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Dear Youth Ministers and
Pastors,
I am writing to introduce
you to the U.S. National Rosary
Pilgrimage and to kindly ask you to
consider offering this very special experience to the Youth in your parish.
Fifty- four years ago, a
vision to bring more Americans to Lourdes became a reality with the founding
of The U.S. National Rosary Pilgrimage. For many years, this event took
place in September. Three years ago, in response to the Bishop of Lourdes’s
request, that National Pilgrimages focus on bringing more youth and families
to Lourdes; we moved our annual pilgrimage to July. Since then, each year,
we have experienced an increase of the number of young people participating
in our National Pilgrimage. The value of their presence with our pilgrimage
is exceptional not just for us but for their own personal encounters and
experiences.
This past July we were
privileged to enjoy the participation of Our Lady of Sorrows Young Adult
Group from Margate, New Jersey. Their expressions of fraternal compassion
were inspiring as they so generously gave assistance to pilgrims with
special needs.
During the U.S National
Lourdes Pilgrimage, for those who wish, there is opportunity for the
Youth to earn
Community Service Hours.
They will have the opportunity to assist with
the daily processions of Lourdes, carrying banners and flags and pushing
wheelchairs and strollers. They may be asked to assist in setting up and
serving during the Liturgical services, spend time with the children or even
a simple gesture of walking to the Grotto with a person who has come to
Lourdes alone or an elderly person who may need a walking companion.
A young man having
experienced Lourdes wrote,
“Lourdes gave me a different outlook on the world that surrounds
us…. I learned that acceptance, solidarity, humility and love are values of
this new millennium and of the world that we owe to ourselves to improve….”
Another youth wrote,
“Lourdes for me was a
strong experience of the Church as a family and of the love of Mary for each
one of us. I also understood that the differences are not important: in God
we are one. I had the impression that the Virgin had been waiting for us, as
if she were at home…. Entering the Grotto was like being in Mary’s heart,
asking her to change ours so that it would be more like hers….”
In addition to the
opportunity for service, Youth and Young
Adults will have the opportunity to gather with young people from
around the World,
to follow in the footsteps of young St. Bernadette and to
encounter the deeply spiritual and joy filled experiences that Lourdes has
to offer.
The Youth will also visit
the places associated with the life of St. Bernadette and other sites of
Lourdes before departing for Nevers, where they will visit the Convent where
St. Bernadette lived following the Apparitions and where they will have the
opportunity to venerate her incorrupt body. Mass will be celebrated at the
Convent. Included in this year’s Youth Program will also be a visit to the
Miraculous Medal Shrine and Sacre Coeur in Paris as well as a visit to
Lisieux, and the home of St. Therese.
Our 2009 U.S. National
Youth Program will be directed by Father Michael Dosch, O.P. Father has
been one of our Spiritual Directors for the past four years and his primary
work at St. Gertrude’s in Cincinnati is with youth and young adults.
I hope that you and members of your parish youth group will be able to join
us in Lourdes this coming July. For further information, please contact
Elizabeth Grinder at the U.S. National Lourdes Pilgrimage Office,
Tel. (301) 869-9700 or 1 (877) 276-7279, Fax. (301) 990-6978, Email:
lourdespilgrimageoffice@comcast.net or Father Michael at
michael.dosch@juno.com.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Grinder,
Director
U.S. National Lourdes Pilgrimage
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