Know of any Lourdes Pilgrimages in Feb 2009?

fullergalway

Hi, I'm looking for a pilgrimage to Lourdes in Feb 2009. I've found one originating in UK but would prefer something originating in Ireland. Do you know of any?

achtungbarry

The whole "Apparition of the Virgin" at Lourdes is simply another example of how the Catholic Church "catholosized" an event that had little or nothing to do with the Catholic religion much in the same way pagan festivals were taken over and transformed into more acceptable "Christian" events.

During the winter of 1858 a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous from the Pyreneen region of South West France reported seeing "a tiny figure dressed in white" or as she described her in the dialect of French she spoke "uo petito damisela"

It is important to note that the word "damiseala" had a very specifc connotation in this and other parts of France at the time. "Damisealas" was the name given to mythical "forest fairies" who dressed in white and disappeared if anybody came too close. At no time did the young girl claim to have seen the Virgin Mary.

The Catholic Church in the area were in fact quite concerned about the buzz created by this sighting (and subsequent sightings) and saw it as a threat to their own religious authority. Thousands of pilgrims visiting a Pagan shrine was obviously not ideal.

So the Catholic Church did what only the Catholic Church can do in these situations and claimed the "petito damisela" for themselves under the new guise of "La Vierge" in an attempt to divert the religious fervour back to themselves. On 18 January 1860, the local bishop declared that it was in fact The Virgin Mary that appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This was common practice in France at the time and the hundreds of Pagan stone formations with crude crosses hammered or carved into them scattered around France are a testament to this.



Source : Graham Robb,The discovery of France, Picadour, 2007 P113-117

I also lived in this area of France (1999-2000) for a year and had this explanation repeated to me on numerous occasions by amused locals delighted at seeing the hoards of visitors spending silly amounts of money in their town every year.

kelly1

fullergalway wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking for a pilgrimage to Lourdes in Feb 2009. I've found one originating in UK but would prefer something originating in Ireland. Do you know of any?

Hello FG, I have a particular fondness of Lourdes after 2 trips there. The first trip was a major turning point in my life.

You could try Joe Walshe tours - http://www.joewalshtours.ie/Pilgrimages/Lourdes/Lourdes_Introduction.html

After that I don't know.

God bless,
Noel.

branie

Would a "forest fairy" call herself the "Immaculate Conception"?

robindch

fullergalway wrote: »

would prefer something originating in Ireland.

Personally, I'd recommend avoiding the place until the gastro-enteritis that's on the prowl there has cleared up permanently:

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19025

Four people have died so far.

achtungbarry

branie wrote: »

Would a "forest fairy" call herself the "Immaculate Conception"?

Would a worried Catholic church add a few "facts" to suit their aims ?

Fanny Cradock

Guys, the OP asked a simple question. Let's not drag this off topic. If you want discuss Lourdes and it's outbreaks of gastro-enteritis that's just fine, but do it in another thread.