NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Monday 8 SeptemberEXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS Sunday 14 September
MASSES DAILY MASS IN ENGLISHChapel of Sts. Cosmas and Damian9.00 am every day and Vigil Mass at 6.15 pm Saturday.
INTERNATIONAL MASSESSundays and Wednesdays 9.30 am Basilica of Saint Pius X, followed by the Angelus at the Grotto on Sundays.
CONFESSIONS IN ENGLISHAt the Chapel of Reconciliation 10.00am – 11.15 am / 2.30 pm – 6.00pm
ROSARY3.30 pm at the Grotto in French (broadcast live on KTO (French Catholic TV), TV Lourdes and on the radio).
BLESSED SACRAMENT PROCESSION AND BLESSING OF THE SICK5.00 pm from the Prairie (meadow) to the Basilica of Saint Pius X.
TORCHLIGHT MARIAN PROCESSION9.00 pm from the Grotto to the Esplanade of the Rosary Basilica.
DAY PILGRIMS8.30 am. Meet at the statue of the Crowned Virgin under the “Day pilgrims” placard.Ask for the Day Pilgrim leaflet at the Information Office
BATHS Weekdays 9.00 am – 11.00 am / 2.00 pm – 4.00 pmSundays and Holydays 2.00 pm – 4.30 pm.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BERNADETTEThe Boly Mill 9.00 am – 12.00 / 2.00 pm – 6.30 pmCachot 9.00 am – 12.00 / 2.00 pm – 6.30 pmParish church of Lourdes (baptismal font) 9.00 am – 12h / 2.00 pm – 7.00pmHospice 9.30 am – 12h / 2.00 pm – 6.pmBartrès parish church 9.00 am – 7.00pm.
SERVICE FOR THE WELCOME OF DISABLED PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES - FONDATION OCHSaint Michaels Gate. Tel: + 33 (0)05 62 42 79 92 / Hours: 9h30-12h and 2 pm to 6 pm (except Sunday and Monday morning).
From 29 September to 4 October 10,000 Faithful will participate in the Ital-ian National Pilgrimage with Unitalsi (Italian National Union for transport-ing patients to Lourdes); an encounter with Christ, and a way of sharing the experience with the sick or disabled. www.unitalsi.it
PRAYER INTENTIONS OF POPE FRANCIS
The joy of the encounterITALIAN INTERNATIONAL PILGRIMAGE
During the winter of 2014-2015, the first pickaxe will strike to start the redevelopment of the Grotto area, as desired by the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes in his great orientations for Lourdes.
“We must take care of this place.” Thus the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Bishop Nicolas Brouwet explains the need to re-develop the sacred space around the Grotto "to foster silence and con-templation." From the month of December, the groundwork will be laid: development of a new bridge, creating a "preparatory area for contemplation" between the arch-es and the Grotto, replacement of furniture from the Grotto, installation of a system of protection against floods, displacement of the candle racks to constitute a "chapel of Light" on the left bank of the Gave. This work will last until the beginning of the pilgrimage season in 2015.
THE GROTTO AREA: TOWARDS A REDEVELOPMENT
General: That the mentally disabled may receive the love and help they need for a dignified life.Missionary: That Christians, inspired by the Word of God, may serve the poor and suffering.
A unique Tourist OfficeSituated at the foot of the castle (château fort), the Lourdes Tourist Office is an amazing place. We paid it a visit.A dozen people are there to welcome, inform, and promote Lourdes. Francine Giles ex-plains: "We welcome mainly ex-cursionists, that is to say, indi-viduals or families who are there for the day. Their first question is invariably the same:" Where is the Grotto? ". And the second is often: "what else can we do?”. Our job is to listen care-fully so that we may direct them towards what may suit them best. "The re-ception area sees more than 55,000 visitors each year with the distinction of a multilingual reception guaranteed! Upstairs, are the offices where the background work is done: information on social networks, the smartphone application and website, which enables us to talk on behalf of Lourdes and ensure it is talked about worldwide. Office de tourisme de Lourdes Tel: +33 (0)5 62 42 77 40 – [email protected]
Lourdes is a veritable “school of life”. It at-tracts multitudes from throughout the world.What is the key to its success? We try to ex-plain.
TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THE LOVE OF GOD: THE GREAT MISSION OF LOURDESIn his pastoral orientations for the Sanctuary of Lourdes, Mgr Nicolas Brouwet, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, indicates the direction in which the Sanctuary should organize its mission; Extract.
“In this poor Grotto of Massabielle a corner of heaven touched the earth so that we may experience the closeness, tenderness, and joy of God, of which Mary is the face and the servant. Our mission is to ensure that all those who come to the Sanctuary are touched, be-fore the Grotto, by the unconditional love of Jesus. Our preaching, our projects, our initiatives, and our work, should lead to that.”
IN WHAT WAY IS LOURDES A “SCHOOL OF LIFE”?
Investigation
Michel Beydon knows that Lourdes is a
school of life, and with good reason! “Before dying I wanted to come to Lourdes one last time”, he explains. “At the baths I asked the Virgin Mary simply that I may spend a little more time with my family and friends. I then felt an indescribable sensation of wellbeing, as if something had en-tered my whole being. The result? - I needed no assistance in leaving the baths! I returned home cured, fuller of life than ever”. Lourdes is a school of life because it is a place of “resurrection”.
Father Luciano Mainini, sec-retary general of the NFC - the Coordination Committee of National Italian Pilgrim-ages - says that the Lourdes school of life has a spiritual dimension: "In Lourdes, many people have found or rediscovered their faith. This is conversion in reality." A pilgrim told me: "To escape a cult I sought refuge in Lourdes for five days. There, I was overwhelmed by strong emo-tions that I did not expect at all: the Grotto, the processions, the beautiful songs, all these sick peo-ple. We often speak of a miracle of physical healing, I think there
is a miracle just as beautiful: that of a heart transformed by a per-sonal encounter with God. That's what I've experienced here." Lourdes is a school of life, be-cause it is a place of conversion.
Missionary of the Sacred Heart, Father Philippe Se-veau perceives Lourdes as "a place of the Church suitable for discernment." Father Hervé Passard, diocesan priest from Coutances (France), illus-trates his point: "I participated in the International Military pil-grimage. At the end of the Way of the Cross, a paratroop officer was baptized with his little child. At that moment it was as if this Baptism rebounded in me. Emo-tions arose in me and it sparked an inner joy, hitherto unknown. On my return I was praying in my village church one day, and I made the connection between the gift received in Lourdes and the Donor who is present in every church. The idea of becoming a priest sprang out of thanksgiving for the gift received, out of grat-itude, and a desire to know who this Donor is." Lourdes is school of life, because it is a place of vocation.
"If the Grotto could speak it would talk of humanity, notes Father Horacio Brito, Rec-tor of the Sanctuary. When you see all these pilgrims touch-ing the rock, who can say what is in their hearts? When you see a mother rubbing her sick child against the rock, it breaks your heart. Yes the Grotto speaks to us of this humanity of which it is molded." Lourdes is a school of life, because it is a place of humanity.Another essential aspect of the Lourdes school of life is the dimension of fraternal service and shared love. This is the most visible dimen-sion; the tip of the iceberg. "Maybe in Lourdes I found my calling: to freely serve and to offer my love," says a young Hospi-tality member who lived for several days in contact with a sick pilgrim. A disabled person continues: "My daily routine is not always easy. There are a thousand acts of solidarity in Lourdes that make life more enjoyable. Often it is a smile or a word that comes at the right time." Lourdes is a school of life be-cause it is a place of fraternity.
Deputy Director of the Na-tional Service for the evange-lization of young people and for vocations (France), Fa-ther Didier Noblot, believes that Lourdes refocuses on the essential: “Real beauty is no longer a glossy magazine cover. It is elsewhere: it is evident in the service rendered, in caring looks, in shared smiles, in outstretched hands. 'Real life' is not what the world presents to us. Lourdes al-lows us to realize this.” Lourdes is a school of life because it is a place of an Other Life.
We leave the last word to Father Robert McCabe who regularly accompanies pil-grims to Lourdes from Ire-land: “In meeting sick or disabled people in Lourdes, our pilgrims are deeply touched by their testi-monies of faith and hope. They learn to listen with the heart. No one can illustrate this with pictures or words, any such effort of pub-licity would be in vain. There is only one way to describe the reality of Lourdes: experience Lourdes.”
A good start of term to all at the School of Lourdes!
A photo exhibition was installed on the boulevard Rémi Sempé, between the Saint Michael and Saint Joseph en-trances of the Sanctuary. Its theme: Lourdes, a school of life. It is accessible to persons with disabilities: A pho-tographic itinerary to discover the multiple facets of the daily life of Lourdes.
Publication Director: Thierry Castillo • Managing Editors: Mathias Terrier and Father Horacio Brito • Contributors to this edition: Martine Korpal, Joël Luzenko, Laurent Jarneau and the Chaplains of Lourdes. Graphics and lay-out: Caroline Tillié, Freddy Mengelle. With the participation of: Claudie Lautel, David Torchala • Print run: Conseil Imprime - 65000 Tarbes • Lourdes News – 1 av. Mgr Théas 65108 Lourdes cedex • For all correspondance: Service communication - Tel. + (33) (0)5 62 42 78 01 - Email: [email protected] • ISSN: 2273-4783 • Registration of copyright: at publication date •
BERNADETTE SAIDPraying with her words
"Jesus, my God, I love You
above all other things" (Personal notes)
In Lourdes, in the Sanctuary and the surrounding streets, the faith of the pilgrims is expressed freely and forcefully. This situa-tion contrasts with that of East-ern Christians who undergo per-secution, as in the dark hours of the early Christians. The Mar-ian city supports these Chris-tian martyrs and exiles through prayer and the call for donations for the Work of the East and Caritas who work with displaced people in northern Iraq, victims of bombing in Gaza, and Syrians affected by the conflict in the country, or refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.
CHRISTIANS OF THE EAST: LOURDES TAKES ACTION
DID YOU KNOW? At 62 route de Pau, the House of Beth Mariam in Lourdes, run by Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon, is a welcoming place for Christians from the Middle East. Tel: +33 (0)5 62 92 32 98 – [email protected]
1 SeptemberUK RAPHAEL IT OFTAL BIELLA 2 SeptemberBE LOB MALADE ZIEKENZORG CM IE KERRYFR ARRASNL VNB3 SeptemberIT OFTAL TORINO IT UNITALSI PUGLIESEIT UNITALSI PIEMONTESENL LIMBOURG NETHERLANDS4 September DE TRIER FR SAINT-BRIEUC DE SARRE5 September IT TRENTO 6 September USA LOURDES VOLONTEERS NORTH USA7 September IT UNITALSI TRIVENETANL VNBIE DUBLIN 8 SeptemberIT OFTAL SARDEGNAIT SITI NAPOLINL VGZES TERRASSA DE STUTTGART-ROTTENBURG 9 September BE NAMUR 10 SeptemberDE PFALZ11 SeptemberFR QUIMPER12 SeptemberFR SPORTING PEOPLE NL VNBIE MEATH 13 SeptemberNL NLZ 14 SeptemberIT UNAL 15 SeptemberIT UNITALSI TOSCANA16 SeptemberDE EMSLAND FR LCE BE LOB FAMILLES (GOVAKA)17 SeptemberIE SOCIETY OF AFRICAN MISSIONS NL VNB IE OBLATES18 SeptemberNL LIMBOURG NETHERLANDS IT OFTAL MILANOES VITORIA 19 SeptemberIT UNITALSI LOMBARDAFR BAYONNE 21 SeptemberBE NAMUR BE TOURNAI 22 SeptemberIE IRISH FRANCISCANS NL VNB25 September ES BARCELONA27 SeptemberIE IRISH CARMELITES NL VNB 29 SeptemberBE ROZENKRANS BEDEVAART IT ITALIAN NATIONAL
IN LOURDES, IN SEPTEMBER
Victims of an attack in their cathedral, Iraqi Christians in
Baghdad came on February 11, 2011, to pray for peace at the
Grotto of Lourdes.
"To serve, to comfort, and heal the sick without distinc-tion of persons, because God wills it," said St. Camillus de Lellis, founder of the Congregation of Camil-lians, of which Father Zbigniew Józef Musielak is a member. Chaplain in Lourdes since 2008, chaplain of the Accueil Notre Dame since 2011, previously he had a pas-toral ministry in Poland, his home country, and
was a missionary in Mad-agascar. As chaplain, he hears confession and directs liturgical cele-
brations, not only in the Sanctuary, but in 19 vil-lages near Lourdes. At the Accueil Notre Dame he saw his ministry to pilgrims isolated or con-fined to small groups: "Wherever I am, I answer all calls. Lourdes is a place to facilitate the individual's encounter with the merciful Christ and practice the word of St. Camillus." Contact: [email protected]
Father Musielak: “Lourdes, a special place”From the Chaplains
In line with the pastoral theme of the Sanctu-ary, "Lourdes,
the joy of conversion" from September 16 to 20, 5,000 pilgrims will participate in the LCE pilgrimage (Lourdes Cancer Espérance) whose slogan this year is: "Choose life!" They are affected by
the disease, either personal-ly or through a relative. The pilgrimage is chaired by the Archbishop of Chambéry (France), Bishop Philippe Ballot, and led by Laurent Grzybowski. Dr. Loïc Chaig-neau, oncologist, presents the great conference on Wednesday 17 September at 10:30 am at the Church of St.
Bernadette. The celebrations are prepared by the LCE del-egations. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the sick is always a very emotional time (Friday 19 September at 2.00 pm). The pilgrimage ends on Saturday by the release of balloons at 10.45 am on the Sanctuary Esplanade. www.lourdescanceresperance.fr
