hospitalitè Notre Dame de Lourdes En

THE PURPOSE OF LOVE IS

SERVICE

Hospitalite Notre Dame de Lourdes

THE HOSPITALITé NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES IS AN ASSOCIATION OF CHRIST's FAITHFUL

The Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes is a voluntary association which welcomes and accompanies thousands of pilgrims who come to Lourdes every year.

Founded in 1885, the Hospitalité is under the authority of the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes and offers various services such as training, accommodation, transport, ceremonies…

«I WILL NOT LIVE A

MOMENT

IN WHICH I DON’T FEEL LOVE»

STRUCTURE The association is managed by a President, a

and the General Chaplain who is chosen by

Secretary General and a Treasurer General

the Bishop. There is also an Administrative

who are “independent of the Services”. By

Council which assists those in charge of

their side there are six Vice-presidents who

the Services and the President and which is

manage the different services of the Hospitalité

composed of two members for each Service

and three “members by right”: the Bishop of

and Councillors of the Services whose number

Tarbes and Lourdes, the Rector of the Shrines,

can vary depending on the Service.

ABOUT US The hospitaliers mainly deal with welcoming the pilgrims at the Shrine of Lourdes, especially the sick and the disabled, and they facilitate their pilgrimage.

It is thanks to their service that the great celebrations at the Shrine can take place, and they try to convey the message of Lourdes in its entirety.

«THE WATER

WOULD HAVE NO

SPECIAL PROPERTIES

WITHOUT FAITH»

CONTACTS «Do I not know that if the Blessed Virgin chose me,

Accueil Jean-Paul II, B.P. 197 65106 Lourdes Cedex

it was because I was the most ignorant? If she had found someone

Secretary T. 0033 (0)5 62 42 80 84

more ignorant that myself, she would have chosen her» Saint Bernadette

President Antoine Tierny APPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE www.hospitalite-lourdes.com

A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE HOSPITALITé NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES

The story of the Hospitalité Notre Dame began with something very simple but as wonderful as a legend…

A viscount was pushing a cart carrying sick pilgrims from the train station to the Grotto. He started to tire but then he met two friends who were returning from a wedding and asked them to help him.

These kind men couldn’t refuse. This was in 1880 during a National Pilgrimage and the viscount in question was a certain Roussy de Sales.

«HAVE NO OTHER THAN CHARITY. HAVE NO

BUSINESS

OTHER INTERESTS

THAn THOSE OF THE suffering»

THE EVENTS OR THE PEOPLE WHICH HAVE MARKED THE LIFE OF THE HOSPITALITé NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES SINCE 1885

HISTORY Thus, simply and spontaneously, the Hospitalité Notre Dame de Salut was born which would accompany the sick on the National Pilgrimage.

However, as time went by, the number of pilgrims increased every year and they were coming all year round… It became necessary to create a permanent organisation. It was in 1885 that this organisation was founded and took the name of Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes (Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes).

«IT

IS NOT A SACRIFICE

TO LEAVE THIS POOR

LIFE IN WHICH ONE ENDURES SO MANY DIFFICULTIES TO

BELONG TO GOD!»

The Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes is dedicated and never ceases to act to be more and more efficient. Over the years, its history has been marked by people as well as events.

First, the Popes: His Holiness John Paul II in 1983 and 2004 and His Holiness Benedict XVI in 2006.

A key date in recent times was in 1999 with the changes to its constitution and the creation of a single hospitality (HNDL) with four services: Saint Jean Baptiste (Baths), Notre Dame (women), Saint Joseph (men), and Marie Saint-Frai (women). In the year 2000, two new services were created: Sainte Bernadette (training) and Saint Michel (logistics, equipment, accomodation and catering).

HOW IS THE HOSPITALITé NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES ORGANISED

The male and female hospitaliers who belong to the association come from all over the world and are aged between 18 and 75.

After four years of training, they can apply to become permanent members of the Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes or they can continue to serve as auxiliary members.

Three years later, they may ask to

«EVERY HUMAN IS

PRECIOUS IN THE EYES OF THE LORD»

SERVICE SAINTE BERNADETTE Spiritual and technical training of the volunteers This service offers diversified training which takes place over 4 years during a yearly period of service known by its French name “Stage” which aims to teach the Message of Lourdes and the Hospitalier spirit, to follow the path of Bernadette, to discover the various sites, to study the handling of the equipment get to know the various services and how they work, to prepare volunteers for “Engagement” - full membership of Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes and finally the “Consecration to Jesus through Mary”. Thus, the hospitaliers get to know Lourdes and the Hospitalité, they learn how to approach people and how to think about suffering.

SERVICE NOTRE DAME Reception of the sick pilgrims SERVICE SAINT JEAN BAPTISTE Helping pilgrims to bathe in the waters of the Baths Volunteers welcome by their availability, their attitude and their actions all those who wish to make, by bathing, an Act of Faith through the Sign of Water.

«Heaven is beautiful, sin is horrible, let us work in the name of Christ» Saint Bernadette

The hospitaliers of this service are in charge of stewardship: dining rooms, washing up, preparing the accommodation for the sick pilgrims. Some also serve in the sacristies, at the airport, at the Grotto and in the work room for sewing, embroidery and ironing; at the lost and found office, and, for qualified doctors and nurses, at the first aid point.

SERVICES “CONSECRATE THEMSELVES TO JESUS THROUGH MARY” by following a preparation with the General Chaplain.

The hospitaliers serve in six Services:

-

Service Service Service Service Service Service

Sainte Bernadette Saint Jean Baptiste Notre Dame Marie Saint-Frai Saint Michel Saint Joseph

«My only weapon. All I can do is pray and

suffer»

SERVICE SAINT JOSEPH Service while staying in Lourdes

SERVICE MARIE SAINT-FRAI Reception of the sick pilgrims The Accueil Marie Saint-Frai was the first hospital founded in Lourdes in 1874 and can receive up to 400 sick pilgrims. The hospitaliers who work at the Accueil Marie Saint-Frai work closely with the congregation of the Filles de Notre Dame des Douleurs who are in charge of the building. Their duties are similar to those of the Service Notre Dame: reception, enquiries, meeting points on the ground floor, stewardship (dining rooms, washing up), ironing and services on the upper floors.

Their other responsabilities include: the sacristy, wheelchair loans and, like the Service Notre Dame, they also welcome pilgrims at the train station or at the airport and they are present at the Grotto.

SERVICE SAINT MICHEL Stewardship Logistic services in various areas: catering, accommodation, maintenance of the buildings of the Hospitalité and of the wheeled apparatus (wheelchairs, blue chairs…).

This service welcomes the pilgrims and accompanies them during their stay in Lourdes. Its main activities include the transportation of the sick to and from the train station or the airport and their accommodation centre, as well as the organisation of the ceremonies, helping during the prayers at the Grotto, reception and marshalling outside the Baths and assisting with the Act of Faith through the Sign of water inside the Baths.

«When one cares for a sick person... one must take ones leave before being thanked» Saint Bernadette

By MAB.q

Hospitalite Notre Dame de Lourdes

Accueil Jean-Paul II, B.P. 197 - 65106 Lourdes Cedex