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Pastoral Theme of 2023 Go and tell the priests to build a chapel
The Sanctuary of Lourdes is suggesting as a pastoral theme the words that Mary, the Mother of God, entrusted to Bernadette Soubirous on 2nd March 1858 : “Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here and that people should come in procession.” Taking into account the content and the richness of these words and so as to make them more easily digestible for the pilgrims, they are being presented in three stages :
In 2022: “Go and tell the priests ...”
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In 2023: “... to build here a chapel here…”
In 2024: “… and that people should come in procession.”
In focusing on “Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here” one of the keys to helping us make these words of Mary our own is essentially pastoral.
Indeed, when it comes to understanding the person of the Virgin Mary, we are all invited to turn to the teaching of the Church. However, when it comes to loving the Mother of God, we must turn to the experience of the holy and faithful People of God: the pilgrims themselves, and among them, par excellence, Bernadette Soubirous.
This also applies to priests. To understand who the priest is, we must turn to the teaching of the church. But, to love priests, we must contemplate the Mother of Jesus and the holy and faithful People of God. And, to love the priests of Lourdes, we are invited to make the experience of Bernadette our own.
