Earlier this past summer, Ioannes Reginarum and I made a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Both of us participated in the 2006 Pilgrimage to Chartres and since then wanted to come back to France. This year being the 150th anniversary of the apparitions gave us enough incentive to make room in our hectic schedules to travel back to the land of tradition. The Holy Father’s pilgrimage to Lourdes and Paris this past weekend brought back memories of our trip, which I would like to share in this brief account:

The best way to get to Lourdes is a direct TGV from Montparnasse. It takes about six hours, with maybe 3 other stops. It is very comfortable and quiet, conducive for reading. In addition, there are some very nice, panoramic views of the French countryside.

We arrived in Lourdes around 8:30 P.M. and our first gaze upon the great Church at the grotto would be at nightfall.

After checking into the Victoria Gardens Hotel, we decided to take a quick look at the grounds of the grotto to layout our itinerary on Sunday. Our first look upon the main church was one of the most memorable images of the entire trip: we came right in the middle of the nightly Rosary procession illuminated by candlelight.

There was a very good sound system throughout the area so you could join in from any area on the grounds. As far as the Rosary itself, a priest would lead a Pater Noster, the 10 Hail Maries would be in a variety of Languages, followed by a Gloria and a Marian hymn. A pleasant surprise during a hymn was that at a line of “Laudate Maria” or “Ave Maria” everyone, who could, would hold up their candle as an additional sign of praise for Our Lady. After 5 mysteries, a Salve Regina and Credo III were chanted. Needless to say, the grounds were very conducive to thoughtful prayer.

For the next morning, Sunday, the first order of business was to find out where we could attend Mass. Initially, I thought that it would be very difficult to find out where a TLM Mass would be said, that we would have to be on the lookout for a priest with a maniple and book it. However, when we went to the Visitor’s Center, and asked “Où est le Masse, ‘TLM’,” and astute clerk gave us an English listing of events and prominently displayed was a TLM Mass at 9:30 A.M., in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Not only is it well advertised, but it is in the best location for a Mass on the grounds. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the original chapel that was built right above the grotto.

My first impression of the main church at Lourdes was that it consisted of the three main spires so famously depicted in many photos. However, the main church is the center spire and the other two where added later. In addition, another chapel was built, Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, to accommodate larger crowds. The addition seamlessly matches the original chapel. You only notice the difference when you go into both chapels and examine at the architecture.

The Basilica itself is modest in size and for the 9:30 AM TLM, was very well attended. The Mass was offered on a separate Altar from the tabernacle closer to the Faithful. They must use this Altar for other Masses and therefore cannot remove it, so they offer the TLM on this Altar, I guess. These older churches were built to have a specific location of the Altar, and offering the Mass in another location takes away from how the architecture of the church glorifies the Mass. This may be griping, so it is healthy to remember that worse things have happened during other liturgies and any opportunity to glorify “Heaven on Earth” should be deeply appreciated.

One word of advice for anyone who wants to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes: If you have experience with the TLM, arrive early to Mass and ask the celebrant if he needs servers or could use a cantor. The impression I got from the priests saying the Masses is that they take periodic campaigns in Lourdes and there are a very few permanent positions for stationed priests, let alone servers and cantors. For the Mass we attended, there were some nice spontaneous “assists”.

The Mass began with the priest processing in by himself to begin the dialogue TLM. Fortunately, a Transalpine Redemporist came in to assist Father by the end of the epistle (This was our best guess as to who the server was. He was dressed in the traditional attire for a redemporist priest and we saw similarly dressed priests marching under the cross of St. Andrew during the previous night’s Rosary procession).

The priest read the epistle and gospel in Latin at the altar. Then, while still at the altar, re-read the readings in French. Fortunately for us, the homily was in English.

The gospel was the miracle healing of a deaf mute. In the homily, these miraculous healings in the gospel, as well as the healings that take place in Lourdes, are only a periphery of what happens interiorly, “you Faith has healed you…” What is this interior healing? Christ opens our ears and mouths to God through the merits of His Suffering, Death, and Resurrection. He has opened our mouths to have the ability to proclaim “Abba, Father” for all Eternity. How do we let Christ open our mouths and ears to God? By being obedient to Holy Mother the Church and the Sacraments. The priest’s final thought of the homily was a quote from Pope Benedict XVI, but composed when he was still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger: The essence of religion is obedience.

The next spontaneous assist came from a large contingent of traditional scouts similar to the ones we saw in the 2006 Chartres pilgrimage. Their contribution to the Mass was to use the flags for their troop as torches during the consecration. This is the first time I have seen this. I must say it is a very nice touch to the Mass. The scouts were a slight variation of torch bearers. A properly assisted celebrant really adds to the liturgy.

After the prayers following a Low Mass were recited, some of the scouts spontaneously began a French, Marian hymn. I couldn’t tell you what it was; it may have been “Chez nous, soyez reine”.

Whatever it was, it caused the priest to pause for a moment to face a statue of Our Lady for the duration of the hymn before going back to the sacristy. Attendance at this Mass will only increase and maybe in the near future, there will be more than one TLM per week on the grounds at Lourdes.

After Mass, Ioannes Reginarum and I had a chance to walk around the main church complex. The layout is very similar to St. Peter’s in Rome. There is a long walkway leading up to the church, in front of the Church there is a plaza surrounded by statues of Saints, and finally there is the main façade of the Church. We took a moment to admire the statues and we came across a particular statue that was obscured by a tree!

Apparently, someone thought it was a good idea to plant trees in the plaza. The probability of one of these trees would obscure a statue would be very small and only one of these statues was obscured. However, of all the Statues that were in the plaza, the obscured statue was of St. Louis De Montfort! How could this happen? Of all the Saints, of all the Saints from France, of all the Saints from France who contributed to True Devotion to Our Lady, St. Louis’s statue is obscured at Lourdes! Being quick on his feet and resourceful, Ioannes Reginae pulled out “The Litany to St. Louis Marie Grignon De Montfort” and we recited it next to his statue. We hope the “Apostle of the Most Holy Rosary” appreciated our small gesture. St. Louis’s message is not obscured, however, on the grounds. In the Rosary Basilica, in large letters next to the main image of Our Lady, are the words “Par Marie A Jesus”.

For the rest of the afternoon, we visited Cachot, the parish Church, and the hospital/school, where St. Bernadette was catechized.

When you are approaching Lourdes, you can actually see the grotto from the train, as well as a lot of the town. Besides the grotto, you can see the parish church of the Soubrious family. The parish church was the center of the town. The bell-tower rose above the town so everyone can hear the chimes and the spire could be seen from every point. We visited the Baptismal Fount used for St. Bernadette that is still at the Parish church.

One of the main lessons we can learn from the Soubrious family is that even though the family fell on hard financial times, their Faith never wavered, nor did they wallow in their misfortune. Even though St. Bernadette’s clothes were not of the most expensive fabric, they were well-maintained. In abject poverty, St. Bernadette still had a gregarious personality.

At the Cachot, which was still cool and damp in the middle of Summer, various keepsakes were on display: her shoes, scarves, and her rosary. Her rosary was very carefully made and still intact in the museum. The beads were crafted from pieces of sturdy wood and the knots used to tie them together were taught with a fine piece of string. It was obvious where the priorities were for the family. When St. Bernadette was in school at the Hospice in Lourdes, she graduated to the 15 decade Rosary.

No account in Lourdes would be complete without mentioning the Grotto at Lourdes. The Grotto is very accessible. It is very easy to fill up a small vial of water from the miraculous spring. If you get into the grounds before the front gates close, the Grotto is virtually accessible 24 hours a day. While I haven’t been to the Holy Land, I don’t think you can get this same accessibility.

There are Masses said at the Grotto along with Exposition and Benediction. To get close enough to touch the rocks in the Grotto, there are regulated lines and barriers to control the flow. You could even close view of the spring itself before a plumbing system leads the water out a large number of faucets. Besides these two events at the Grotto, there is remarkably very little policing done for the crowds. In fact, the crowds were very good at policing themselves. If the whispers reached a certain, understood decibel level, polite shoohsing would start, which was promptly obeyed.

All in all, it was a very successful pilgrimage filled with praise and prayer for Our Lady. May many graces be imparted at the intercession of Mater Dei on the intentions Ioannes and I humbly brought forth at one of the holiest places in Christendom.