Cathedral of St. Joseph Hosts 12th Annual Lourdes in a Day Pilgrimage of the Sick
Story by Shelley Wolf
Catholics in Connecticut, who may be struggling with physical or mental illness or facing a tough medical diagnosis, had the opportunity right here in Hartford to wash in the healing waters that St. Bernadette discovered in Lourdes, France.
This year, those who could not make a trip to Lourdes were welcomed for the first time to the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford for the 12th annual “Lourdes in a Day Pilgrimage of the Sick,” which drew Catholics from throughout the state.
“This is our first year at the Cathedral and we’re thrilled to be here,” said Bob O’Hara, area chair of the Order of Malta. He noted the increasingly popular annual event, which drew 250 people last year, outgrew its former location at St. Peter Claver Church in West Hartford, necessitating a move to the Cathedral. “We have 300 people registered today.”
“It’s gaining traction all over the United States,” added Mark Sullivan, a member of Malta, who founded Lourdes in a Day in Connecticut with his wife more than a decade ago.
This popular annual event in support of the sick offers the grace and healing power of Lourdes by asking for Our Lady’s intercession. The Lourdes in a Day Pilgrimage is hosted by the Order of Malta, which is devoted to Christian virtue and charity by serving the sick and the poor.
Throughout the day, the Knights and Dames of Malta, dressed in red and white, provided hospitality by guiding and assisting the attendees at the Cathedral.
This year’s event also included Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne, the archbishop of Hartford, as the principal celebrant and homilist for Mass; Bishop Richard F. Reidy, the bishop of Norwich; Bishop Emeritus Peter Rosazza, also a chaplain emeritus of Malta; and Father Joseph MacNeill, a current deputy chaplain for Malta. Additionally, numerous archdiocesan priests dispensed the sacraments.
The day’s activities captured the spirit of one of the world’s most popular pilgrimage sites, where in 1858 as a teenager St. Bernadette Soubirous encountered the Blessed Virgin Mary, who told her to drink and wash of the waters there. Today, Lourdes is a place of Church-recognized miracles and a place that provides inner peace.
During the full-day event in Hartford, pilgrims had the opportunity to receive numerous sacraments and blessings. The day began with reconciliation and praying the rosary using Malta-distributed rosaries. Attendees also washed their hands or blessed themselves with water from Lourdes, attended Mass with the archbishop and bishops, received the Anointing of the Sick, and listened to soothing live music.
After a complimentary lunch, the day’s spiritual offerings extended to time for Adoration, a Blessing of the Sick and Benediction.
During his homily, Archbishop Coyne shared Mark’s Gospel story of the disciples in their boat in a stormy sea, crying out to Jesus. “Maybe you feel exhausted or frightened. Or maybe you feel abandoned. Many violent storms within us cause us to cry out in need,” Archbishop Coyne said.
It might be cancer, heart disease, blindness, the infirmity of old age, or the emotional turmoil of caretaking for others, he noted, that make people feel tempest tossed.
“Jesus did not abandon the disciples. Jesus and the disciples were literally in the same boat,” the archbishop stressed, and the Lord calmed the winds and the seas. “By your faith in him, may you experience peace. Your illness will not have the final word. You are in the same boat, and together you will weather the storm.”