The relics of Saint Bernadette have arrived in Derry as part of a “once in a lifetime” pilgrimage to the island of Ireland.
The sacred relics, which will visit all 26 dioceses, are at St Eugene’s Cathedral in the city on Sunday and Monday, with a ceremony of welcome taking place on Sunday afternoon.
Each diocese will have their own schedule to celebrate the saint, with the relics set to arrive in Belfast at St Mary’s Church on Chapel Lane on Tuesday.
The tour continues until November 5, visiting almost 40 locations across Ireland. It is being facilitated by Lourdes Pilgrimage directors and the shrine.
Saint Bernadette was the visionary who witnessed the Blessed Mother in Lourdes.
Our Lady is said to have appeared 18 times to the young girl, named Bernadette Soubirous, in Lourdes, France, in 1858.
Born at foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in 1844, Bernadette died in 1879 and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933.
Bernadette’s body was exhumed on April 18 1925 for her beatification and was found to be uncorrupted.
It was then decided to place it in the chapel of the Sisters of Nevers where it is still visible today.
The Grotto of Lourdes is visited by millions each year. Many miracles have been attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Due to this, February 11, the date of the first apparition, is dedicated as the World Day of the Sick.
Lourdes is one of the busiest pilgrimage sites in the world, and the relic tour has been described as “a once-in-lifetime change for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience Lourdes in their own diocese”.
A website dedicated to the pilgrimage says that the “relics of St Bernadette journey on pilgrimage to Ireland for the very first time, visiting every diocese in the country”.
“This very special, once-in-lifetime event will provide an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the special gifts and charisms of Lourdes in their diocese,” it states.
Organisers of the tour also say that “Ireland has had a long connection with the pilgrimage town of Lourdes with groups and individuals travelling there in their thousands each year, seeking hope, healing and peace”.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland, previously said the pilgrimage around Ireland would be “a source of hope, great joy and inspiration”.
Meanwhile, a procession from St John’s parish on the Falls Road in west Belfast to St Peter’s Cathedral took place on Sunday.
It marked the conclusion of Our Lady’s Rosary Festival with a Catholic Organisation Fair held in the cathedral offering visitors the opportunity to connect with various organisations and learn about their missions.
