I first came to Lourdes in 1970 as a volunteer, one of a group of Stonyhurst pupils, writes Jimmy Burns on the eve of the visit by Pope Leo

I first came to Lourdes in 1970 as a volunteer, one of a group of Stonyhurst pupils. The “baths” were a communal pea-green pool, and I remember one of our chaplains, a busy young Fr Nick King SJ, rolling up his sleeves and leading by Ignatian example, just another volunteer at the service of others. The crutches left by “cured” pilgrims that once lined the grotto had long gone even then. Bishop Pierre-Marie Théas of Tarbes and Lourdes had ordered their removal in 1947 to restore the austerity of the cave.After a devastating drop-off during Covid, annual visitor numbers have returned to around four million, helped again this year by the cancellation of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and by the visit to Lourdes this weekend by Pope Leo.

Get Instant Access

Continue Reading

Register for free to read this article in full

REGISTER

Subscribe for unlimited access

SUBSCRIBE NOW

From just £37.50 quarterly

  Print copy of The Tablet delivered directly to your door.
  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  Access to the weekly digital copy of The Tablet.
  Full access to The Tablet’s archive – over 180 years of back issues.

Already a subscriber? Login