Letters from Lourdes: Experiences from 2024 pilgrimage
The annual Order of Malta pilgrimage in May to the Lourdes shrine in France is always an emotional encounter, with the organization sponsoring dozens of malades (“sick” or “disabled people”) to travel to the place where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The trip typically consists of washing of the feet, collecting and bathing in water from the Grotto of Massabielle, and a candlelight procession. This year, Archbishop José H. Gomez joined the pilgrimage and celebrated a special Mass for pilgrims in the Lourdes grotto.
The malades make the trek to experience some kind of healing — not necessarily a miracle cure to what ails them, but for peace and joy in the face of suffering.
These are just a few of the narratives from some in the Western U.S. who went, served, witnessed, and experienced the pilgrimage, from April 30 to May 8.