the 15 Stations are set on either side of a winding stony path, 1500 metres long, in a steeply wooded area.

As we climbed the hill - panting ever so slightly – the clear blue sky grew increasingly brighter, snow glistened on the Pyrenees Mountains in the distance, and the occasional birdsong broke the silence. In some places the trees overshadowed the path and raindrops fell and splattered us. Fr. Rob introduced each station, and we knelt briefly, saying ‘We adore You O Christ, we praise You, For by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.’ A Redshirt then read a personal meditation, we prayed, and moved on to the next station, quietly singing ‘Jesus remember me when you come into Your kingdom.’

 

At the last Station we exchanged the Sign of Peace and happily trotted off to breakfast. Although it was still before 8.00am, some souvenir shops were already open, people had begun to stream towards the Domaine, traffic was denser, and a few early beggars were already at ‘work,’ begging cups outstretched.  

Then followed the morning Mass in the Church of St Bernadette, a special sign Mass celebrated by Fr. Ian Byrnes (assisted at one stage by a bemused-looking Bishop Kieran).  We gathered in a shady area before processing into church, past the usual honour guard of Redshirts.

 

It was fascinating to watch Fr. Ian celebrate a signed Mass, the deliberate expansive gestures full of meaning, like a foreign language but maybe a Romance language where it is possible to guess the meaning because many words have a common root. Deacon Tim Murrill gave the homily, asking the rhetorical question “why have we come here?” The answer “Mary brought us” was accompanied by a request to take the time to listen to God, not be too quick to interrupt him. Then several of the deaf and hard of hearing stood on the altar and signed the Prayer of the Faithful as a helper said the words .

 

 After lunch, veal again (banquette de veau riz rond), it was time for an hour's sleep before heading off to the 5.00pm Blessed Sacrament Procession. Except there wasn’t a traditional procession since (I’m told) one of the bridges had been damaged. Instead, each hotel group of the diocese formed up - Hotel Europe photo below - and entered the Basilica of Pius X, joining all the other pilgrims in Lourdes at this time. The wheelchair-bound sick were arranged in a circle around the altar.

For this ceremony the choir was swelled by the A&B contingent who lent an authentic and musical voice to the English language hymns and chants.

After the usual procession of banners, the priests entered…and entered…and entered. There were easily several dozen priests and a clutch of bishops. Servers holding bowls of incense moved to the altar, incensing it in swirling clouds, while other severs solemnly processed to it holding lit candles. The Blessed Sacrament, in a golden monstrance, was then exposed on the altar. After hymns, announcements and chants in several languages, the celebrant and his two deacons/sub deacons moved to the side of the altar and, kneeling side-by-side on three prie dieux, prayed and adored the Blessed Sacrament.  

 

The high point was when the celebrant, wearing a humeral veil, carried the monstrance to the sick, accompanied by servers holding an ombrellino, an umbrella-like canopy, above the monstrance. He paused before each group and momentarily raised the monstrance for adoration.

The service took just under an hour and the hungry Hotel Europe contindent hurried back to the hotel where dinner was a pork dish, rote de porc au four choucrute, followed by by a coffee éclair for desert. A perfect end to a lovely day.

Lourdes - Day Three

If Day Two was leisurely, Day Three was the opposite. Morning prayers were scheduled to begin at 7.15am but when I arrived at 7.18am they were already in progress so I retreated. After breakfast we were on the road at 8.15am. Fortunately, it had rained heavily during the night and temperatures had fallen.

First stop was the Saint Pius X Basilica – the underground one – for International Mass. This massive basilica reopened yesterday after the floods and has a capacity of 25,000 people. A&B’s bishop, Kieran Conry, was lead celebrant so we could hardly be late! 

 

 This basilica is my favourite church in Lourdes. Completed in 1958 the huge concrete space has been unkindly compared to a vast car park. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and every time I enter it, my heart leaps and I am in awe of its vastness, its symmetry and how the space has been made to serve so well for worship. I’m told it is cold in winter and certainly the acoustics are a bit patchy, but given the gargantuan scale of the building, it is easy to forgive a few imperfections!

We were in place one hour before the service was due to start at 9.30am so we had time to view the different national, diocesan and parish pilgrims filing in, many parading with banners – I counted 59. There was a long line of wheelchairs and the opening words of greeting made special mention of the sick and their helpers.

There was a large choir and professional-sounding cantors to lead the congregation. The church was packed, I obviously could not count them but ‘many thousands’ is my best guess. The Arundel & Brighton pilgrims were seated together with the redshirts at the back, several of them using the free time to practise their signing.

Bishop Kieran – demonstrating perfect fluency in French and Italian – was the main celebrant, assisted by six other bishops. The mass was mostly in Latin, the language of the worldwide catholic church, with parts in French, Italian and English (and possibly other tongues my cloth ears did not recognise).

In his homily Bishop Kieran reminded us of how we typically pray, prioritising our wants/needs. We should recognise that our requests are always heeded as mentioned in today’s gospel (Luke 11:9-10), and it is time to focus on gratitude and thanksgiving instead of endlessly focusing on our desires.    

After lunch (chicken with onion and French fries), we returned to the Saint Pius X Basilica for a Service of Reconciliation. Following a brief introduction and reading of scripture, the A&B Lourdes Pilgrimage choir and soloists sang hymns for an hour while priests, about 15 of them, heard confessions, first the wheelchair-bound, then the rest of us. This is a time for sombre reflection, confession, forgiveness, penance, resolution and hope, and today was no different.

We emerged, blinking, into the daylight and made a rapid decision. We would forego the upcoming Stations of the Cross scheduled for the ‘low stations’ (level ground) and have a rest - promising ourselves that we would do the ‘high stations' (steep rocky ground) tomorrow.


After dinner (trout), we took part in the Marian Torchlight Procession, beginning at 9.00pm. As the procession of several thousand pilgrims began, led by A&B Diocese, the two groups of A&B pilgrims, the wheelchair-bound/stretchered and the able bodied joined together behind the A&B banner.

 

We walked slowly with lit candles - a reminder of our baptism when we first received the gift of faith - and prayed the rosary in a variety of languages, saying the Glory Be in Latin, and singing hymns in praise of Mary.   

 

 

We processed right round the Esplanade ending in front of the Rosary Basilica. The sick pilgrims were then moved to the front and all the other pilgrims fell in behind them, facing the Basilica, a sea of flickering lights, as we sang the final hymn of the evening ‘Salve Regina’ and offered each other the Sign of Peace.   

Lourdes - Day Two (Supplement)

I've mentioned before the wealth of statues and devotional items in the Hotel Europe. I've never before stayed in a hotel with so many items - including a complete Stations of the Cross in the corridor outside my bedroom - and another in the stairwell!

Here's a selection of statues from the stairwell to give an idea of the variety.

 

Lourdes - Day Two

Day two began with continental breakfast in the sunny dining room. It promised to be a leisurely day with mass in the morning and then two separate photo sessions; one for the formal photo of all 800 Arundel & Brighton pilgrims before lunch, and then separate photos for each of the hotels after lunch, including Hotel Europe, which accommodates about 70 of the diocesan pilgrims. All being well, we were due leisure time between 3pm and 7pm, when dinner was scheduled back at the hotel.

David, our standard bearer, led the phalanx of Hotel Europe pilgrims to the Domain. The official diocesan photograph was taken, as usual, in front of the Rosary Basilica with its spires forming a regal backdrop. The sun blazed down and only at the last minute were umbrellas, sun hats and sunglasses discarded to reveal the pale and sweaty pilgrims beneath.    

Mass was held in the Church of Saint Bernadette, the same location as yesterday. Again, we were sat directly behind the deaf and hard of hearing group, and this time two new signers, Goretti and Penny, joined the ‘old hands’ in communicating the hymns and readings.

Taking the hotel photo was a swifter affair and then it was decision time; how do we spend the afternoon? The main option on offer was a tour of the town but it was rather hot and we were quite familiar with it so Goretti and I opted to wander around the domain. (A source told me that the first stop on the ‘tour of the town’ was an ice cream parlour and that pilgrims were quite willing to remain there for the duration of the tour…)

We explored The Crypt first. This was the first church built in response to the Blessed Virgin’s request and it was built on the rock directly above the Grotto, as can be seen from the photo below.

In fact, there are three churches built virtually on top of the Grotto. The first is the original one, the Crypt, consecrated in 1866, eight years after the apparitions, a dark sombre place with very thick walls and pillars. Next was the Upper Basilica, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception in the 1870s, perhaps best known for its gorgeous stained glass windows, with more than 30 distinct biblical and theological themes, each glowing with rich colours. However, even before building was finished, the Immaculate Conception Basilica proved too small for the host of pilgrims that converged on Lourdes. In 1901 the last of the three churches was consecrated. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary is a triumph of construction with its vast courtyard, sweeping arms, statues of saints, enormous gilt crown and cross (the gift of Irish pilgrims), the colourful mosaics on the façade illustrating the Mysteries of Light…and we have not even begun to talk about the interior, which is an absolute feast of mosaics.

After the churches, there was only one place to go that would be more imposing. We walked past the water taps and the candle selling points – priced at two-and-a-half Euros for the smallest up to 400 Euros for a 70Kg one – to the Grotto, the centre of it all, the reason for it all, the summary of it all.

Then we moved on, past the 20 or so candle stations with their flickering lights continuing their donors’ prayers, past the baths - open but under repair - to the bridge crossing the Gave de Pau river. We found it was roped off, too unsafe to cross after the flood damage.  

We retraced our steps and returned to the centre of the Domain, headed for the St Michael’s gate exit. Ahead of us were two very different symbols.

One, high on a hill, dominating the town of Lourdes, is an ancient castle that speaks of temporal but transient power.

The other is a bronze statue painted white and blue, standing in Rosary Square, and speaks of humility, obedience, love, peace, caring, the spiritual and the eternal.  

To end the day we went to the Museum of St Bernadette. It was extremely humid now, the skies dull and threatening. The museum was small but contained a good overview of the apparitions and the Saint’s life, as well as some of her personal effects. Apart from her catechism and some writings, what struck me most was a pair of her shoes; they looked good quality leather but well worn – and very small. Outside, the rain began to fall, heavy drops splashing on the pavement. We sat for a moment to absorb and ponder on how God sometimes choses the most unexpected messengers, then we headed into the rain and towards a stuffed veal dinner at the Hotel Europe.  

Lourdes - Day One

It’s Day One of the Lourdes Pilgrimage, the day that the Pilgrimage begins officially with the arrival by train of the Arundel & Brighton Diocese sick pilgrims and their helpers.

Before they arrived, there was time for a stroll around town. In particular, I wanted to see what evidence there was for the severe flash floods that happened just six weeks ago.

(closed hotels)

Sadly, the evidence is all too visible. As we walked from our hotel towards the Domaine, there are closed, shuttered hotels on either side of us, and many of the tourist shops on the riverside are also boarded up.

 

 On the riverside opposite our hotel a machine with a grab arm was moving huge boulders to repair the embankment that was destroyed by the floods.

In the Domaine, daylight reveals several signs of the flood damage that were not apparent last night. The bridge leading to the Accueil Notre-Dame Hospital has been badly damaged and repair work is still in progress. The underground basilica is rumoured to be re-opening today but the damage outside it  is also visible (below).

 

 (bridge to Accueil)

 

(outside the underground basilica)

I had expected to see quite a bit of damage but what was really surprising was the tremendous clean- up and recovery operation that has taken place. Most of the Domaine and the surrounding streets are in pristine condition, it’s hard to believe that just six weeks ago they survived raging floods and were then buried under three feet of mud.

 

I asked why our hotel, the Hotel Europe, had apparently been spared. It hadn’t. Although it is built on land that is slightly higher than that of other hotels, its basement was also flooded. The fire brigade pumped the water out and then a team of 35 volunteers from nearby hotels worked for four days to remove mud and sludge. The hotel was closed for three weeks and all the electrics in the basement (mainly for the kitchens and the lifts) had to be replaced or repaired before it could open. A key to the hotel’s survival was the immediate start to the clean-up, not waiting until a settlement figure had been negotiated with the hotel’s insurers.    

This afternoon the Lourdes Pilgrim’s Handbook for the  Arundel and Brighton Diocese arrived, 189 pages containing the details of each day’s programme, prayers, chants, hymns, music, the different rites and ceremonies and much more. It’s beautifully produced, an indispensable daily companion and a unique souvenir.

We began the pilgrimage at 5.00pm with Mass in the church of St Bernadette, close by the Accueil. To be frank, it’s not my favourite church in Lourdes, it reminds me too much of a vast concrete warehouse with exposed service pipes hanging from the ceiling. Built in the modern style and consecrated 25 years ago, it was designed to let in as much light as possible, and the walls are pale-coloured to aid that effect. It’s rather utilitarian but undoubtedly effective in housing large congregations, in this instance the roughly 800 A&B pilgrims, including about 70 in wheelchairs who were sat in rows immediately in front of the altar.
The Mass was extended to include some particular aspects, including the commissioning of the pilgrims. In his homily, Bishop Kieran Conry asked us to recognise and celebrate the differences that enrich us and let this week in a holy place make a difference to each of us.

I sat in the pew behind the deaf and hard of hearing group, near the front, and was impressed by the effort put in by the lead signers, Shirley, Cathy, Jo and Jim, and their swift changeovers of responsibility, it was fascinating to see the group’s synchronised signing.

I was also impressed by the care shown by the helpers during the mass. Some of the folk in wheelchairs were a little discomfited by the heat and I noticed helpers moving between them,  reassuring them and energetically fanning away as required. Well done! As we left the church, exiting between the rows of Redshirt greeters, I noticed one musician helper with her hands full…

And so, back to the Europe Hotel for some excellent veal.