In 1858 in Lourdes, a peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous was visited 18 times by the Virgin Mary, who revealed herself as the “Immaculate Conception.” Since then, the faithful have traveled to Lourdes on Pilgrimage for prayer, reflection, to wash in the water of Lourdes, and in hope of physical and spiritual healing.

In the first week of May, the Order of Malta had more than 8,000 pilgrims from over 40 countries travel to Lourdes, taking Malades — sick and disabled pilgrims — and their Caregivers as our guests to the Grotto of Massabielle. We were delighted that so many from the New York Area could join the American Association Pilgrimage, including H.E. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, BGCHD; Fr. Joseph Cavoto, OFM, ChM; Msgr. Douglas Mathers, ChM; Fr. Ryan Muldoon; Rev. Msgr. Robert T. Ritchie, GCChC; Bernadette Abaya, RN, DMOb; Ann Bave, DM; Marissa Blackett, DM; Lizzy Blume; Maureen Bujno, Assoc.; Steve Bujno, KM; Suzanne Craig, Assoc.; Ken Craig, GCM; Thomas J. Forlenza, MD, KMOb; Felipe Jordao, YOF; Camille Kelleher, GCMOb; Rory Kelleher, GCMOb; Monica Leary, DM; Joe Mangan, KM; Vanessa O’Brien, DM; Gregory Oussani, KM; James Palazza, YOF; Bob Pedersen, KM; Eva Sudol, DM; Amber Vitale, DM; and Eric Vitale, KM.

We invite you to share in the beauty of our journey through their reflections and some photographs:

“The Lourdes Pilgrimage is a beautiful expression of the mission of the Order: a week devoted to serving our beloved Malades and their caregivers while living and witnessing our Catholic faith in fellowship with members of the Order from around the world.”

“One moment that still brings tears to my eyes is hearing a young mother recount how her 2½-year-old son, nonverbal and living with severe cognitive impairments, said “Momma” for the first time.”

“The Saturday morning Grotto Mass celebrated by Cardinal Dolan was a profound highlight, with hundreds of Malades and Caregivers gathered in prayer beneath the watchful presence of the Immaculate Conception.”

“I realized how important the Blessed Mother is to me and it brought me closer to her; and every moment was special to me.”

“The Healing and Anointing Mass was a grace-filled highlight, particularly in the deep emotions reflected on the faces of the Malades as they sought healing, comfort, and consolation.”

“The experience of Lourdes can be like climbing uphill (or an uphill battle). Time stands still in the experience, yet time also flies by because our agenda is full morning, noon and night. The only way to capture the whole Lourdes experience is, almost inevitably, after the fact. It is then when one remembers it for what it was, a truly incredible and blessed experience.”

“My favorite part of the trip was the energy. Even though we had long days, I always woke up with eagerness to do it all again.”

“The Lourdes pilgrimage with the Order of Malta is very special. To spend a week serving the Malades is life changing. It was very powerful to care for a stranger. It really puts the daily prayer “forgetful of myself” into light and what our Catholic faith is all about.  Going to the grotto to pray a rosary and to experience the water gesture together was a very powerful experience.  I am glad I went with the Order on the Lourdes Pilgrimage to fully understand what Lourdes is all about.”

“My group took a few minutes to accompany our malade and caregiver to light a candle.  We stayed near, but gave them some space. I started to feel sad about what’s ahead for them and for all those intentions represented by all of those candles.  My husband happened to be with me and I looked at him with tears in my eyes and he said, “Look at all that hope!!!” What a re-framing! I loved it.”

“Having been blessed with the opportunity to participate in the Pilgrimage for the 3rd year, I again found the experience to be very inspiring, thought provoking and quite humbling. I can only hope that my thoughts, prayers and efforts were meaningful for others on the journey.”

“I have found the Pilgrimage to be a valued experience in striving for better balance in my life. To see and experience the profound challenges that others are faced with in their daily lives and, how they trust their faith, really puts things into perspective”.

Please click through the slideshow for more photos from the pilgrimage. You can read more about this year’s American Association pilgrimage here: https://orderofmaltaamerican.org/spirituality-in-action/lourdes/pilgrimage-by-year/2026-lourdes-pilgrimage/.