Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown, is currently leading 365 pilgrims from the diocese to Lourdes.
The group, which left today, includes 70 young people and 78 registered sick, with a full medical team.
Speaking before leaving on the pilgrimage, which has the theme of “The Joy of Conversion,” Bishop McKeown, who along with many in the group recently completed a three-day pilgrimage to Lough Derg, said the annual pilgrimage was an “important element in helping us rediscover the joy of both conversion and mission.
He added: “As we depart for Lourdes I am reminded of the words of Pope Francis in his message for the World Day of the Sick on 11 February last – the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes – when he said, ‘The Church recognises in you, the sick, a special presence of the suffering Christ.’
“It is true. At the side of – and indeed within – our suffering, is the suffering of Christ; He bears its burden with us and He reveals its meaning.
“When the Son of God mounted the cross, he destroyed the solitude of suffering and illuminated its darkness.
“We thus find ourselves before the mystery of God’s love for us, which gives us hope and courage: hope, because in the plan of God’s love even the night of pain yields to the light of Easter, and courage, which enables us to confront every hardship in his company, in union with Him.”
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