At the grotto with stars

A peaceful, festive, noisy and colourful invasion, but at the same time composed and pensive in its moments of celebration: for three days, from 20 to 23 May, Lourdes was invaded by some 15,000 members of the armed forces, components of 50 delegations from all over the world, half from Europe, for the 53rd international military pilgrimage on the theme “United by the father for the same prayer”. Accompanied by their families and respective military ordinaries, the soldiers, including many girls, marched in military formation through the streets of the Marian city, filling it with joy with fanfares, marches and songs, and transforming it into a kind of great open-air stage on which each delegation represented its own tradition, to the applause of the many ‘civil’ pilgrims present in Lourdes. So, alongside Austrian, Spanish, German, French and Hungarian military bands, Irish bagpipers and Italian bersaglieri also showed off their musical skills, the latter among the most photographed and particularly popular with young children. The delegations present also included one of the Swiss Guards. The programme of the pilgrimage placed a lot of emphasis to these musical interludes in order to promote an atmosphere of brotherhood and sharing among the participants, in the true spirit of pilgrimage, namely that of “many nations, one family alone”.Festivity and prayer. But if the participants sang, marched and made music in the squares, streets and alleyways of Lourdes, only silence, meditation and prayer reigned before the Grotto of the Apparitions. The military delegations gathered there, each in turn, for the recitation of the Rosary and for mass, accompanied by liturgical chants and by the various national anthems. Standing in military formation as on the parade grounds of so many barracks scattered all over the world, they prayed, without distinction, for “the fallen of all wars, for their fellow-soldiers who had lost their lives in international operations, for their families and for the injured”. Each delegation carried its national flag, escorted by their comrades-in-arms in parade uniforms. The whole event was coordinated by officers of various armed forces and countries, who did everything possible to ensure that each celebration went according to plan. It was not difficult, in this composite mosaic of languages, uniforms and flags, to see, working side by side, members of the armed forces of countries that until not too long ago were at war with each other, Serbs, Croats and Bosnians, but also Slovenes and Irish. Nor far from the Grotto another pilgrimage was taking place: that of the candles. Huge candles carried by small groups of men and women with stars on their shoulders, marching in silence, were placed in the candle holders and lit in memory of the “many friends and colleagues who had died on mission or in carrying out their duty”, according to the words of Maurice Vinot and Anne Depestele, young members of EPPA, paramedical school of the French army. The priest who accompanied them cited gospel passages: “greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”, followed by a list of names of the fallen, the reading out of which caused tears and deep emotion in many of those present. Not far away Croatian military were taking part in a similar ceremony; they included Sergeant Alen Manic who did not forget in his prayers “the families of the victims of war and the orphans. The sound of prayers and songs of hundreds of soldiers long continued to be heard above the sanctuary, along the Via Crucis. Here too, in an orderly and composed fashion, they prayed and read out reflections written by their bishops. Lourdes was also the final stage of a process of catechesis and Christian initiation which led a few scores of French members of the armed forces to receive Baptism, Confirmation and Communion in the church of St. Bernadette on 21 May.Three proposals. So prayer was the connecting thread that held together the whole pilgrimage, as recalled in the message that Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, sent to the participants on behalf of Benedict XVI; it was read out during the inaugural ceremony: “your life is compounded of joy and happiness, but also of doubt, suffering and grief. In moments of solitude and tribulation, in particular those difficult times you experience when you are engaged in operations abroad, I invite you to turn your gaze to Mary. Ask her to lead you to the Father by means of Jesus, her Son”. These thoughts were felt, in particular, in two key moments of the pilgrimage to Lourdes: the torchlight procession on Saturday evening, 21 May, and the international mass on the following day, which closed the event. “You are in the hearts of us all”, said Bishop Luc Ravel, military ordinary of France in his homily, addressing himself especially to the soldiers who had returned from the battlefield and international operations with serious injuries. To everyone, however, he left a mandate: “follow the path of the Father, so that eternity may be reached in time”. The bishop made three proposals to fulfil this appeal: “learn to read the face of your fellowmen, learn to read the Gospel and turn it into a lifestyle, and celebrate the Eucharist, real nutriment to be able to walk with strength towards the Father”. The next international military pilgrimage will be held in Lourdes from 11 to 13 May 2012, with the presence of Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.