End of Pilgrimage

So ends this pilgrimage, and on with the rest of my life!

Lourdes and the Pilgrimage Industry

Lourdes used to be an obscure little village. Then came the apparitions and nothing was the same. Lourdes today is probably the most visited pilgrimage centre in the world (followed, apparently, by Our Lady of Guadalupe – so now I've visited the two most popular Marian shrines in the world - see this post).

Evidence of the tourism industry is apparent throughout – hotels everywhere, lots of Paris-style cafes along the roads and most of all, lots and lots of gift shops. Attractions-wise, they are pretty much all religious. Aside from the Sanctuary, we visited the birthplace of Bernadette and Le Cachot, the little hovel Bernadette's family was staying in when she first saw the apparitions.

Many people come here also to walk in the footsteps of St Bernadette. 2008 was the 150th Anniversary of the Apparitions and a route is marked on the roads in blue for those who want to visit the sites associated with Bernadette.

The shops sell mainly religious artefacts, including the candles for the candlelight procession and the ubiquitous bottles for Lourdes water. My mother brought with her 4 Listerine bottles, courtesy of a relative. My mother explained herself: “they are flat and easy to pack”, but the Lourdes water bottles were themselves also reasonably packable. Well, we had bought a few larger 500ml ones and several small little bottles to fill and give away. The shops also open pretty late, particularly those near the entrance of the Sanctuary, to catch the late night shoppers after the candle procession.

Our last hour in Lourdes was spent (I am sorry to say) not in prayer and contemplation but in doing some last minute shopping. I did not buy myself any rosaries but did get a few rosary bracelets. It would have been nice and convenient for saying the rosary on the tour itself coz it was certainly a little more difficult getting the rosary ring out of my bag quickly, when Father decided it was time to say a few decades.

My mother, on the other hand, spent some time looking for the perfect statue of our Lady of Lourdes. She ended up buying three, one for my grandmother, one for her god daughter and one for ourselves. Of course, they were neatly packed in her hand luggage as the check-in luggage had all been packed. So when we subsequently went through the metal detector she was stopped and her statues scrutinised for potential explosives.

But despite the hotels, shops and cafes, nothing can take away from the peace of Lourdes. It is a place of prayer and healing. So on our last day here, we did do a tour of the Sanctuary for one last time, washed our faces in Lourdes water, and checked on the candle we lit the previous night. The rain of the previous day was replaced by sunny skies and so we sat across the river from the grotto and said a quiet prayer that the peace of Lourdes would stay with us.

See more of my photos here.

Monks in the Basilica

Monks in the Basilica
Originally uploaded by Taking5

I saw this group of monks walking around the rosary basilica. Hmmm.... learning about the commonalities between Buddhism and Christianity? Anyway, surely not an everyday sight in Lourdes.

Drinking the Waters of Lourdes

The individual pilgrim has to make his own journey in Lourdes, too. Throughout the day in Lourdes, masses are said in various languages. The Chapel of Reconciliation is open for confession and pilgrims also can take the Way of the Cross. But there are other traditions here in Lourdes – going for a bath, washing one's face in Lourdes water, and so on.

We had gone for the Way of the Cross on our first day at Lourdes, after the International Mass. There are two Ways of the Cross here in Lourdes – one for the disabled, and one for the able bodied – up a hillside. Walking up the hill in the heat, looking at these huge, full-sized statues, really did bring out the meaning of the Way of the Cross for all of us, journeying together with Christ on Calvary. It was also a good preparation for confession as we were called to examine our conscience during this journey.

Our second day in Lourdes was largely set aside for individual prayer and reflection. Having said, that, it was a very busy day starting with mass at 6am! This was the English language mass for the day at Lourdes and since we were the largest group that morning, Father was the main celebrant at mass and we had to provide the lectors for the morning, choose hymns and so on.

Of course, it was a drippy, drizzly morning so we were all there in our raincoats and umbrellas. But being at the grotto in the morning was wonderful and mass was indeed a very moving and meaningful experience. We were invited to approach the altar and the spring after mass and I took the opportunity to insert the petitions I had brought in the box provided.

We went back to the hotel for breakfast. What is really wonderful about breakfast is that our tour leader (who has a very good relationship with the hotel) has arranged hot food – omelette and sausages – for us, in addition to the continental buffet breakfast which is its standard offering. Very welcome on the cold morning. And we needed it, because the next item on our busy schedule was the baths. “Wash your face in the spring” was what Our Lady said to Bernadette (and that was all she did) but we modern pilgrims want to immerse ourselves in it. (Note that Our Lady also told Bernadette to eat the grass, but none of us are actually doing that.)

I was a little nervous, I must admit. It was a drizzly, windy morning. The water was said to be cold. We would be going in starkers. But in the end, it was over too quickly. We got there about half an hour before the baths were due to open, and sat there waiting. There are a group of volunteers who pray the rosary aloud so the atmosphere was one of prayer. The baths themselves are divided into cubicles, and at any moment there could be about 4 people going into the cubicle – undressing under the shield of a cloak, in the bath proper (a curtain separates the bath from the rest of the cubicle), change back into one's clothes etc. I was really a little excited anticipating the bath itself. Went in, and was somehow very quickly whisked out of the cloak and into a wet towel. Deftly done, I don't know how they did it. Then a quick prayer for my intentions and then I got dunked for a second or so into the water, then it was all over. One of the characteristics of the baths is that somehow there are no towels, but you dry off very quickly. Nonetheless, I got a little cold waiting in the windy, drizzly entrance way for my dear mother to emerge from the bath.

Went back to the hotel to warm up a bit and get ready for the rest of the day. It is fortunate that our hotel is so near the grotto because I think we went too and fro about 5-6 times today. After a brief rest, we went back to the Sanctuary, this time to visit the Rosary Basilica for the first time and also the upper Basilica of the Immaculate Conception above it.

But just beneath the Upper Basilica is the Crypt, the original church built on top of the grotto in response to a request by Our Lady to Bernadette. It was therefore built in the 1850s or so and what is so moving about it is that every single block of stone has an inscription on it, each thanking Our Lady of Lourdes (Notre Dame de Lourdes) for graces received. Most are in French (obviously) with a very few are in English – I saw one thanking Mary for being “Cured of Deadly Cancer”. I really like this tradition which I first noticed in Provence last year (although there it was not so much thanksgiving but "in memoriam"). It gives a sense that this is not just some beautiful building but a focal point for a particular community.

We then went to the Upper Basilica. Its beautiful stained glass windows depict the story of Bernadette, incidents in the Old/New Testament, and portray individual saints. But the majority of the pilgrims spend their time in the Rosary Basilica, which is at ground level. This Basilica got its name because all the originial 15 Mysteries of the Rosary are depicted in mosaics around the basilica. The “new” Mysteries of Light are also present, but these mosaics adorn the front of the basilica instead. I spent some time here after going for confession, praying the Rosary.

Lourdes is a place where many come to get a plenary indulgence (remission of the temporal punishment due for all sins committed). i.e. to shorten or remove time in Purgatory. For this manifestation of God's grace, we need to either take the baths or do the Way of the Cross, go to confession, receive the Eucharist, and pray for the intentions of the Pope. But what I realised was that by going through these activities in faith and prayer, I did emerge feeling spiritually cleansed and closer to God and this is the true grace which one receives from the experience.

That evening, we watched the candlelight procession. It is almost as meaningful as taking part in in directly because now you really get a good overview of what is going on and a better sense of how large the procession really is. After the procession, we lit our own candle beside the grotto.

We went back to sit and pray outside the grotto for a while. My mother was getting chilly so we left after about an hour or so but a few members of our group (we were to learn) would spend most of the night there in silent prayer.

Peace!

Lourdes – a place of pilgrimage for the universal church

Lourdes, Lourdes. Whoever thought that there would be so much to see and do? Our time there was so packed that it is difficult to make sense and describe the many different experiences and impressions. After some reflection I thought I could describe it from three different perspectives.

First, as a place of pilgrimage, it is a meeting point for the universal church. Second, where individuals can intensely experience the Lord.
Lastly, it is where the pilgrimage industry can be observed. Not such a spiritual experience but certainly quite interesting to observe.

But first, a little context setting. Lourdes is essentially a pilgrimage town, with hotels, shops and restaurants serving the pilgrims there. We are staying in a hotel just a 5 minute walk away from the Sanctuary, and overlooking the River Gave which Bernadette was supposed to cross when she first saw the apparition of Our Lady. The Sanctuary itself is sprawling – it comprises the Grotto, with a statue on the spot where the apparition appeared and the spring flowing vigorously from the ground. By the Grotto, are the taps from which we can fill our bottles with the water of Lourdes. Then there are the churches – the original Basilica of the Immaculate Conception built directly above the Grotto, and then in front of it the Rosary Basilica, which contains a mosaic for each of the original 15 Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary and in front of it, the latest 5 Luminous Mysteries. Below our feet – the Underground Basilica of Pius X. Across the River, the Church of St Bernadette. There is also a chapel of reconciliation, for confessions. All this just to accommodate the multitudes of pilgrims who throng Lourdes! For more details on Lourdes, St Bernadette, here is the link to the official Lourdes site (check out the little interactive site at the bottom of the screen for a virtual tour of Lourdes!)

Now for the rest of my post.

My first impression was that Lourdes is indeed a meeting point for the universal church. Never have I felt so much the sense that I am in a true community of believers, from all over the world. Since it was Wednesday, we started the day off going for the International Mass, held in the cavernous underground basilica. Mass is said in 6 languages – French, Italian, Spanish, English, German and Dutch. So here we were, with people from all over the world, coming here together and praying in so many languages but yet everyone knew what was going on and able to follow the same mass together. At the beginning of the mass, a priest would “introduce” the various groups of pilgrims, by language group – so a French priest introduced the pilgrims from various French-speaking countries (cheers erupt when each group is announced), followed by the Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Spanish, the English (including a group from Singapore and Malaysia, ie us!!), the German and finally the Dutch-speaking pilgrims. The main celebrant was a French bishop; the readings said in three languages with the reading in the other three languages flashed overhead on the large screens around the basilica; the languages are alternated for the gospel reading. No sermon, but a song about Bernadette ends the mass.

But this is only one of the “mass activities” here in Lourdes. Lourdes is a place where the sick take pride of place. They have special reserved areas during the mass, and in the evening there is a special Blessing for the sick, where the sick move in procession to the Underground Basilica where we together adore the Blessed Sacrament.

But the culmination of any visit to Lourdes has to be the candlelight procession. Our Lady said to Bernadette, that she wanted people to come in procession here. The candlelight procession is long, very long. And this is not even the peak of the pilgrimage season! We assemble about half an hour before the procession and find a place to stand. We have our own banner (Malaysia/Singapore) and arranged ourselves behind it. Behind us, there is an Irish group behind us from Waterford and also a German group. The rosary is said in the same six languages, with the leaders from the different language groups taking turns to lead the “Hail Marys”. We take one hour to say the rosary, as songs are sung after each decade. As we recite the rosary, we walk in procession slowly, behind the statue of Our Lady, around the great field in front of the two Basilicas until we get to the square right in front of the basilica. Even by the time the statue reaches the front of the basilica again, there are still pilgrims starting to make their way around the square.

Carrying our candles high, we move in a snaking “S” shape pattern (see video below) till we reached the front of the Basilica. We end off with “Salve Regina”, which we have been learning over the past few days but I must admit I still wasn't very good (and I am not able to sing it now either). Finally, we offer the sign of peace to all those around us. The crowd disperses, back to our hotels, and then to our own homes. But we bring a little of the peace of Lourdes with us.

More photos of Lourdes here.

Chemistry of perfume

Chemistry of perfume
Originally uploaded by Taking5

We were going to spend the whole day on the road, so our tour leader started us off with a little break – a visit to a perfume factory, Fragonard. It was an enjoyable visit, with a short educational briefing to start with. Thereafter, we hit the showroom and bought gifts (for selves and others).

We reached Lourdes in the evening, just in time for dinner. Father said a quick mass and we went off to the Sanctuary thereafter. The candlelight procession had just finished but there were still lots of people around. We got a briefing on the layout of the Sanctuary, in preparation for our busy day tomorrow.