A group of 500 pilgrims from the Clogher diocese, led by the Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev Dr Joseph Duffy last week shared in the 150th jubilee of the Apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes in 1858.
Bishop Duffy was assisted by 10 priests from the diocese in celebrating all of the Clogher Masses, and participated in the other services.
A constant stream of pilgrims from all nationalities queued to touch the rock at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, and further along, other queues formed for the healing baths.
Our Lady had directed Bernadette to go and drink from the spring in the rock and to wash herself in the fountain. Today, there is a Water Path where pilgrims are invited to wash their hands and face at one of eight taps and drink the water.
She also commanded the little girl to ask the local clergy to go to the rock in procession and to build a chapel at the Grotto. Today, there are two Basilicas at the spot.
Included in the 500-strong Clogher group were 46 pilgrims who required wheelchair assistance. Most of these 'assisted pilgrims' were accommodated in the Lourdes hospital where they were cared for night and day by volunteer nurses and carers from the Clogher diocese.
In his address to the Clogher pilgrims, Bishop Duffy referred to two other international pilgrimages, Lough Derg and Fatima where Our Lady appeared in 1917, and he said that what was different about Lourdes was the emphasis on healing.
He went on: "We tend to think of healing in a limited way, of getting over illness. But, healing is much more about how we manage a difficult situation. When we seek courage and strength to respond positively to our condition, we are well on the way to being healed.
"What Lourdes offers us is the opportunity to seek healing through faith and prayer. There is a strong and intimate connection between the message of prayer which Mary gave Bernadette here and the healing process which has made this place famous throughout the world.".
His Lordship acknowledged that it was not an easy subject to get one's head around. However, he said healing was related directly to faith ('where there is faith, there is healing'), and he added that Jesus had made it clear that everyone played a part in generating an atmosphere of faith.
"This is the atmosphere that is cultivated here in Lourdes. This is basically why people come here. The atmosphere of faith is of the essence of Lourdes. Make the most of it while you are here. And, don't forget to help one another on the way".
For one observer, this was a constant reality. The wheelchair had the right of way and, the vulnerable, were accorded due respect. One could not help but be impressed by the scale of the organising required in order to cope with such huge numbers and ensure everything ran smoothly, and the teamwork.
Every day, thousands of pilgrims made their way to the Grotto for the various ceremonies, assisted and non-assisted, in an orderly manner. This was community at its best. The friendliness, the sheer goodness and the caring were tangible as we journeyed together.
At each ceremony, the prayerfulness and attentiveness of the pilgrims was striking. Their faces were a mixture of sheer joy and inner turmoil.
The hard work of the carers as they pushed the wheelchairs and attended to the assisted pilgrims, was obvious. Their complete focus and dedication were most impressive.
"It changes the way you look at life", one pilgrim remarked. "It makes you very thankful for what you have. It's the opposite to the way that things normally happen. That's the way God sees it: the most important are the smallest and the most vulnerable".
There was also the sheer beauty of the three Basilicas, the third being the huge underground Basilica where the International Mass is celebrated, and one could only marvel at the enduring simplicity of the Grotto.
Each year, Lourdes attracts around 6 million pilgrims but, this year being its 150th anniversary, numbers are expected to swell to 14 million. The enormity of this year's crowds was seem to best effect at the nightly Torchlight procession, each pilgrim group led by its own banner.
On Thursday evening, the ceremony to mark the closing of the pilgrimage took place for the Clogher pilgrims.
Each of the 37 parishes of Clogher diocese were represented and their 37 banners were laid around the altar. An extra banner was laid, dedicated to The Friends of Clogher, for those pilgrims not from the diocese who were present.
Fr Kevin Duffy, CC, Castleblaney, who helps to organise the annual Clogher pilgrimage, and Fr Brendan McManus, S.J., directed the Readings.
The pilgrimage director, Canon Joseph Mullin, PP, Lisnaskea formally thanked his team of volunteers, and he explained that the preparations for the journey had begun in the Winter time of last year.
He described Lourdes as a 'hothouse of Christianity at its best', where there was compassion and love, care and goodness. He defined pilgrimage as, 'a public journey towards God, a journey we make together, strengthened by the faith of those who travel with us'.
"The pilgrimage to Lourdes is special: we are graced by the presence of the sick, by the presence of those who nurse and help them, and we are blessed by the friendship and support of our friends and fellow pilgrims, he said".
