This year, we are marking 100 years since the first Liverpool to Lourdes pilgrimage.

Since that first one, there has been pilgrimage to Lourdes every year. The only exceptions have been during the Second World War and the Covid-19 pandemic.

This time, we are looking at the turn of the century, with the 2000s and 2010s.

This was a decade that saw a lot of technological advancement, with social media becoming a large part of our lives. Everything also became more digital, with a lot more things moving online.

We also saw the Olympics return to London in 2012, having beaten off competition from Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow. There were several changes in the Catholic Church too.

Pope John Paul II passed away at the age of 84 in 2005. He was then replaced by Pope Benedict XVI. He served until his resignation in 2013 and Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, was appointed.

On the pilgrimage, we were given a story about a couple, Clive and Shelia, who met in Lourdes and are now married. They met in 2019, and married earlier this year.

Sheila said: "My dear Mum encouraged me to travel to Lourdes in January 2019, apprehensive-having not flown for over 30 years-however assisted by the wonderful volunteers on the journey.

"Mum died in June, just six weeks before the pilgrimage, so I was in a state of shock and grief-meeting a husband was definitely not on the agenda!

"Clive and I were finally married at St Patrick’s Church, Southport on Friday 28 April, 2023-thanks to Our Lady of Lourdes…. and all who have encouraged and helped us along the way.”

If you want to read more about the 2023 pilgrimage, click here.

In the meantime, if you want to view our video of the best bits of these two decades, then check it out below.