Lourdes: The Sanctuary of Prayer, Conversion and Penance

The bishop, in his homily at the Hungarian-language holy mass held at the Grotto of Apparitions, recalled that Pope Francis encouraged us to act when announcing the Jubilee Year of hope with the motto “Pilgrims of hope”. “Hope is also about alighting the possibility in others to become the persons of hope.” He underlined that searching for mercy and penitence is not self-centred, but it is the way of taking responsibility for each other.

Tibor Berta recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lourdes in 2008, when the Head of Church peregrinated to “the woman of hope, the star of hope”, to the Virgin Mary, who appeared to the fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous (St. Bernadette) at the grotto of Lourdes in the Pre-Pyrenees in 1858. “The girl from Nazareth spoke to the girl from Lourdes here. The Virgin Mary asked her for penance and prayer, but she also gave us the message of conversion”, said the bishop. He also added that Lourdes is still the place of prayer, conversion and penance. “The aim of the pilgrimage is to meet with Jesus Christ.”

The head of the Military Ordinariate encouraged those present to “turn towards each other, address each other in a mutual language” and set an example in a way that others can draw hope from it. Related to the symbols of the place of worship, he highlighted that the candle that St. Bernadette always took with her from the fourth day of the apparitions marks the light. “Let us also be lighthouses: persons who show the way and can be followed”, he emphasized.

Following the prayer together, the members of the Hungarian delegation lit a candle for the servicemembers of the Hungarian Defence Forces. “Lourdes, where this year soldiers from more than 40 nations gathered, can show what it means to serve together indeed”, said Tibor Berta before lighting the candle decorated with a tricolour ribbon.

The 65th International Military Pilgrimage was opened by the Bishop of the French Armed Forces, Antoine de Romanet, at the ceremony combined with a late evening mass in the underground Basilica of St. Pius X, which can accommodate 25 thousand people. At the high-level military-ecclesiastical event, military bishops from numerous countries and the military delegations of the participating nations were present. The music service of the Hungarian delegation was provided by the HDF Budapest Garrison Band at the opening ceremony.

Organized by the HDF Catholic Military Bishopric, more than two hundred Hungarian pilgrims arrived at Lourdes, including professional and contract soldiers, NCOs and cadets. During the pilgrimage, the soldiers participate in holy masses, march through the town led by Colonel Péter Szücs, Commander of the HDF Ludovika Battalion, walk the way of the cross, receive the superior with military honours by the Rosary Basilica, perform at the International Military Band Festival and the imposing candlelight procession.

The pilgrimage is attended by Zsolt Barthel-Rúzsa, MoD State Secretary for the Control of Military National Security, Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza, Deputy Chief (Territorial Defence) of the HDF Defence Staff and Colonel József Mudra, Commander of the HDF “vitéz Szurmay Sándor Budapest” Garrison Brigade.