Pilgrimages News
Westminster’s 700-strong party of pilgrims has returned from Lourdes, with hearts overflowing after six extraordinary days filled with a closeness to Our Lady and through her, to her Son. Among the many unforgettable moments, a highlight was…Read more
Our final day in Lourdes began with a Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace; a grace that has been given to many of us over the course of the week, and which we hope to bring home with us to a world in ever greater need of it. In…Read more
Awake, my soul; Awake, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn. (Psalm 108:2) And awaken the dawn we did, for this morning it was finally time for our long-anticipated Mass in the Grotto, the very place where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette! The…Read more
Having passed the half-way point of the pilgrimage, the graces received over the last few days have made our hearts a fertile ground to receive still greater healing. So it is fitting that, at today’s Votive Mass of Our Lady, Health of the…Read more
‘O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.’ (Psalm 63:1) What Morning Prayer asks, the rest of the day answers – and in our case rather quickly, seeing as just a few hours later many of us headed to a Water…Read more
‘I myself will gather [them] from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures’ (Jeremiah 23:3). The words from today’s first reading hold a particular significance for our pilgrims today, many…Read more
‘I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,’ began the first psalm of today’s Morning Prayer; the perfect start to a week spent holding our intentions before the Lord. The Westminster pilgrims made these words their own this morning when they…Read more
There was a palpable sense of joy as the Diocese of Westminster’s 700-strong pilgrims descended on Lourdes this year, having travelled by coach, plane and train to reach the small town in the foothills of the Pyrénées. For some of us…Read more
A welcome and reassuring feature of the Westminster Lourdes Pilgrimage is the red tabard worn by a Redcap. Without their selflessness, enthusiasm and generosity in service, there would not be a pilgrimage. They are so important to the day-today...Read more
'We hope that the lessons, insights, grace, and the understanding we received this week will stay with us in this task of building up the Church day by day. We thank Mary, Mother of the Church, for guiding us, gathering us, for nurturing us and...Read more
The fifth day of our pilgrimage in Lourdes was marked by a Mass in the Grotto where Mary had appeared to Bernadette, and the Blessed Sacrament procession led by the Diocese of Westminster. Cardinal Vincent celebrated Mass for the feast of St...Read more
Healing has been at the centre of the fourth day of our Lourdes Pilgrimage, with our pilgrims receiving the Sacrament of the Sick in the morning, while this evening we will have the opportunity for the forgiveness of sins at the Penitential...Read more
The third Mass of our Lourdes pilgrimage ended under a shower of rain, though it was in no way enough to dampen the spirits of our pilgrims! As is an annual tradition, the Mass took place at the open-air Cité Saint Pierre, which is also known as...Read more
'Our Lady smiles at you in love, she asks you to smile at others and to grow in the love of Jesus and others. He says, "grow in my love".' Bishop John Sherrington spoke these words to the pilgrims from St Joseph's Pastoral Centre, as...Read more
'Don't be too rushed, don't be too busy.' This was the advice shared by Cardinal Vincent in his homily at the opening Mass of our 2023 Lourdes pilgrimage, as he implored each of us to take the opportunities that the Lord gives us to...Read more
At the end of a busy day of flights, trains and buses, the Diocese of Westminster has descended upon Lourdes for our annual pilgrimage. After three years affected by covid, this year sees a return to full strength with anywhere from 600 to 1,000...Read more