Archbishop Eamon Martin | 
Picture Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

In September and October this year, the relics of St Bernadette will journey from Lourdes in France on a pilgrimage around the cathedrals and dioceses of Ireland. The visit of the relics will be a fitting prelude to the launch of the Jubilee Year 2025 with its theme “Pilgrims of Hope”.

The pilgrimage around Ireland of St Bernadette’s relics will be a source of hope, great joy and inspiration, especially for  the many people of Ireland who have travelled to Lourdes over the years and for the dedicated groups across the island who work all year round to plan pilgrimages at parish and diocesan level.  Of course Lourdes is synonymous with care and love for sick and disabled persons and is a special sanctuary for those who struggle with worries or decisions of one kind or another.

The relics of St Bernadette will help to remind us of Lourdes as a place of prayer and compassion for the sick and vulnerable. Irish people of all ages have volunteered to help in various ways in Lourdes and have been uplifted themselves by the experience of serving and caring. In welcoming the relics, faith communities around the country will pray in the ‘spirit of Lourdes’ and come to know the message of Our Lady, a message of enduring relevance for us today.

St Bernadette once wrote:  “One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them. I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There I shall find my Mother in all the splendour of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus himself in perfect safety.”

Together with my brother Bishops in Ireland, I look forward to welcoming the relics of St Bernadette to all parts of the island. I encourage you to take the opportunity to encounter the beautiful and inspiring person that St Bernadette was, and to hear the powerful message she was able to convey to the world from Our Lady.

Please pray also that many gifts and graces will be granted during this pilgrimage.

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland