“Lourdes, a door to faith” was the pastoral theme for the pilgrimage to Lourdes this year. On Thursday 12 September 2013, over 800 pilgrims from the Diocese of Meath travelled to Lourdes, among them are many of our elderly and sick and over 200 volunteer helpers.
These were important days for the entire diocese. This was 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.
The pilgrimage led people through the door of faith and into the presence of God and his action in their lives.
Bishop Michael Smith, who led the pilgrimage, reflected on the significance of the Marian shrine as a teacher for the Year of Faith. The Bishop proposed 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.
