After the Anglo-Catholic pilgrimage to Lourdes that took place last September, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes today takes an added significance. The images we have seen of the Archbishop of Canterbury and so many bishops, priests, deacons and laity praying together at that place made holy by Our Lady’s appearing are still fresh in our memory. So are the images of Roman Catholics and Anglo-Catholics being together in Lourdes.
Today we give thanks for the maternal care afforded to us by Our Lady, we give thanks for the willingness of young St Bernadette Soubirous in accepting her call and we listen with intensity to the message of repentance and prayer that was given to us from Our Lady herself.
For us at St John’s this is also a significant day. As a result of that Anglo-Catholic pilgrimage, Fr Mark has set up a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes which we will use for prayers the first time today. The apparitions at Lourdes happened while our church was being built.
This blog joins other Anglo-Catholic bloggers in praying the Rosary today in answer to the request of Our Lady and invites you to join in this wonderful prayer. We offer it for the sick as today is the World Day of the Sick and we offer it for the Catholic Group in Synod as they bear witness to the faith of the Church Catholic during today’s debates.