Lucan - Lourdes Pilgrimage 2025

My first visit to Lourdes was in 1979 while I was a student for the priesthood in Clonliffe College. Until that visit, I like many others, had only know of the Lourdes story through the old black and white film 'The Song of Bernadette'. The real-life experience of the place was a complete eye opener. From that time on, Lourdes was for me no longer a black and white representation of something that had happened in the mid-19th century, but rather a living 'full colour' vibrant place where faith is expressed in a most profound outpouring of devotion, and a real experience of a universal church.

What deeply impressed me then, as it still does on every visit, is the centrality given to the sick. This is evident not just at the shrine itself, but throughout the whole of that lovely town at the foot of the Pyrenees. I have made many trips to Lourdes since, and each time the powerful witness of the faith that finds expression there, continues to move me.

This year we will have a Pilgrimage to Lourdes from Lucan from May 11th - 15th. We will fly with Aer Lingus to Toulouse, and travel on to Lourdes by coach. We will stay at the 4 * Hotel Panorama, which is very close to the Grotto. Each day we will have Mass at a different location around Lourdes and will of course visit the 'baths' where pilgrims can fulfil Our Lady's call to 'wash in the waters' of the miraculous spring.
It promises to be a lovely few days.

We will fly back from Bilbao in Spain, and on route visit the beautiful town of San Sebastian.

Places are limited so if you are wishing to travel you should call the travel agents, Myriam Tours, on 057 93 55050 to reserve a place. The cost is 795 euro per person sharing, on a full-board basis i.e Room, breakfast, Lunch and Evening Meal.

This is the same company that we travelled with to Italy last year, and we will again have Kieran as our guide. He was excellent on our Italian trip, and we look forward to travelling with him again.

Philip Curran
St. Mary's & St. Patrick's Parishes

Do You Believe This?

Celebrating Christian Unity (18-25 January 2025)
The question at the core of the celebration of Christian Unity this year is that posed by Jesus to Martha in the Gospel when she was preoccupied with busyness rather than listening and reflecting is Do you believe this? This question urges us to consider what and if we believe in Jesus Christ; on how we can be together as a Christian community and what it means to live the Gospel message faithfully and together.

We are very fortunate that the Christian Church communities in Lucan are well connected and share prayer life together through the annual prayer service, prayer gatherings as the sun rises on Easter Sunday, sharing the Advent journey together and being present for one another for our various key celebrations. Those in leadership, in the four communities currently concerned, gather monthly to chat and break bread together in a simple & familial manner. There is a very strong commonality in the experiences of all concerned in the Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist communities, all of whom have a well-established history in Lucan.

The question and consequent answer: Do you believe this? - is core to the shared unity with the answer very simply being - the good news of the message of Jesus Christ! Our belief in Jesus Christ and the trinitarian God binds the worshiping communities in Lucan and guides our shared vision and action. Urged by the Gospel, we are each concerned about gathering and nurturing our communities, adding to inspiration and action which counters damage to our common home of the earth and caring for our most vulnerable people. The love which is God, is the light to shine our path towards greater unity and better service to all.

We enter this week with gratitude for the wonderful variety of vision and service found and shared in and from each of our Christian congregations. Let us celebrate our unity at the ecumenical prayer service which will take place in St Mary's Catholic Church on Monday 20 January at 8.00p.m. Dr Jesse Rogers will be the keynote speaker. Refreshments may be enjoyed by all afterwards in the Parish Centre.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Cathy Burke
Catechist in the Lucan Partnership of Parishes