Walk all five days from home with our new pilgrim companion, send an intention, and follow the week.
Thousands of candles, carried through the dark by people who have come a long way to be there. Rock worn smooth by a century of hands, pressed to the place where Saint Bernadette knelt. And cold spring water running over the fingers of anyone who cups their hands beneath it; from a stream a girl once dug from the mud and has never run dry since 1858.
This week, from Monday 13 to Friday 17 July, pilgrims from across our Diocese are in Lourdes. And you don't have to fly to France to be a pilgrim.
Writing to this year's pilgrims, Bishop Patrick puts it like this: “In a sense, our Pilgrimage begins when the heart is moved to make the journey and take the first step.”
Wherever you're reading this from, that step is available to you.
The Sanctuary's theme for the year is the angel's greeting to Mary - “Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you” - opened up by three words: welcome, listen, yes. They are also the path our Diocese is walking along the next 5 years: encounter, discipleship, mission.
This year, there’s a new way to walk those three words for yourself. Walk with Mary is a pilgrim companion that takes you through all five days from home: a short prayer each morning, the day’s grace, and one small thing you can do to meet it where you are. It even keeps a pilgrim’s passport to tick off as you go. There’s nothing to download from an app store and nothing to sign up for: open walkwithmary.co.uk in any browser, add it to your home screen, and the week walks with you.
Walk the whole week with us. If you do one thing, make it this. Walk with Mary carries the five days for you — the morning prayer, the day’s grace, the one thing to do near you, and your own pilgrim’s passport, all in one place. No app store, no sign-up; just open it and add it to your home screen. walkwithmary.co.uk
Send us your prayer intention. Whatever you're carrying - someone who is ill, something you can't put into words - our pilgrims will carry those prayers with them, and on Thursday Bishop Patrick will take the intentions you've sent to the Grotto and leave them there. Send an intention
Pray with us live. Four of the week's great liturgies are streamed from the Sanctuary, and you can join any of them from home. All times below are UK time.
Grotto Mass: Tuesday, 7.30am
International Mass: Wednesday, 8.30am
Blessed Sacrament Procession: Wednesday and Thursday, 4pm
Torchlight Marian Procession: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 8pm
Pray the pilgrimage as we pray it. The Pilgrim Handbook - the prayers, hymns and liturgies our pilgrims are using this week - is available as a digital edition, so you can follow every service word for word from home. The Pilgrim Handbook
Follow the week. Each day we'll share one sign of Lourdes - the rock, the rosary, the water, the candle - and a way you can meet that same grace in your own parish. Follow, and share it with someone who needs it. Instagram · Facebook
Can I take part if I'm not going to Lourdes?
Yes. Everything above is for people at home. Send an intention, watch the liturgies live, pray along with the handbook, and follow the pilgrimage on our channels.
Do I need to download an app?
No. Walk with Mary opens in any web browser, there’s no app store and no sign-up. In a couple of taps you can add it to your phone’s home screen, so it opens like an app whenever you want it.
What time are the liturgies in UK time?
France is one hour ahead. The Grotto Mass is 7.30am UK time, the International Mass 8.30am, the Blessed Sacrament Procession 4pm, and the torchlight Marian Procession 8pm.
Can I follow the prayers at home?
Yes. The Pilgrim Handbook is available to download, with everything our pilgrims are praying this week.
Can I send a prayer intention if I'm not Catholic?
Yes, and you're welcome to. You don't need to explain it, and you don't need a reason.
When do prayer intentions close?
Wednesday night, so they can be printed and taken to the Grotto on Thursday.
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