‍

Preparations for our annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes are well under way, with applications having opened in January. The pastoral theme of Lourdes for 2026 comes from the gospel of Luke, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”: through these words we join our Mother Mary in the opportunity to say "Yes" to what the Lord is asking of each and every one one of us.

This week, coinciding with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick, for a small group of the pilgrimage planning team, saying “yes” has involved even colder and wetter weather than the UK's as they travelled to Lourdes to join others in conference, to hear the Rector of Lourdes  and his teams reflections on this beautiful theme. Pilgrimage Director Alex Manko reports that:

‍

"We have met with colleagues from other UK and international pilgrimages to share ideas and experiences on how, through prayer and care for one another, we can build and enrich the network of our pilgrimages and the lives of one another, and give thanks to the Lord, under the watch of his beloved mother the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"We have thankfully confirmed our bookings for services in the Shrine in July when we very much hope the 'yes' will also bring us sunshine and warmth. This 'yes' has also involved a lot of hard work, checking the stores of equipment we keep here in France, to make sure it is ready for when we return on pilgrimage."

"We truly thank everyone who has supported the pilgrimage fundraising over recent weekends during the parish collections – your generosity is already helping others say 'yes' to the Lord's call."

‍

If you think you could join the Pilgrimage this summer and physically help other pilgrims to participate, perhaps you could find your “yes” too.