If there is one place in the world where it’s worth spending the 15 August feast of the Assumption at least once in a lifetime, it’s the Marian shrine of Lourdes.
The national pilgrimage to Lourdes is currently underway— 12-16 August, attracting a record number of pilgrims. The French national pilgrimage is organised by the Assumptionists—a congregation whose priests and brothers are known in France for publishing the biggest daily Catholic newspaper, La Croix.
“There was a great momentum in 2023 given the 150th anniversary” of the pilgrimage, said David Torchala, director of communications at the Lourdes sanctuary. But this year, “we are talking about 20 per cent more,” he said.
On 14 August, there were already “around 7,000” pilgrims—with many more expected 15 August. “Between 15,000 and 20,000 people attend the Assumption Mass, on the sanctuary’s large meadow,” Torchala said.
The Lourdes baths, closed due to the pandemic, are now fully reopened. For many sick and disabled coming to Lourdes, bathing in the pools fed by the spring that Our Lady pointed Bernadette to in an apparition is the highlight of the pilgrimage.
“Our VIPs are the sick and disabled. Our special guests are the frail: they are the ones who are placed in front, who are at the heart of our attention,” Torchala said.