Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Paris (Fides Service) - Last year Pope John Paul II received an invitation from the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Bishop Jacques Perrier and Bishop Jean-Pierre Ricard President of the French Bishops’ Conference, to visit Lourdes in 2004 the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The invitation was accepted and recently the Holy See press room announced that the Pope will make a pilgrimage to Lourdes 14 and 15 August.
The fact that the Pope is coming has given new impulse to preparations for the national pilgrimage to Lourdes for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, 15 August. This annual pilgrimage brings together an average of 7,000 people including about 1,000 sick or disabled persons, who are as many as 30,000 at the Grotto on that special feast day. The tradition of a special prayer for France on the 15 August dates to Louis XIII who put his kingdom under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary on that day. This tradition is still lived particularly with the national pilgrimage to Lourdes for August 15.
This 131st national pilgrimage 12 to 16 August will be led by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyons and animated by the Assumptionist Fathers together with the Notre-Dame de Salut Association which has organised pilgrimages to Lourdes since 1873. The theme for this year’s pilgrimage is “Lord, you are my strength!”.
In 1870 in a country traumatised by civil disorder and war, a group of people formed a movement of spiritual renewal based on prayer and works of charity with the “salvation of France” as its objective. This first group of people requested the help of the Congregation of the Assumptionist Fathers founded in Nimes in 1850. In January 1872 the little group took the name of Notre-Dame de Salut Association and began to promote a series of initiatives, especially pilgrimages. The first national pilgrimage to Lourdes was made on 21 July 1873, with 492 pilgrims. As years passed the number of pilgrims and sick persons increased and a group of helpers was formed Hospitalité Notre-Dame de Salut. The history of this group is still closely connected with the national pilgrimage to Lourdes(S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 25/6/2004; Righe 26 - Parole 342)
