Sunday 27 July marks day four of the annual archdiocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.
In the morning, pilgrims joined together in the Grotto for Mass which is always a special part of the pilgrimage.
Throughout our pilgrimage this year, we have been remembering Jack Traynor and his miraculous cure. Jack's rosary beads were brought to the Grotto and mentioned by Archbishop John Sherrington in his sermon during Mass.
After Mass the annual group photo was taken, showing the scale of the pilgrimage.
This evening, pilgrims joined the Blessed sacrament procession before everyone comes together as a pilgrimage for some social time for a Jack Traynor party.
Please see below Archbishop John Sherrington’s homily from the Grotto Mass:
Sunday 27 July 2025
Mass at the Grotto
As we seethe crowds gather here today at the Grotto and hear the constant offering of prayers through the day late into the night, it is hard to imagine the isolation and danger of this cave by the river at the time of St. Bernadette.
On a cold and misty February morning, she came down to the river to collect firewood because her family were poor. Bernadette suffered from asthma and sickness. With little schooling because she was poor, she was one of the little ones who are the poor of the Lord.
She was attracted to cross the river, which used to flow right by the cave of Massabielle where I am standing, and then she saw Our Lady. She said, ‘I saw a lady dressed in white, she wore a white dress, an equally white veil, a blue belt and a yellow rose on each foot.’ St. Bernadette knew she was in the presence of the Holy and made the sign of the cross and said the rosary with the Lady. This was the first apparition and an example for us of how to pray – the sign of the cross and the rosary which I hope you will love during this week.
The readings we have just heard tell us of the abundant and overflowing mercy of God who calls each one of us by name, loves us with a persevering love whatever we do, and invites us to respond in prayer constantly and unceasingly.
Abraham and Sarah have received the blessing of God and Sarah has been promised a child. As the Lord God looks down the valley towards Sodom and Gomorrah he sees the wickedness of many people in those towns.
He considers destroying the towns and to begin again. Abraham tries hard to understand a God who would destroy the towns and exact his justice because of their sinfulness. He trusts in a God who is merciful. He begins to bargain with God. Will God be merciful to all the people if there are only fifty good people there? God says that he will be merciful for the sake of fifty.
Then Abraham tries forty-five. He receives the same answer. And down to ten. The promise of God is that he will be merciful if he finds a few good people there. Indeed, God promises to be merciful if there is one good man to be saved.
He will not be destructive because of sin. The promise of the mercy of God finds its fulfilment in Jesus who from the cross on Calvary promised mercy and forgiveness to all who turn to him.
He forgives the repentant thief and promises to forgive our sins and tells us to share this gift of mercy and forgive the sins of others. Sometimes we forget we need the forgiveness of God.
This holy shrine is a place to begin again and ask for that forgiveness. Part of the healing of Lourdes, is to ask for the grace to forgive those who have hurt us. We ask Our Lady to help us forgive them so that we do not carry the hurt around like a heavy burden.
St Bernadette prayed when she met the beautiful Lady. In the gospel, Jesus teaches us to pray and teaches us the ‘Our Father’. Our pilgrimage is a time of prayer. Some people are always very good at praying. For others it is more difficult. Sometimes when we are young, we do not know how to pray or later may have forgotten this practice in daily life.
The ‘Our Father’ gives us a wonderful pattern of prayer. Try to spend some time today thinking about the different words and the intercessions. We praise God, ‘Father hallowed be your name’.
We ask to be protected from the temptation to evil; we need that help. We ask for our daily bread. We ask for forgiveness and the grace to forgive others. Jesus teaches us to be persistent in prayer. St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, is an example of a woman who prays constantly and faithfully for her son to be a Christian. She never gave up on prayer and her son. She is an example for you and your families.
Our Lady is a model of prayer. She is full of grace, ‘plein de grâce’ (as we pray in French). Full of grace - she continually thanks God for his blessings. Full of grace - she hears our prayers like a Mother who knows all her children’s needs. Full of grace - she is generous and brings our prayers to Jesus. Like St Bernadette may we pray, ‘My Jesus, O how I love him’.
+John Sherrington
