Lourdes Pilgrimage 2026

Lourdes 2026 : (left to right) Fr Peter Taylor, Fr Steven Leightell, Fr Richard Marsden and Fr Phil Cunnah

by Ruth and Stephen Driver

We were fortunate enough to go on the 73rd Diocese of Middlesbrough annual pilgrimage to Lourdes this year. It was led by Bishop Marcus Stock along with 13 diocesan priests including our parish priest Fr Phil, and 2 former parish priests from St Charles Borromeo, Canon Michael Loughlin and Fr James Benfield. Over 400 pilgrims from the Diocese of Middlesbrough travelled on direct flights from Teesside. Many other pilgrims made their own way there travelling by ferry and coach, car and/ or rail.

Lourdes is a small town in southwestern France. In 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared to 14-year-old peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in a cave on the outskirts of Lourdes, now known as the Grotto. It has since become an important Marian shrine and pilgrimage destination with 5 million pilgrims and visitors from all over the world each year, making it one of the most important places of prayer and pilgrimage in the Catholic world.

Over a 4-month period Bernadette experienced eighteen apparitions of the Virgin Mary and over this time Mary told her to go to the spring, drink of it and wash herself there. She also said to Bernadette “Penance, penance, penance. Pray for sinners”. During the thirteenth Apparition, Mary said to Bernadette: “Go, tell the priests and that people should come here in procession and to build a chapel here.”

Chapels were built for the pilgrims who started to arrive and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain, as it is more commonly known, an area of ground surrounding the grotto was developed. This ground is owned and administrated by the Roman Catholic Church, and has several functions, including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick pilgrims and their helpers in what is called the Accueil. In English Accueil means welcome or reception. Comprising of 51 hectares, the Domain includes the Grotto itself, the nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as beautiful basilicas, churches and chapels. To enable the large number of international pilgrims who come on pilgrimage to attend weekly shared masses and services the underground basilica of Saint Pius X was built in the late 1950s. This can accommodate up to 25,000 worshippers. There are six official languages of the Sanctuary: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.

The Sanctuary is a place of grace and ‘Hail, Full of grace, the Lord is with thee’ was the spiritual theme and reflection the Shrine chose for pilgrims coming to Lourdes this year. There is a long tradition of welcoming the sick to Lourdes and new pilgrims are often surprised by the large number of stretchers and wheelchairs seen in the crowd. Lourdes gives an opportunity to bathe in the healing waters of the spring, but it is a misconception that most pilgrims go to Lourdes seeking a miraculous cure. Since 1858 there have only been seventy-two miraculous cures officially acknowledged by the Catholic Church following rigorous investigation of medical evidence by the Lourdes Medical Bureau. The reality is that most pilgrims go in search of healing of a different form, not only of the body, but of the heart and soul.

For those who are sick this may be to find peace with their prognosis and the strength and guidance in times of difficulty or distress. And for all of us, the chance to renew and strengthen our faith, as well as the opportunity to lay down burdens and sins at the Grotto. It is also a tradition for pilgrims to carry with them the intentions of friends and family unable to go themselves, and to deliver them to the Grotto. Pilgrimage to Lourdes also allows time out from the hustle and bustle of our hectic lives and an opportunity for prayer and reflection. A pilgrimage to Lourdes is most certainly a wonderful place to restore your faith in humanity when witnessing the thousands of people who come to give their time willingly to help those in need.

Ill or disabled pilgrims are welcomed and cared for by the Hospitalité Notre-Dame de Lourdes. The hospitalité is a network of volunteers from all over the world who take turns throughout the year to ensure a continuous presence at Lourdes. There are also Hospitalities of Accompaniment- these are smaller, more localised groups attached to dioceses, parishes or specific groups of pilgrims who accompany their group to support them during their pilgrimage. Sick or disabled pilgrims needing a lot of support generally stay in the Accueil, but others travelling with friends and family stay in hotels or alternative accommodation outside the Domain.

We were privileged to travel and work as part of Middlesbrough’s hospitality team. This team consists of a small number of medical doctors, a larger team of qualified nurses, and teams of handmaids and brancardiers. A handmaid is a female non-medical helper and a brancardier, which comes from the French word for stretcher-bearer, is a male non-medical helper. The roles of the handmaids and brancardiers include house-keeping jobs such as cleaning and making beds within the Accueil; meal assistance- laying tables and serving meals etc; personal care- assisting those who require help to shower and dress; mobility support- pushing wheelchairs; marshalling duties during ceremonies and processions etc; and every bit as important, companionship and pastoral care- taking time to chat and pray with assisted pilgrims and accompanying them to the Holy Grotto and to light votive candles. Trips to the Grotto are always very special- it is a place to find peace, emotional healing and acceptance of life’s difficulties as well as being a place of thanksgiving that Mary brings us closer to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. There are special locations within the Domain to purchase and light candles and pray.

The hospitality team are self-funding volunteers who work on a shift rota during the pilgrimage week, leaving time for private and personal devotions and time to explore the beautiful location. The hospitality team receive mandatory training before they go to Lourdes, all undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring checks, and are well supported by experienced team leaders when on duty in the Accueil. Everyone brings their own unique gifts, skills and experience and because we work as part of a team you are never asked or expected to do anything you are not comfortable with. The sense of camaraderie and feeling part of such an incredible team is truly uplifting.

A large group of young people from schools all over our Diocese, recognisable around the Domain and town by their bright purple T-shirts depicting the Middlesbrough cross, also travel every year to Lourdes together with teachers, school chaplains and youth workers to serve the sick and elderly pilgrims. They assist the hospitality team by pushing wheelchairs, for which they receive training prior to leaving for Lourdes, and participate in the religious programme. They spend a lot of time chatting with the supported pilgrims and accompanying those who wish to go to the Grotto to pray or light candles, or into the town to buy gifts or enjoy an ice cream. They receive training on handling wheelchairs safely before they go. What we witnessed was wonderful-the youth carried out their duties with joy and enthusiasm but also care and respect and they were a great credit to their families, schools and the diocese. The youth are encouraged to pray together, with several events specifically for them and their leaders, led by Fr Phil in his role in youth ministry, and to enjoy leisure time together including a party towards the end of the week. There is an old Irish proverb “Praise the young and they will flourish”. A Lourdes pilgrimage is a great opportunity to acknowledge, encourage and support our young people, and help them build the confidence they need to succeed and grow in their faith. This was certainly true of our 4 children who travelled to Lourdes with St Mary’s College in Hull in their teens.

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains the once tiny town of Lourdes outside of the Domain has grown over the years into a bustling resort with multiple hotels, gift shops, street cafes and bars to accommodate the number of visitors. It is overlooked by the Chateau Fort de Lourdes and a hill called the Pic du Jer which has a cable or funicular railway which runs regularly. At the top there are lovely views and a large summit cross which is beautifully illuminated at night. Looking south you get a glimpse of the snow-capped mountains of the Pyrenees, the source of the fast-flowing icy waters of the river Gave which flows through Lourdes and the Domain.

Because of its location the weather in Lourdes can be unpredictable and very changeable and it is always advisable to be prepared for all eventualities! It is said you can experience all “four seasons in one day” particularly in spring and autumn. We were fortunate that the weather pattern was very stable the week we were in Lourdes. We were blessed with panoramic blue skies every day and the sight of soaring eagles, red kites wheeling around and the screeching of swifts and swallows. In addition, the flora was a good week or two ahead of at home and we enjoyed picking and eating sour cherries and loquats in one of the communal gardens in the town. The fragrant lime trees were blooming and the little ‘cotton-wool’ seeds of the poplar trees which grow abundantly along the banks of the Gave floated and danced in the breeze.

It was very hot though with temperatures up to 35 degrees C which meant staying hydrated and slapping on sun cream and a hat was a priority, especially for more vulnerable pilgrims and during outside masses. We both agreed we have never drunk so much water.

During our pilgrimage Bishop Marcus and the diocesan priests and deacons led us in a busy religious programme. At the heart of this was prayer and daily Mass. There were also devotions and sacramental services including Reconciliation and Anointing. We found the anointing service particularly emotional. We were asked to be part of a small team supporting Fr James during the service, our role to hold the precious oil and support the pilgrims who came forward for anointing. It was a great honour and very humbling to share such a special moment in their pilgrimage. Masses were held in different locations within the Domain throughout the week, including an outdoor mass at the Grotto which was shared with the diocese of Birmingham who are traditionally in Lourdes at the same time.

There was an opportunity to take part in ‘the Water Gesture’ before Mass during one of our services. This is a devotional ritual which was led this year by the youth team. Pilgrims were invited to go forward to wash their hands and face and drink the water collected from the Sanctuary’s spring, accompanied by a prayer. This is done to commemorate the Virgin Mary’s 1858 instruction to St Bernadette to “Go and drink and wash at the spring”. The Water Gesture is an addition or alternative to full immersion in the famous Lourdes Baths. It became more popular during Covid when the Baths had to be closed. The Baths in the Sanctuary are once again open and some pilgrims chose to go to the Baths where they are assisted with a brief, full immersion in the cold spring water.

Our diocese led the torchlight Marian procession one evening during the week. A team of our brancardiers carried the illuminated statue of Our Lady of Lourdes at the very front of the procession, followed by our diocesan banners, priests and supported pilgrims in wheelchairs pushed by the youth, and the other Middlesbrough pilgrims. This was followed by huge numbers of other pilgrims from all over the world. The procession starts at 9pm every night and winds its way slowly round the large concourse before ending in the Basilica Square for concluding prayers and Marian hymns. While processing pilgrims recite the rosary and sing the Lourdes hymn while carrying votive candles.

Music forms a big part of a pilgrimage to Lourdes enhancing the liturgy in a way that helps deepen people’s spiritual experience. In our Masses and services, the music was led by a music group made up of singers and instrumentalists under a musical director and consisted of sung mass parts and psalms, traditional and modern hymns and Taizé chants. For the large international Masses and services in the underground basilica a multi-national group of choristers who had never met before, including representatives from St Charles choir, got together to form a musical schola led by one of the Notre Dame of Lourdes professional music directors to provide music in multiple languages.

Our diocese and Bishop Marcus also had the honour of leading the Blessed Sacrament procession on one occasion during the week. This takes place at 5pm every day and weather permitting starts outside. The procession ends in the Underground Basilica with Benediction and Adoration. Despite the thousands of people in the underground basilica there was total silence during adoration.

Our busy week passed all too quickly, and it was time for our final Mass of thanksgiving and a quick visit to the Crowned Virgin statue in the Basilica Square for 3 Hail Marys as a petition to Our Lady that she calls us back to Lourdes again. Followed by packing up at the Accueil and hotel before airport transfer and our flight home. Saying goodbye to people you have met on pilgrimage is always poignant when you have shared such a wonderful experience there is a bond you don’t want to let go of.

We are now back in the routines of our busy daily life but changed by the rewarding experience of our pilgrimage which was an honour and a pleasure. It is frequently said by those who go on pilgrimage as helpers that they receive far more than they give. Lourdes has a quiet way of re-ordering priorities in our busy lives and restoring perspective. We are so very grateful that after 12 years away from Lourdes Our Lady called us back and that we responded.

The amazing Middlesbrough Pilgrimage organising committee and Pilgrimage Director now begin work on next year’s pilgrimage. We are immensely grateful for all the work they do behind the scenes- it is a huge undertaking making the pilgrimage happen every year. If anyone would like to know any more information or is interested in travelling with the pilgrimage next year either as a pilgrim or helper, please let Fr Phil, Micki and Nicki Coyle or us know. It would be wonderful to have more people from St Charles Parish come next year. What unites pilgrims is the experience of the Church as a living family — praying together, serving together, and walking together in hope.

Ruth and Stephen Driver