And every now and then we try
The Song of Bernadette’ – Jennifer Warnes & Leonard Cohen
To mend the damage that we’ve done‘
Lourdes is a small market town in southwestern France, nestled at the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is one of the world’s major Catholic pilgrimage sites. In 1858 a local peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, reported a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary in a grotto near the town.
For some years recently I have found myself thinking about the experience of Bernadette and felt a desire to go and visit the grotto where ‘the Queen of Heaven’ appeared. In May 2024 I set off from my local train station in the Sierra to begin a long journey via Madrid, Barcelona and Toulouse to Lourdes.
There are easier ways to get to Lourdes but the almost 24 hours of travelling by train and bus enhanced the feeling that this was a pilgrimage and not a holiday break. That said the German beers in Barcelona and being able to play a tune on the piano at Toulouse train station lightened the load a wee bit. We didn’t really speak with anyone on the road apart from a Punjabi man selling coconut slices in a park.
When we arrived at Lourdes bus station we walked down the hill to the St Sebastien Hotel and my companion wryly observed how much fun it was going to be walking back up the hill on the way back.
The hotel was exactly what you need on a trip like this; functional and close to where you will spend most of your time. The Boulevard de la Grotte is full of shops selling religious artefacts, places to eat and cafe terraces.
We checked-in, dumped our bags and went straight to the Massabielle Grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. As we enetered the Domain the sun came out. They reckon that 200, 000, 000 people have visited the grotto since the local authorities finally accepted the veracity of Bernadette’s claims. To follow in so many footsteps reminded me of the deep connection Catholics share over generations.
The Grotto is set in the grounds of the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame. There are hospitals, chapels, statues and a beautiful basilica in front of which is a large golden crown .
We crossed the bridge over the river Gave de Pau to look at the hundreds of votive candles in the Chapels of Light. There are candles of all sizes from small hand-held ones to huge ones that need two people to carry them. We light candles to represent God’s light and as signs of our prayers.
The following day we bought some rosaries and artefacts in the Palais de Rosaire. The shop offered religious statues, prayer books, incense, rings, medals, bottles for Lourdes spring water, rosaries made of glass, stone, wood and rope plus every bag, wallet and table linen a devotee could dream of. A Harrods of holiness. I bought my fellow pilgrim a beautifully crafted Rosary. They also sold gold rings, of which more later.
In the morning we attended an Italian mass in the basilica. This was quite moving as our Spanish helped us understand some of the priest’s words.
Later we went to recite the Rosary at the grotto. Before taking our seat on the wooden benches we passed into the grotto itself, touching the rock and letting the water from the spring, revealed by Mother Mary, drop onto our rosaries. Saying the Rosary is the closest thing Catholics have to chanting mantras. There is rhythm and repetition and focus. There is a strong belief that regular reciting of the Rosary offers protection from misfortune.
We placed candles with our deepest wishes for our personal causes in the Chapels of Light. After a Sri Lankan lunch and ice-cream, as the very-much-senior partner on this two-handed pilgrimage I opted for a siesta so I could gather my forces for what would, for me, be the highlight of the visit.
The torchlit procession at Lourdes, known as the “Marian Procession”, is one of the most iconic and moving events that take place in the town. It is held every evening from April to October at 9:00 PM. This nightly ritual draws thousands of pilgrims who gather to participate in a collective act of faith, unity, and devotion.
Pilgrims gather near the Grotto as night falls and light candles protected from the breeze by a paper shield. I hadn’t been expecting hear the Latin Creed. It makes me miss my parents and happier, simpler times When I heard them sing Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, I was overwhelmed. The Rosary is recited is many different languages, underlining the global appeal of Marian worship. The faithful sing the ‘Ave Maria’ that most of us probably first learned as children.
The procession goes from the Sanctuary meadow where the Grotto is and ends at the Basilica of St. Pius X with time for the prayer of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the blessing of the pilgrims, the sick first and foremost.
At one point we saw a priest walking backwards and using sign language to translate the prayers for his group of deaf pilgrims.
An image of the Virgin Mary is projected onto the tower of the basilica and radiates its peace across the night sky as the congregation dissipates to the Grotto for a final goodbye prayer or to the streets of Lourdes to find something to eat.
The next day we went to celebrate Mass in English in Saints Cosmas and Damian’s chapel in the Domain and we visited the vast underground basilica where some Knights of Malta were celebrating Mass with some of the infirm who they were looking after. They Knights of Malta always come to Lourdes in May.
We tried to go on a tour of Lourdes but there so many people in the group we couldn’t hear the guide properly. We decided instead to a last visit to the Grotto to recite the Rosary and give thanks for a memorable experience.
We called in one last time to the Palais de Lourdes where my fellow pilgrim bought me a gold ring by which to remember Lourdes. I haven’t taken it off since.
Then we collected the bags and slogged up that hill to the bus station. It was every bit as ‘fun’ as my companion had predicted on the way down. But it didn’t matter. Nothing did. We carried Lourdes with us.
And I think we still do.