A path of compassion and veneration of the relics of Saint Bernadette
From 22nd to 28th September, two members of the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes were sent on a mission to help create a path of compassion in Savoie. Sister Geneviève Pagès, a Sister of Charity from Nevers, and Chelo Feral, a member of the Sanctuary’s host community and volunteer for the path of compassion in Lourdes, organised a series of prayer and meditation sessions around the relics of Saint Bernadette, which had been brought specially from Lourdes. This trip had been planned and eagerly anticipated for two years.
A mission with lots of opportunities for interaction:
- Tuesday, 23rd September, morning meeting with several leaders of Church movements and services (Healthcare Ministry, hospital chaplains, pastoral leaders, Christian Office for People with Disabilities, etc.)
- Wednesday, 24th September at 10:30 a.m. – Tamié Abbey
The relics were welcomed during the Mass for the dedication of the abbey. The monastic community, joined by local worshippers, were able to pray and venerate the relics of Saint Bernadette. - Saturday, 27th September at 2:30 p.m. – Path of Compassion at Notre-Dame de la Vie The path of compassion is inspired by the one offered in Lourdes. Its purpose is to support families who have lost a child (before birth, through illness, accident, or suicide). It provides a space for prayer and fellowship to embrace suffering and entrust it to God’s mercy.
On Friday morning, 26th September, the ‘future team of guides’ in Savoie experienced the path of compassion for themselves in order to understand it better, and to make any necessary changes, etc. - Sunday, 28th September at 10:30 a.m. – Moûtiers Cathedral
During Mass, presided over by the Vicar General of Savoy, instead of a homily, there was a presentation of Bernadette’s spiritual journey in Lourdes and Nevers.
After Sunday Mass, the diocesan community enjoyed another moment of contemplation before the relics, followed by a presentation, catechesis, and an introduction to the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes.
All the events were followed by a shared meal, providing an opportunity to meet and share experiences and insights on Lourdes and Bernadette.
Path of compassion in Savoie
Since November 2016, a welcome and listening service has been organised in Lourdes to support parents who have suffered the loss of a child. Children lost before birth, who could not be buried, and sometimes even who did not have a name, can be given one at the end of this path of compassion. The name is entered in the ‘Book of Life’ and carried in prayer by the Sisters of Nazareth and pilgrims. This process also applies to parents who have lost a child to death, drugs, marginalisation, or whose child’s disability is difficult to cope with.
The path of compassion offers a space where the deep wounds caused by the loss of a child can be laid to rest. Too often, this pain remains unspoken. The path allows us to create a space for them, to give meaning to suffering and to entrust it to the mercy and tenderness of the Father. The path of compassion, inaugurated in Savoie after two years of joint work between the Sanctuary of Lourdes and the Diocese of Savoie, is inspired by the one available in Lourdes.
The path of compassion offers a space where suffering can be laid down, acknowledged, and entrusted to God’s mercy.
- A welcome in the chapel of St Marcel and St Grégoire followed by a meditation with Mary Magdalene and a prayer of compassion.
- Silent walk to the shrine of Notre-Dame de la Vie, punctuated by moments of reflection and prayer.
- Symbolic stops: the fountain (running water, symbol of baptism and rebirth) where the water gesture is available. Inside the sanctuary, there are three stops in front of beautiful altarpieces depicting Mary, from her birth to her Assumption.
- Outside, in front of a large wrought iron cross overlooking the Belleville Valley, participants are encouraged to admire the beauty of creation and the goodness of God.
- The path of compassion ends in front of the Virgin of Mercy in the church of Saint Martin de Belleville. Participants are invited to light a candle for lost children, those who have died or were never born, and write their names so that they may be entered into the Book of Life, which is entrusted to a monastery where monks pray for these children.
Saint Bernadette meets the Catholic Church in Savoie
Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary of Lourdes, wanted to be given a mission like the other sisters in her congregation. However, her fragile health forced her to remain in Nevers, at the mother house of the Sisters of Charity. Today, through the presence of her relics, Bernadette fulfils this mission in a different way: she goes out to meet those who cannot travel to Lourdes. The veneration of relics is not the worship of objects, but a gesture of respect towards the saints, friends of God. They remind us that holiness is possible in ordinary life, that the saints intercede for us and that their fidelity to Christ opens a path of hope. Relics are like ‘bridges’ between the communion of saints and Christians today: they invite us to contemplate their lives, to reflect on the meaning of our existence and to rekindle in us the desire for holiness.
The Family of Our Lady of Lourdes and Catechesis
Throughout the week, the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes supported times of prayer, worship and sharing. The mission of the Family is to share the message of Lourdes with as many people as possible. It allows us to honour the Immaculate Conception, pray for sinners, practise charity, and create little places of worship, fraternities, chapels or prayer groups in different settings, which show the joy of living as brothers and sisters.
