The Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes departs on Tuesday 24th of June. We think of those travelling - young and old, sick and well—each carrying prayers, questions, memories, and hopes. We think of those going for the first time, unsure of what they will find. We think of those returning, drawn again to the Grotto where grace so often meets human need.
We think of those who cannot travel - the sick at home, the elderly, the grieving, the isolated. We think of those who stood in silence before the relics of St Bernadette when they came to our diocese last year, bringing comfort, tears, and the strange peace that faith allows in the middle of suffering.
We entrust this pilgrimage to the prayers of Our Lady of Lourdes. May those who go be changed by what they see and hear. May those who stay feel part of the same journey. And may the whole diocese grow in compassion, in faith, and in the hope that does not disappoint.