58^TH U.S. NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
JUNE 28 – JULY 7, 2012

Dear Pilgrims, 

It is with a great spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving to Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother Mary that I anticipate our upcoming 58th U.S. National Rosary Pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. The Sanctuary of Lourdes has declared 2012, the Year of the Rosary and the liturgical theme will, “With Bernadette, we pray the Hail Mary.”

Fifty-seven years ago, the U.S. National Lourdes Pilgrimage began taking groups of American pilgrims to this remarkable Marian Shrine. They went to offer their prayers and petitions and to seek spiritual and physical healings. Today more than seven million visitors come to Lourdes annually. 

In 1977, I was asked to lead the U.S. National Rosary Pilgrimage and my ministry as spiritual director and advisor began. This year will mark my 35^th pilgrimage to Lourdes. This extraordinary Shrine and all of the various aspects of visiting Lourdes and bringing our beloved pilgrims, has become an important part of my priestly ministry. 

The message of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette indicated that she was to request the parish priest to build a church on location of the apparitions, and that pilgrims were to be invited to come in procession, and offer their prayers and petitions; and so it is, 154 years later, we continue to follow our Blessed Mother’s instructions and make pilgrimages to the Grotto of Lourdes. 

With heartfelt gratitude and a continuation of making this message of Lourdes known, I invite you to join me on the 58^th Annual U.S. National Rosary  Pilgrimage, June 28 to July 7, 2012, for what I am sure will be  another  eight glorious days of pilgrimage  in this exceptional Shrine and village dedicated to our Blessed Mother.  I would love to be able to personally share with you the wonderful experiences that I have discovered over the many years I have had the privilege to serve as the Spiritual Director of the U.S. National Rosary Pilgrimage. 

Many people ask me, “Have you witnessed any miracles?” My immediate response is to make a distinction between a miracle and a cure. My many years of experiences in Lourdes have shown me that everyone experiences a cure whether it is in some way physical, spiritual or even emotional. One would have to have a certain hardness of heart not to return home from Lourdes different because of their experiences. That is what a pilgrimage is all about. That we are open to God’s benevolent love, to Our Blessed Mother’s invitation and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as it moves within us. With an open mind and heart, all of this can be obtained during your pilgrimage in Lourdes. I have witnessed this thousands of times. 

I thank Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Bernadette for the many special graces which have accrued to me in the past thirty-three years as a result of sharing my priestly ministry with so many wonderful people who have become part of our Lourdes Family, and I look forward to sharing our 58^th U.S. National Pilgrimage with you. 

I promise you a special share in my Masses and prayers each day. 

Sincerely yours in our Notre Dame de Lourdes,
Father Joseph, O.P.
Rev. Joseph P. Allen, O.P.
Spiritual Director

Visitor #