Lourdes is Calling: Join the Pilgrimage in 2025

Each August, the Diocese of East Anglia joins with the Catholic Association (CA) on a deeply moving pilgrimage to Lourdes. In 2025, the pilgrimage will take place from 22 to 29 August, and bookings are now open.

Whether you’re a returning pilgrim or considering Lourdes for the first time, this is a powerful opportunity to deepen your faith, serve others, and experience a profound sense of community.

Travel and Accommodation

East Anglian pilgrims are encouraged to stay at the Hotel Eliseo, a convenient and comfortable base for the week. The pilgrimage package includes:

• Return airfares to Lourdes
• 7 nights in Lourdes accommodation
• Hotel transfers
• Full pilgrimage programme
• Insurance
• 1 checked bag (20kg) and 1 item of hand luggage
  
  (Final travel details will be provided two weeks before departure.)

Bookings can be made via Tangney Tours at

www.catholicassociation.co.uk/join

or by telephone: 01732 88 66 66

Assisted Pilgrims: At the Heart of the Pilgrimage

We extend a warm invitation to assisted pilgrims, who are truly at the heart of our pilgrimage family. Whether you require medical care, mobility support, or simply a bit of help getting around, there are two accommodation options:

• Hotels with support from volunteer helpers (e.g., wheelchair assistance)
• Accueil Marie St Frai, offering full medical and personal care

Financial help may be available for assisted pilgrims – please contact Dcn Huw Williams, Diocesan Director for East Anglia:

📧 huw.williams@rcdea.org.uk

📞 07399 163 718 (please leave a message)

The Glanfield Children’s Group

Since 1987, the Glanfield Group has brought children with learning disabilities, chronic illnesses, and terminal conditions to Lourdes, offering them and their families a joyful, prayerful, and hope-filled experience.

Volunteers Needed – Will You Help?

The Catholic Association relies on dedicated volunteer helpers to make this pilgrimage possible. Whether you are a nurse, doctor, chaplain, healthcare professional, or simply someone with a heart to serve, there is a role for you.

Volunteers typically serve as:

• Nurses and doctors
• Chaplains
• Handmaids (female non-medical helpers)
• Brancardiers or ‘Brancs’ (male non-medical helpers)
• Young Helpers (ages 17–25 in a supervised group)

Minimum age to volunteer is 17, and there is no upper age limit. Volunteers experience Lourdes not only as carers but as pilgrims themselves, responding to Christ’s call to love and serve.

To find out more about volunteering, visit:

www.catholicassociation.co.uk

Financial Support

Financial assistance is available through the Catholic Association Grants Committee and local diocesan funds. Details for 2025 will be announced soon. If cost is a concern, please don’t hesitate to enquire:

📧 funding@catholicassociation.co.uk

Or contact Dcn Huw Williams (details above).

Why Go on Pilgrimage to Lourdes?

1. Spiritual Renewal – Lourdes is one of the most revered Marian shrines in the world. Many go seeking a deeper relationship with God, spiritual healing, or peace of heart.

2. Healing and Miracles – Pilgrims often visit the grotto to pray, bathe in the healing waters, or seek solace. While miracles are rare, many return feeling renewed in spirit.

3. Community and Solidarity – Meet fellow pilgrims from around the world. Lourdes offers a space of support, shared prayer, and joyful encounter.

4. Helping Others – Supporting assisted pilgrims can be a life-changing experience, allowing you to live out the Gospel through compassion and service.

5. Personal Reflection and Growth – Step away from daily life, reflect in prayerful silence, and open your heart to God’s voice.

6. Connection to Nature – Nestled in the Pyrenees, Lourdes is a place of stunning natural beauty, ideal for contemplation and wonder.

7. Jubilee Year 2025 – Next year is a special Jubilee Year of Hope, marked by Pope Francis as a time of grace and spiritual renewal. Lourdes is offering pilgrims the chance to walk the Jubilee Way and gain the Jubilee Year Plenary Indulgence, as the Rosary Basilica is designated a Jubilee Church.

A Journey of Faith and Hope

If you feel a call to join the 2025 pilgrimage, take it as a sign to explore this invitation from the Lord. Lourdes is a place where countless lives have been touched, healed, and transformed.

Pray. Reflect. Prepare.

And if you’re ready to say “yes” – Lourdes is calling.

“With Mary, Pilgrims of Hope” – may this journey bring you closer to the heart of Christ, through the loving intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Comments