Lourdes Pilgrimage Approaches...

The time of the Blackfen Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes is rapidly approaching. It's been three years since the last one, so I'm really looking forward to it. Mass every day according to the usus antiquior will be a real treat. Sadly we don't have any servers with us, so it will have to be Low Mass...

Fortunately we have managed to get the same hotel as before - it's a wonderful place, with a real family atmosphere... and it's less than five minutes' walk from the Domaine. I'm still waiting to hear from the Parish Priest of Lourdes, to find out if we can use the church Crypt for Mass on two of the days. We are having Mass in the church at Bartrès - the only church that St. Bernadette actually attended regularly (the church in Lourdes burnt down, and only the Baptismal font is original, while the Basilica itself wasn't finished until she had gone to Nevers. She did visit the Crypt of the Immaculate Conception Basilica, but only a few times.)

I am looking forward to getting some really good photos with my latest mobile phone, which performs far better than the digital camera I have. If, however, you really can't wait to get a dose of Lourdes, do go over and visit Richard Collins, of Linen on the Hedgerow,who has written lots about his recent pilgrimage. He even managed to get a picture of a cat and dedicated it to this blog (Mewlier Fortis, indeed!!)

Richard wondered why there were always so many women in the queue for the baths compared to the number of men. I think the women's queue just appears to be longer - we take much more time to get undressed, wrapped, dunked and dressed again... there are more bits of apparel, and they do rather need to be adjusted "just so" for the sake of modesty!