Lourdes Floods 2013 II

Updates for Thursday 20 June 2013

5pm (UK time): Have you wondered where all the mud came from? http://midi-pyrenees.france3.fr/2013/06/20/en-video-le-survol-des-degats-des-inondations-lourdes-et-bareges-274299.html

2pm (UK time): Update from Lourdes, via Tony Assante, with our thanks: During the press conference this morning at 10.30 (France) the Rector, Fr Horacio Brito, and, the Finance Director, Mr Thierry Castillo, of the shrine, confirmed that no pilgrimages will be cancelled, despite the seriousness of the damage. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Crypt and their chapels, together with the High Stations of the Cross are open. In a few days access to the Grotto and the Rosary Basilica will be reopened.
They continue to asses the damage. Other areas damaged by the flood will re open progressively (Confessions Chapel, Accueil JPII…). There are serious questions over the time scale for reopening the Baths, the St Bernadette Church and the St Pius X (Underground) Basilica. Pilgrimages already registered with the Shrine, will find that their programme will be modified, but they will be able to take part. Pilgrimage organisers will find further information on the Sanctuaries website: www.lourdes-france.org

12pm (UK time): Lourdes was badly hit, but please remember the villages further up stream who have been fully evacuated due to no electricity, the roads and houses being washed away. Here are the first scenes from Barege: http://midi-pyrenees.france3.fr/2013/06/20/dans-bareges-devastee-et-evacuee-plus-rien-plus-rien-273717.html

10.30am French time:
It has been announced that the French President, François Hollande, will visit Lourdes at 17.00 (France)

10am French time:
More photos from the Sanctuaries of the clean-up, via Tony Assante, with our thanks: http://lnx.tonyassante.com/wordpress/foto-ufficiali-del-20-giugno.html

Lourdes Floods 2013

Some updates on the Lourdes floods (as at 19/06/2013):

Please keep everyone there in your prayers..

Latest news (17:58, French time): Lourdes Sanctuary has released details of how to make a donation to help with repairing the flood damage: http://fr.lourdes-france.org/evenement/solidarite-inondations-2013

Latest news (16:09, French time): The Mayor of Lourdes has said that the town is "traumatised". These floods are far more severe than those in October. The flooding is likely to be nearly as severe, or more severe than that of 1937, the highest recorded at 5.3m. Whilst the October floods affected roughly ten hotels, this time the number is many times greater. The affected hotels may not be able to reopen this season. The financial cost will be huge. Seasonal workers are likely to be badly affected too.

Latest news (14:59 - UK time): How it looked yesterday, a video from the Lourdes Sanctuaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QHGqf1BFx7I#!

Latest update 12:54 (UK time): From news reports it seems that the highest flooding was reached just before midnight on Tuesday 18 June. Today, the staff of the Sanctuaries, many on duty since 4 am have, since daybreak, been clearing mud as the waters recede. The Accueil Notre Dame, where our Pilgrimage stays, flooded to over a metre. The Low Stations of the Cross, flooded to 1.3 metres. Much of the town is still without electricity. Two government ministers are going to visit given the seriousness of the damage (Min for the Interior and Min for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy)

Latest update from Lourdes at 11.43 (France): The situation is extremely critical. Impossible to put a cost on clear up, but they fear the worst. In the Underground Basilica the flooding is so severe that the altar is completely submerged. St Joseph's Chapel is also submerged.

Latest Lourdes Sanctuary update at 10.20 on 19th June: Closed since yesterday morning, the Basilica of St. Pius X (the Underground Basilica) is also flooded with probably more than a metre of water. The damage is being evaluated and may be very considerable. The organization of human resources is gradually being implemented. Sanctuary employees are mobilized. Many volunteers are spontaneously offering help. We will start cleaning once the water has started to receed. It is likely that the Sanctuary will need the solidarity of all of you.


The Lourdes Sanctuaries issued the following update at 10am on Wednesday 19th June: "Our main concern is to continue the welcome of pilgrims who are on site in the best way possible. After a general power outage a check is currently in progress. The situation should be restored in the coming hours. It will also restore telephone links.
Despite the absense of light, masses are still being celebrated in difficult conditions. Accessible places of worship are those located on the upper part of the Sanctuary: the Immaculate Conception (Upper) Basilica, the Crypt, the Mater Dolorosa and Crux Gloriosa Chapel. Even though the flood water of the River Gave has not yet retreated, the damage is considerable and even more severe than in 2012."

One person killed in flash floods: http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/19/one-person-dies-in-flash-flooding-at-lourdes/ and: http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/hautes-pyrenees-les-crues-ont-tue-une-automobiliste-19-06-2013-1682465_23.php

Video footage of the floods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k_aKhOv0K4&feature=youtu.be

BBC news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22963461

News from Tangney Tours regarding the floods: John Tangney is on his way to Lourdes as we speak to see the damage and help the local people in anyway possible. These floods are much worse than those in October. We will keep you posted. Please keep all the Lourdes people in your prayers and thoughts.

Assisted Pilgrims Poster

We need your help!

Thank you to everyone who added our CA poster to their parishes and other places - we really appreciate it. We now need your help again to go and search for potential assisted pilgrims. There's still time for ALL of them to come to Lourdes.

Once again, have produced a CA poster which can be found below. We would be very grateful if you could put it on your parish notice board ASAP. In addition, we have produced a poster for East Anglia and Northampton, as below:

THANK YOU

• Assisted Pilgrims Poster 2013
• East Anglia AP Poster 2013
• Northampton AP Poster 2013

Nurses

The CA Hospitalité would like to ask all members who live in any of the CA Dioceses to contact their local hospital chaplains and see if they would be interested in putting up a poster about our Pilgrimage, and particularly an appeal for more nurses. We have posters below that can be used for this purpose:

• East Anglia

• Northampton

• Portsmouth

Margaret Fairey

Please pray for Margaret Fairey who passed away today. She was anointed yesterday afternoon and died very peacefully. Margaret is Colette Sharrock's sister and aunt to Matthew, Claire and Helen. Margaret worked on our Pilgrimage for a number of years and recently came in 2012 as an Assisted Pilgrim. 

Please keep her and her family in your prayers... May she Rest in Peace and rise in glory..

Pauline Tombe

Your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Mrs Pauline Tombe, the widow of our former Chief Brancardier Patrick Tombe, and herself a handmaid on the CA pilgrimage for many years, from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. She was 93, and died very peacefully.

Patrick Tombe was Chief Brancardier from 1969 - 1976. 

Past officials

Lourdes 2013

Our next Pilgrimage takes place from 23 - 30 August 2013. Each year, the Catholic Association Hospitalité of Our Lady of Lourdes is responsible for coordinating the welcome and care of pilgrims, especially our assisted pilgrims, who come to Lourdes. You will require a PDF viewer to view most of these forms:

• Volunteer Helpers
• Assisted Pilgrims
• Pilgrims
• Stage 2013
• CA Hospitalité Members - your help
• Further information

Peter Viner

Please pray for Peter Viner, who died earlier this month. Peter used to come out to Lourdes with his old friend Richard. His support of Richard was an example to us all and he will be sadly missed on the Pilgrimage. Please keep Peter and his family and friends in your prayers.

May he Rest in Peace and rise in glory..

The River Gave floods - Part 2

Today (Monday) the waters of the river have now receded, since much of Lourdes along the river was flooded at the weekend. The clean-up has now begun. If you would like to donate to the authorities to help support this massive clean=up, please visit the official Lourdes page, here: http://fr.lourdes-france.org/evenement/operation-lourdes-solidarite-inondations-2012

In addition, if you want to see some of the clean up of the Grotto, please view the official YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aTY_jhL5BFk&list=PL3BF20A5635F816EA

The River Gave floods - Part 1

The River Gave has just burst its banks and flooded the Grotto and much of the Domaine, see photo below..

Let us pray that everyone is evacuated safely and no major damage is done..

Official recognition of 68th miracle of Lourdes

From Independent Catholic News:

Lourdes torchlight procession A new miracle has been officially recognised at Lourdes today.  The unexplained cure of Italian nun, Sister Luigina Traverso,  has been officialy declared a 'miracle' today by Mgr Alceste Catella, Bishop of Casale Monferrato in Italy, the diocese in which the Salesian Sister resides. A press statement from the Communication Service of the Sanctuary of Lourdes this afternoon, states: 'On the occasion of the opening of the Year of Faith, this 11th October 2012, we have great joy in announcing the recognition of the 68th miracle attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes'. The new bishop of the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes, Mgr Nicolas Brouwet, together with Doctor Alessandro de Franciscis, President of the Office of Medical Observations of Lourdes will be holding a press conference tomorrow in Lourdes. We will be carrying further reports tomorrow. For further information visit thte official Lourdes website here: http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&id=405

Walsingham Retreat 2013

Every two years the CA Hospitalité holds a retreat at Walsingham - organised by Mrs Pat Richardson.

The next CA Hospitalité Walsingham Retreat is taking place on 5 - 7 April 2013, and will be given by Fr Nicholas King, SJ.

If you would like to attend, please fill in the form and send to Pat's address with a £20 deposit per person. Please download form here. The Walsingham retreat is a very popular event, so people should send their forms to Pat as soon as possible.

For news of the last two retreats and more information on 2013 retreat, please view here, or to learn more about Walsingham, please view here.

Bishop Peter's Homily

Bishop Peter Doyle has kindly allowed us to reproduce his homily from Lourdes 2012:

Homily at the Mass of the Anointing of the Sick during the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes

St. Bernadette was already sick with asthma and malnutrition and hunger when Our Lady first appeared to her. What did Bernadette see? A lady dressed in white and surrounded by light - Mary reflecting the risen glory of her Son, Christ the light of the world.

When Jesus takes Peter and James and John up the mountain, they catch a glimpse of that same light when Christ is transfigured - the vision of that future hope and glory which will flow from the suffering and death of Jesus.

The Transfiguration is the fourth of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary which we are praying with Bernadette today. In those mysteries we see that the light of Christ shines in the Church through our witness to the Gospel and in the celebration of the Sacraments as we reflect on the Baptism of the Lord, the Proclamation if the Good News, the Marriage Feast at Cana, and the Institution of the Eucharist. For the Sacraments are the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, that is, Christ's victory over sin and death through his suffering and dying and rising.

Like Peter up the mountain, we can just want to hold on to the glory bits. He wanted to capture that amazing experience by building three tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. In the same way we can want to hold on to this experience of Lourdes. But Jesus came down the mountain to embrace all human experience in his suffering and death.

That is what Jesus does in his Church today as we celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick. While the focus is on the anointing of the sick among us, the Sacrament engages us all. It is a sacrament you who are helpers and nurses and doctors have been preparing for and living out all week in your care and touch and tender compassion - yours has been and is the ministry of Christ and his Church.

You have been strengthening our sick brothers and sisters with words and actions of faith and by praying with them. You have been commending them to the suffering and transfigured Christ. You encourage them in their great contribution to the well-being of the Church as they unite themselves willingly with Christ's passion an death.

Dear precious sick pilgrims, you are, above all, witnesses to our mortal life being redeemed through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Now we celebrate with you the Sacrament of the Sick to strengthen you in carrying the cross of suffering, and to raise you up in times of anxiety, weakness and temptation. In this sacrament the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to you as we look back to Christ's death and resurrection, the source of sacramental power, and look ahead to the future kingdom of light and life pledged in the sacraments.

I have seen examples of compassionate touch and healing grace abound this week, making holy the ministry to the sick. May we be renewed in that ministry as we return home. Now that ministry is brought to a high point in the anointing of the sick. May Christ's light penetrate the darkness of your sickness, and may the Lord save you and raise you up. Amen.

(c) Bishop Peter Doyle

2012 Pilgrimage Timetable

For those who can't be with us, our timetable for next week is as follows:

SATURDAY, 25th AUGUST

9 am: Walking Tour of the town

10 am and 10.45 am: Helpers’ welcome meetings, Accueil Notre Dame

2.00 pm: Gathering Mass - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side), including the presentation of CA Hospitalité Insignia
3.30 pm: Clergy Briefing - Salle 3, Mgr Billere

SUNDAY, 26th AUGUST

9.30 am: International Mass - Basilica of St Pius X

8.15 pm: Young Helpers’ Service - Lac de Lourdes (all young helpers welcome)

MONDAY, 27th AUGUST

9.15 am: Assemble at the statue of the Crowned Virgin to process to the Grotto for Mass at 9.45 am

11.30 am: Pilgrimage photo (including the Hospitalité and Youth photos)

2.00 pm: Penitential Service - Rosary Basilica
4.00 pm: Stations of the Cross (Prairie)

8.30 pm: Hospitalité Service - St Joseph’s Chapel

TUESDAY, 28th AUGUST - Excursion Day

8.00 am: Mass for Northampton Diocese (St Joseph’s Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for East Anglia Diocese (St Joseph’s Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for Stonyhurst Pilgrimage (Accueil Saint Frai Upper Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for British Carmelite Pilgrimage (St Patrick’s Chapel)
9.00 am: Mass for Southwark (Notre Dame Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for Portsmouth Diocese & CA (Mgr Théas Chapel)

11.00 am: Mass for Clifton Diocese (Bartrès)

WEDNESDAY, 29th AUGUST

9.00 am: Prayers with the Assisted Pilgrims at the Baths
1.15 pm: Prayers at the CA vault, Lourdes Cemetery

3.00 pm: Mass organised by the children - St Pius X Basilica (far end)

5.00 pm: Stations of the Cross (High Stations). Unsuitable for wheelchairs.

THURSDAY, 30th AUGUST

9.00 am: Doctor’s talk on Lourdes medical aspects. Medical Bureau, Salle de
Conference “John Paul I”

10.30 am: Mass with the Anointing of the Sick - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side)

2.00 pm: Service of Thanksgiving - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side)

3.00 pm: Passage through the Grotto for Assisted Pilgrims. Leave from St
Bernadette Church after Thanksgiving Service.

FRIDAY, 31st AUGUST

8.00 am: Sending Forth Mass - St Bernadette Church (Carmel side)

Look out for us on the webcam! :)

New Portsmouth Bishop Announced

Shrewsbury vicar general appointed as new Bishop of Portsmouth. 

From Bishop Crispian Hollis:

Our New Bishop

Dear Brothers,

I am delighted to be able to give you the news that my successor has been appointed by the Holy See.

Mgr Philip Egan’s appointment to become the 8th Bishop of Portsmouth will be formally announced in Rome and here on Wednesday July 11th.

Needless to say, I warmly welcome this appointment for which we have been waiting a long time and I know that Bishop Philip will be very quickly made welcome in your midst as your diocesan bishop.

It looks at the moment as if his ordination will take place in the last week of September but as soon as there is a precise date and time, I will let you know. It is certainly very important that he is in post in time for the two overnight meetings with Fr Gerry O’Collins SJ. Those meetings (Oct 3rd/4th and Oct 9th/10th) were specifically planned for our inauguration of the Year of Faith and for that early and vital meeting between our new Bishop and the clergy.

Please note that as from Thursday, the prayer for the Bishop in the Eucharistic Prayer should be “…for Crispian, our Apostolic Administrator and Philip, our Bishop-elect…”

I can’t end this short note of joy without once again thanking you for all the love and patience you have shown me over the years and, in particular, in the last year when I have been ill.

With my blessings and prayers,

+Crispian

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor, priest of the Diocese of Portsmouth and one time CA Chaplain to the Sick & Hospitalité, died in the early hours of Monday 11th June. May he rest in peace.

Brian was a great supporter of the CA Annual Pilgrimage and well known to many of us. He was also one of the founding members of the August stage group, which will be at it's strongest for some years, in 2012.

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor’s Funeral Mass will be concelebrated at St. Peter’s, Winchester on  

Wednesday 20^th June at 11.00 am.  There is no parking on site but it is only 10 minutes walk from the Railway Station

Photo (c) Anthony Martin

Congratulations to...

....Tracey & Nimal Hemelge on the birth of their daughter, Analena Hemelge born this morning weighing 8lb 1oz. Congratulations to them all. 

CA Hospitalité Newsletter - Spring 2012

From the CA Hospitalité:

The Hospitalite Newsletter is now available online for you to download and print out, here.

The hard copies through the post will start to arrive in the next week or so.  If you do have moved / changed your name in the last 12 months please email me with your details as soon as possible, as our records on file for you may be incorrect / out of date.

Equally if you no longer wish to receive your hard copy through the post, or prefer to read online / print it out yourself please email me to confirm your decision.  Printing the Newsletter out yourself, not only means you can print it out in colour, but of course it saves the CA Hospitalite a lot of money which means money can be better spent on other things.

This year’s newsletter has articles on our 2012 Lourdes theme, “Praying the Rosary with Bernadette”; a wonderful reflection by David Lewis alongside a look forward by Fr Nick King SJ; plus the usual favourites including Ask Les (now on page 3).

Our thanks go to all our contributors.

We look forward to seeing as many of you at the preparation days and in Lourdes as possible.

We hope you enjoy it.

Nimal Hemelge

Secretary

Ave Maria Accommodation

Ave Maria Hostel – Bookings for 2012

Many people will be aware that we usually have a group of helpers staying in the Ave Maria hostel – this is budget accommodation with a cafeteria-style restaurant in the same building.  Following renovations in the winter of 2010-11, all bedrooms have full en-suite facilities, but they are small and you have to make up your own bed. 

We have 14 places for the week of the 2012 pilgrimage, and some were still remaining at the time of the Newsletter going to press. If you want to apply, please let your Head of Service know as soon as possible.  Any helper can apply, particularly those on a limited budget.  If you have a friend(s) with whom you want to share, that’s great; otherwise Sadie will organise shares depending on the rooms (doubles and triples) which we are allocated.

Including all meals, the daily cost will be 25Euros, although you actually only pay for the meals that you eat.  Including travel with Tangney Tours, the whole week of the Pilgrimage would cost about £550 travelling by plane or £460 by train.

Pope Benedict XVI's 85th Birthday - Lourdes connection

On his 85th birthday (yesterday, 16 April 2012), Pope Benedict XVI, preached about two saints with strong connections with Lourdes. The first, Saint Bernadette is well known to us all, the second, is much less well known - Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is the patron saint of pilgrims as he spent much of his life in pilgrimage. He is often invoked in Lourdes, although few will know why.

Here's a link to a brief report on Pope Benedict XVI's homily:

http://www.zenit.org/article-34609?l=english