February 10, 2010. The Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes, an association that aims to welcome the sick who turn to this sanctuary, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The first person to congratulate them was Pope Benedict XVI. Currently the association has about 20 thousand volunteers who take care of the sick from the time they check in. A group of them picks them up as soon as they land, either by train or air. They are prepared with wheel chairs and walkers to welcome them to the hospital.


Antoine Tierny
President, Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes
“Throughout the year, more than 40 thousand people from 70 countries an 5 continents work at our hospital. They’re people who come from Australia, Japan, China or Russia and donate their time and engergy. They are very generous.”

José Luis Moreno
Service Saint Joseph
“For us it’s an honor. As volunteers we probably enjoy this more than the patients.  You see the joy on their faces and their strong sense of faith.”

About 3 thousand of the volunteers are Italian, another 2,700 French and about 470 are American. Over the last couple of years the number of volunteers from Asia grew. In 2008 about 200 of them signed up.

The people who work here go though four year of an intensive practical and spiritual formation. It is only after they have completed the work that they are ready to care for the sick.

Pilgrims visit for about 5 days. During this time the volunteers take care of pilgrims who are receiving rehabilitation treatment. They also bathe them using water from the Spring of the Lourdes Grotto in France.

José Luis Moreno
Service Saint Joseph
“Outside of the shrine they are people who really struggle, but inside they are full of joy, they can move and do things they normally wouldn’t be able to do.”

Antoine Tierny
President, Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes
“Our goal is for the pilgrims but more specifically the patients and the disabled to come to Lourdes to finish their pilgrimage and leave a little happier.”

So on this anniversary, the association is looking to the future and hopes to modernize the techniques of hospital so it can continue offering the best service.


PVB/MC
FF-DC/JM
-WP