'On 11th February 1858 while collecting firewood from a grotto in the refuse area used by the inhabitants of a small village called Lourdes, an unknown girl claimed to have seen a ‘beautiful lady’. This girl was called Bernadette Soubirous and she continued to receive apparitions from this ‘beautiful lady’ who revealed herself as the ‘Immaculate Conception’ and gave a message to the world asking for a chapel to be built and for the faithful to come in procession to wash and drink at the spring.

Each year some 5 million people from over 130 countries throughout the world respond to this call and come to visit Lourdes. Every pilgrim who returns home after a pilgrimage to Lourdes does so renewed, refreshed and in some way changed.

2008 is the 150th anniversary of these momentous events. To celebrate this occasion what could be more appropriate than to go on pilgrimage to the very spot where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette.

So we are running a 'non working' pilgrimage from Monday 25th August to Friday 29th August 2008. This will be in Lourdes during the period when our first working party is there. Ian Gordon is currently working with travel agents to finalise details and costings and when the programme is finalised it details will be published here.

Fr Michael Holman, SJ will lead our pilgrimage which will also celebrate 85 years of Wimbledon College boys working with the sick in Lourdes.'

This year's working pilgrimages are 25th Aug to 1st Sept and 1st to 8th Sept.

Link to www.hospitalite-lourdes.com