At Lourdes, all liturgical feasts are celebrated in a special way. Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and the birth of the Church. This event occurred fifty days after Easter. Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit, closes the Easter season.
The birth of the Church
Pentecost celebrates the beginning of the Church, its foundation, and the emergence of the first Christian communities. Shortly after receiving the Holy Spirit and beginning to pass on Christ’s message, the apostles baptised the first Christians. But the feast also launched the Sacrament of Confirmation, where the baptised person renews the heart of his or her faith and is also invited to become a witness to Christ.
In this year when, in its annual theme, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes recalls the words of the Virgin, “Go and tell the priests that a chapel be built here and that people should come here in procession”, pilgrims are invited to participate in the construction of the Church, to become “living stones”.
Lourdes and the sacraments
Lourdes is the place where millions of people come to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, a step that brings pilgrims closer to the mercy of the Lord. Almost all pilgrims who arrive in Lourdes, either individually or in groups, can visit the Reconciliation Chapel to go to confession.
When pilgrims arrive in Lourdes, they can also take part in the masses celebrated in different languages. But some pilgrims also have the opportunity to experience the sacrament of the Eucharist, and like Bernadette, to make their First Holy Communion, in this blessed place where the Virgin came to be a sign of God’s love.
This year, pilgrims are invited to “come in procession”, to discover the beauty of the Eucharistic procession with the blessing of the sick at the Basilica of Saint Pius X, every day at 5:00pm.
The Olympic flame passes through the Sanctuary on the day of Pentecost.
The Olympic flame passes through the Sanctuary on Sunday 19th May. A date which echoes the feast of Pentecost, celebrated this year on the same day and bringing to earth a flame, that of the Holy Spirit who touched each of the apostles 10 days after the Ascension, in the presence of the Virgin Mary.
Come to Lourdes and use the Sanctuary's application for orientation
The liturgical calendar for the month of May provides special occasions for prayer. Be present in Lourdes for the feasts of Ascension, Pentecost and the Visitation and be informed of times and venues of celebrations via the Sanctuary’s app, a free-of-charge tool designed to help you make the most of your visit to the Sanctuary.
Join the thousands of pilgrims to the Sanctuary who have already downloaded the app.
