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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 56th U.S.
National Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Fifty-five
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 33rd
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, 152 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 o the 56th Annual U.S. National
Lourdes Pilgrimage this coming June/July during what I am sure will be a
glorious pilgrimage. I would love to be able to personally share with you
the wonderful experiences that I have discovered over these past 33 years.
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 56th
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 |
