Lourdes shrine in France announces innovations to attract pilgrims
The rector of the famed Marian shrine in France has launched the Nights of Lourdes, a new summer initiative to draw visitors in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown
As health measures are gradually loosened, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France is about to welcome back its pilgrims.
After many months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities at the famous Marian shrine say it is imperative to attract as many visitors as possible.
That is one of the aims of the Nights of Lourdes, an innovative initiative that the shrine’s rector, Mgr. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, announced at a June 7 press conference.
Recitals, Marian torchlight processions and Masses in front of Lourdes’ famous grotto will take place each evening beginning July 1st.
The processions will be accompanied by light shows illuminating the Rosary Basilica and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which has just had its bell tower renovated.
Shrine officials have invested several hundred thousand euros for events. Most of them are free, but recitals require a €20 ticket for admission.
Getting the shrine and the town moving again
Everything is done so that pilgrims "experience something unique and unprecedented that will leave a deep impression on them," explained Mgr Dumas.
These Nights are also part of the larger program of the Estivales de Lourdes, an ambitious project carried out in conjunction with "the mayor of Lourdes, the police prefecture and the sanctuary" to help revive the local economy.
"The idea is to keep visitors in Lourdes and allow hotels to accommodate people," said the rector.
"The economy and its businesses can only bounce back through the sanctuary, the keystone of the town, and we are working on it together," he said.
Relying on the digital tools developed during the long months of lockdown, the Lourdes shrine also wants to make it possible for the faithful from around the world to be in communion with the pilgrims on site.
Therefore, on July 16, the anniversary of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, "we will renew the Lourdes United in Prayer", Mgr Dumas noted.
"We will pray in different languages with those who are far away, so that they can also gather around the grotto. We will do this at different times so that people can follow us: in the morning for Asia, mid-day for Europe, Africa and the Middle East and late afternoon for the Americas," he said.
No vaccine passport needed to enter the shrine
During the press conference, the rector also discussed the situation of the shrine now that the pandemic seems to be subsiding.
"Even if it is timid, there is indeed a resumption of pilgrimages. The number of pilgrims will be much higher in 2021 than in 2020," he said.
About two-thirds of scheduled pilgrimages are planned to continue in July and September, a figure that rises to 77% for the month of August.
Regarding health issues, Mgr Dumas sought to reassure future visitors.
"We have worked with the regional health agency so that a health pass is not necessary to access the shrine," he said.
"For that, we have established a limit of 1,000 people for the recitals. There will be a 30,000-person limit in the sanctuary after June 30, but we probably won't reach it," he noted.
As for the sick, they will also be able to visit the Marian city.
"They will be safely accommodated in our health bubble so that they will only have contact with the same people and are thus protected," said the rector.