Lourdes 2025 - A Pilgrims return

St Peter’s & St Michael’s Church – Liverpool Archdiocese

From Wednesday 23rd to Thursday 31th July 2025, a group of pilgrims from St Peter’s & St Michael’s Church embarked on a truly unforgettable journey to Lourdes—a Pilgrimage of Hope filled with prayer, laughter, reflection, and community. This year, our parish oldies were joined by two of our young parishioners who traveled with the Youth Pilgrimage on Coach 6. A view of their own story of the week is included, after the story of the main pilgrimage and the gallery of photos. Thank you to  Ollie and to Freya for their perspective on the trip.

🛫 Wednesday 23rd July: Departure & Arrival

Our pilgrimage began at John Lennon Airport, where we received our lanyards, service books, and a commemorative brooch depicting Our Lady—marking over 100 years of Liverpool Diocese pilgrimages to Lourdes. This year held extra significance, as Liverpudlian Jack Traynor’s miraculous recovery from WWI injuries was officially recognised as the 71st Miracle of Lourdes. His story is now proudly displayed in the Museum of Miracles.

We arrived at Hotel Roissy at 11:30pm, where a late-night meal awaited us—such a thoughtful welcome! After a hearty supper, we retired to our rooms, excited for the days ahead.

🙏 Thursday 24th July: First Steps in Lourdes

After breakfast, we visited the Grotto for prayer and reflection, followed by a moving procession around the Lower Stations of the Cross, with each pilgrim reading from the service book.

Our first evening service was held in St Joseph’s Chapel, where the Liverpool Choir and Musicians filled the space with stunning hymns.

Though not all pilgrims had arrived yet, the atmosphere was deeply spiritual. Naturally, the evening ended with a nightcap in the hotel bar—surprise, surprise!

💬 Friday 25th July: Welcome & Anointing

We attended a welcome meeting at the Solitude Hotel, where organisers shared their passion for Lourdes. Fr Grant, as ever, was a beacon of warmth and inspiration.

The Mass of Welcome & Anointing of the Sick at St Bernadette’s Church was deeply moving. Christine Wright proudly carried our parish banner, Everyone who wished was personally anointed. Each mass and service was supported by the Liverpool Lourdes Choir and Musicians they were very uplifting and we joined in with new and traditional hymns. A touching moment came when Alex, Jack Traynor’s great-grandson, shared his pride and left Jack’s rosary beads in Lourdes. Archbishop John would later lead the Rosary with them—a beautiful gesture.

After Mass the Liverpool Pilgrimage Photograph was taken (can also be seen in the porch at the back of Church).

🎭 Saturday 26th July: Markets, Musicals & Mistaken Masses

Some of us explored the vibrant local market, who seemed to sell everything from pigs’ trotters to rainbow trout. We visited the Parish Church where St Bernadette was baptised and witnessed a wedding at the very altar she once knelt before.

The afternoon brought “Vision: The Musical”—a modern retelling of Bernadette’s life that left us speechless. 

Later, a few pilgrims accidentally attended an African Mass instead of Fr Mark’s, but it turned out to be a joyful and uplifting experience!

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In the evening, we gathered at Notre Dame Chapel for a candlelit prayer service ahead of the Torchlight Procession. We celebrated Oliver’s birthday with Freya and enjoyed a lively dinner and bar gathering.

🌄 Sunday 27th July: Grotto Mass & Basilica Procession

The highlight of the week: Mass at the Grotto led by Archbishop John. Emotions ran high, and every seat was filled. Despite the rain, the weather held for our service. Tony and Gina carried our Parish Banner.

Later, we had the opportunity for reconciliation and confession. In the evening, we joined the Blessed Sacrament Procession to the awe-inspiring Underground Basilica, which holds 20,000 people. Tony carried our parish banner with pride and stamina on a hot day.

🏞️ Monday 28th July: Gavarnie & Reflection

After morning mass at St Bernadette church (Carmel Side) some pilgrims ventured to Gavarnie in the Pyrenees—a breathtaking village with views of France’s highest waterfall. Kathy’s photos captured its beauty perfectly.

🕯️ Tuesday 29th July: Parish Candle & Torchlight Procession

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That evening, Benji carried our banner during the Torchlight Procession, standing in the rain for over an hour. Hundreds of pilgrims sang “Ave Maria” in unison—a truly magical moment.

💧 Wednesday 30th July: Water Gesture & Farewell

Our final day began with the Water Gesture—a sacred ritual of washing, drinking, and prayer. We then attended the Mass of Thanksgiving, our last official service. In one respect, it was a sad affair as it meant that our pilgrimage was over but, on reflection, what an amazing week we had just experienced. Ss Peter and Michael's banner was carried proudly on high by Christine Hyatt. 

In the evening, we “gatecrashed” the Youth Service—an electric celebration of medals, raffles, videos, and singing. Watching the youth groups gave us hope for the future. A special shout-out to Ollie and Freya from Coach 6—absolute stars of our parish!

💖 Final Reflections

Lourdes is a place filled with love, faith, and community. This pilgrimage was more than a journey—it was a shared experience of spiritual renewal and joyful connection. As Benji said, “One that will never be forgotten.”

Thank you of course to everyone who made this week so special. Our new Archbishop John, not forgetting our retiring Archbishop Malcolm and Pilgrimage Organiser, Fr Grant Maddock,  of course our own Parish Priest Fr Mark  and all our fellow pilgrims. We had two additions to our group this year. Bev and Sue who hail from St Helens and joined in with, and were warmly welcomed into out group.

Until next time—God Bless!

If you would like to see the story of our week in glorious technicolor with actual moving images of people singing and generally having a great time, we have created a loooong video and you can access it here. Get a cuppa and a biscuit ready first!

Ollie shared:

Good evening, everyone. I am here this evening to talk about not only Lourdes but our coach 6 experience as a whole.

The pilgrimage itself was a whirlwind of beautiful moments. We participated in the vibrant torchlight and blessed sacrament processions, celebrated Mass together at the Grotto, and took part in the moving Stations of the Cross. Seeing the Grotto for the first time is something you never forget, and sharing that moment with new friends was incredible.

A particularly special moment for me was the opportunity to carry the statue of Our Lady during the first ever Liverpool archdiocese led torchlight procession. Our over-18's also had the opportunity to serve at the hospital, learning so much from the dedicated volunteers and gaining a new appreciation for the selflessness and care involved in the Lourdes experience.

Lourdes is so much more than a holiday; it's a journey of faith, service, and friendship. The bonds we formed on Coach 6 are ones that will last a lifetime. We came as individuals and left as a family, united by our shared experiences and the spirit of Lourdes.

The impact of the young people's work is probably best demonstrated by this beautiful poem that was written by an assisted pilgrim who was helped by Coach 6 throughout the week.

"It's been a long time

Since kindness

Has moved me to tears

But the care l've been given

Has rolled back the years

Here l've found a new peace

That I thought

I had lost in my sadness

And I can't find words

That echoes how I thank you

With gladness

So please don't let the storms

Extinguish the joy that is living

Keep acting with kindness

Not in taking but always in giving

And as years go by Share a thought for

Someone you once knew

Who will be

Because of your kindness

Eternally grateful to you"

You were all kept in our prayers while we were there and I’m hoping we can get even more youth on our coach next year as it is an experience that words cannot describe and is truly memorable in many ways.

If you're a young person thinking about next year's pilgrimage, or know of anyone aged 15 or older, who might be interested please pass on their details to me or Freya, or come and chat to us, we are more than happy to talk about our experience. We can't wait to see you there! Thank you for listening.

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2025 Dates

Dates for 2025 are, as usual, staggered for the Youth and Main Pilgrimages. Dates are:

Youth Pilgrimage 2025 - July 23rd - August 1st

Main Pilgrimage 2025 - July 24th - July 31st

The reason for the date difference is primarily because the youth travel by coach and leave the UK a day earlier to arrive in Lourdes on the same day as the main pilgrimage and although everyone leaves on the same day they arrive back in the UK later than the main group.

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