Who would have thought 12 months ago that we would still be in a state of uncertainty and lockdown?
Life has been very uncertain over the last 12 months. Sadly, we have lost some very special people who were part of our Lourdes family – please take time this Easter to remember those we have lost in your prayers.
Good news! We can now look forward to the vaccine rollout, lockdown easing and being able to attend Church services and more recently finally being able to meet family and friends, albeit in small numbers and outside.
The organising committee continues to meet and plan for 2021, which will be similar to last year’s Virtual Pilgrimage but with a few changes. We will start with our opening Mass on Saturday May 29 and continue until our closing ceremony on Thursday June 3.
The pilgrimage will be preceded by our Novena, which will be in conjunction with a nine-day journey to shrines of Our Lady in the UK and France (details to follow). Once again, this will be available on our Facebook page and, where possible, on the diocesan YouTube channel as well.
Look out for our announcements as we approach our pilgrimage, as these will keep you informed as to what is happening.
Communication with the authorities in Lourdes is also ongoing. As you can imagine, they have a massive task. As an international shrine, it has its own unique challenges.
A massive thanks to all the volunteers and key workers and to our NHS workers, many of whom are members of our Lourdes family. What would we do without them?
In the meantime, here’s looking forward to our 2021 virtual pilgrimage.
Wishing everyone a holy, joyful and peaceful Easter.
Stay safe and take care,
Keith