Pilgrimage

Lourdes

A girl named Bernadette was born in a small town in France called Lourdes. The family did not have much money and they all lived in one cold room. To heat the room Bernadette and her sister Tionette had to collect fierwood for the fire.

One day, as they gathered wood beside the river, Bernadette saw a beautiful lady at the mouth of the nearby cave. Bernadette went over to her and started praying. She went back to the cave each day to pray with the lady. Very soon, the residents of the village understood what was happening and they wanted to see the lady as well so they followed Bernadette. But as Bernadette kneeled to start praying the residents of the village couldn't see anyone nearby. Only Bernadette could see her!

The beautiful lady one day asked Bernadette to dig a hole in the soil and drink the water. The inhabitants looked on in surprise – Bernadette drank muddy water!! But, soon a small stream was visible there. The woman said this water would cure people from their illness. She also asked Bernadette to build a chapel, and that's exactly what she did.

When Bernadette asked the lady who she was, her answer was Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

Pilgrimage by Numbers

In this e-article you have learned about a variety of pilgrimages but what about a look at pilgrimage statistics?

• Over 200 million people go on pilgrimage annually.
• Approximately 2 million people attend Hajj each year.
• St Peter's Square in the Vatican can hold over 300,000 people.
• Hinduism dates back over 4000 years (this means that it is one of the oldest religions in the world).
• The River Ganges in India is 2510km long.
• One of the best-known pilgrimages, the Camino de Satiago beginning in France and ending in Spain is 500 miles long.
• During the 20th century 386 cases were recorded where people have claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary. Only 8 of these have been accepted by the Church as real cases.
• Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with about 31% of the world's people following this religion.
• One of the most important pilgrimages in Hinduism is Kumbh Mela. The pilgrims congregate once every 12 years.
• The Hajj has 7 stages.

St David's Cathedral

St David's is Britain's smallest city and is where St David's Cathedral stands. According to history St David was a very special man. There are lots of stories about him doing miraculous things like restoring the sight of a blind man. He devoted his life to spreading God's message and established a monastery. He was reportedly very strict and the monks were not allowed to eat meat or speak! St David's Cathedral has become a very popular place for pilgrims, and during the 2020 lockdown they even offered virtual pilgrimages!

In the 12th century Pope Calixtus the second said the cathedral was a site of pilgrimage and since then it has become a very popular pilgrimage site. The Pope once said that two visits to St David's Cathedral were equivalent to one visit to Rome.

St Non's Well is also a very important place for the pilgrims. Non was St David's mother. As the story goes, a spring rose when St David was born and this is why many pilgrims believe it to be sacred place.