Bringing Lourdes to Ireland with St Bernadette’s relics

For the very first time, the relics of St Bernadette of Lourdes will be on a pilgrimage to Ireland. The relics will visit every diocese in the country from September 4 to November 5. Each diocese will have their own schedule to celebrate the saint.

Fr Gerard Fox, spokesperson for the Saint Bernadette Relic Pilgrimage Ireland 2024, said each diocese/parish identified as a host were provided with “various liturgies, moments of prayer, Masses and so on,” that they can use during the course of the pilgrimage.

This visit to Ireland is an opportunity for people to connect with the saint. The event is being facilitated by Lourdes Pilgrimage directors and the Shrine.

Fr Fox said the sanctuary authorities decided they would make the relics available in different countries, “recognising that not everybody can travel to Lourdes for whatever reason,” so they would “bring the message of Lourdes to other countries.”

The relics tours are also taking place around France, Germany, Spain, South America and North America. “We approached them back in 2019 to discuss the possibility of bringing the relics to Ireland. We were planning to bring them in 2020, but unfortunately COVID intervened there,” said Fr Fox.

Many people are drawn to St Bernadette for the feeling of love and care they can find in her and Lourdes. “The miracles are rare, the healings are rare. But very often the miracle is that people will find the grace to live with whatever it is they’re facing,” Fr Fox said.

Read more in our Feature section:

Touching the divine… by Michael Kelly

St Bernadette’s timeless appeal by Brandon Scott

Irish Family had life changed forever by St Bernadette and Lourdes by Renata Steffens

Also read the full schedule of The Pilgrimage of Saint Bernadette’s relics in 2024