Liverpool Archdiocese Lourdes Pilgrimage July 2017 

On Friday 21st July, members of our parish gathered at St. Richard’s to be taken by mini bus to Manchester Airport to join the annual Liverpool Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. We flew from Manchester to Toulouse on a very comfortable flight arriving late evening with a buffet meal waiting for us. On Saturday, our welcome Mass was 2.30 in the afternoon and we filled the church of St. Bernadette with colour and singing. Sunday morning at 8.30 it was our turn for Mass at the grotto. 5pm was the Eucharistic procession and 9pm Reconciliation service. Monday,  Mass was in the Rosary Basilica at 2pm, by evening it had become a very wet day when we did carry on as usual except for the torchlight procession, when the decision was made for the youth group not to take wheelchair pilgrims.  Tuesday, we had the Stations of the Cross in the morning. The fit and able did the high and the rest the low ones. 2.30 in the afternoon we had Mass in St. Bernadette’s church  and in the evening the torchlight procession. Wednesday morning the international Mass was held but we had a Mass in the Notre Dame chapel to celebrate Fr. Vin McShane’s 30 years as a priest, then in the afternoon we had our visit to Bartres, then 9pm we had Holy Hour in St. Bernadette’s church. Thursday, we had the Mass of anointing in the underground basilica, then 2.30 the farewell service in front of the Rosary basilica.  Friday morning all packed up and ready to go we set off for our departing Mass in the Mgr. Theas chapel. After lunch and a restless wait for our coach we left Lourdes with mixed feelings and the hope of returning soon.