Lourdes: participate in the Marian procession which is a source of grace

On August 14, 1983, Pope John Paul II, at the end of the evening procession, said: “On this peaceful night, let us watch. Let's pray. No longer secretly, but as an immense people on their way in the wake of the risen Jesus Christ, enlightening each other, guiding each other ”.

Do not miss to participate in the evening procession, which is also called the "torchlight procession". Already on February 18, 1858, the day of the third apparition, one of the two people who accompanied Bernadette brought a candle. Subsequently, Bernadette herself always went to the Grotto with a candle. The famous torchlight procession of Lourdes, whose image is known all over the world, was introduced to Lourdes in 1863 by Father Marie-Antoine, a cappuccino nicknamed "the Saint of Toulouse".
The Marian procession is the most popular moment in Lourdes. Pilgrims gather around their banners. All sick people who want it and who can take part in it, want to be present.
You can hold a candle in your hand surrounded by a protection on which you can read the traditional chant of Lourdes, thus describing the history of the apparitions.

During the procession, the pilgrims recite the Rosary. Depending on the day, the joyful, luminous, painful and glorious mysteries of the Rosary prayer are requested. At the beginning of each decade, phrases repeated in various languages ​​guide the prayer, so that it does not become a mechanical repetition. The songs and the Ave Maria are also heard in different languages. In the peace of the evening, each carries the intentions in his heart but prayer brings together, with the Virgin Mary, this crowd "of all nations, peoples and languages", in a prayerful assembly, like the disciples at the Upper Room after the Ascension of Christ. The procession takes place in any weather: the pilgrims of Lourdes are tenacious and know that it is prudent to equip themselves in case of rain ...

Did you know? From April to October and during the winter on the occasion of the Marian feasts such as December 8 and February 11, the Shrine organizes 200 Marian processions with torches every year.

Did you know? The stokers, since the origins of the Sanctuary, have watched over the burning candles. In the silence of the prayer, night and day, the thousands of candles placed by the pilgrims burn gently. These devoted men alternate evening and morning. Every year, over 400 tons of candles are burned on average. The size of the candles can vary from 130 gr. for the most common, up to real giants of 70 kg. Some members of the team, known as "The stoker of the apparition", have the task of watching over the cave's candelabrum made up of around 90 candles and a candle on its top.