“Lourdes, a door to faith” is the pastoral theme for our pilgrimage to Lourdes this year. On Thursday 12 September, over 800 pilgrims from the Diocese of Meath will travel to Lourdes, among them are many of our elderly and sick and over 200 volunteer helpers.
These are important days for our entire diocese. This is the diocese at work with people accompanying one another on a journey. This is when we unite in prayer and bring our needs and thanksgivings to the altar of the Lord through the intercession of our Lady.
During this time we invite all the people of the diocese to be part of this great movement of prayer, which leads us through the door of faith and into the presence of God and his action in our lives.
This is also a time to acknowledge with gratitude the generosity of so many people in our diocese who make this pilgrimage possible.
Bishop Michael Smith, who will lead the pilgrimage, will reflect on the significance of the Marian shrine as a teacher for the Year of Faith. The Bishop will propose that the luminous mysteries of the Rosary offer lessons on how to answer, like Mary, the call to faith. The Lord’s baptism, His proclamation of the Kingdom, as well as the Transfiguration provide key insights to the mission of Jesus, while the presence of Mary at Cana and the breaking of bread at the Eucharist best instruct the disciples of today how to say “yes” to the Lord.
