The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-07-05
LETTER FROM "ouR =" PILGRIM.
ARRIVAL AT LoURDEs AND DEvoTIoNs AT THE
SHRINE OF OUR LADY.
Address of the Pilgrims to the Holy Father.
ROME, Italy, June 10th, 1874

To the Editor Of the Morning Star:
Events press upon each other 80 rapidly thai
scarcely have time to keep up with them ir
my correspondence. No sooner had spoker
TO you OF our short sojourn in Paris than We
were brought into the presence of our Blessed
Mother at Lourdes, and having had no time to
entertain you about our devotions at Lourdes
we are ushered into the Eternal City. But as
order is heavens first law, shall not speak to
you OF to-days doings but begin where left off
our last day in Paris After four days agreea-
oly and piously spent in the capital of the
! fashlonable world, the American pilgrims set
out on the first of June for Lourdes directIy
by the express train of the "Chemin de fer
oOrleans" BY this train, only first class cars
| can be secured, and for the first time had the
opportunity of trying these cars. They are
| iuxurlantly gotten up, and for one desirous of
| travelling a short distance they are very con-
venient. But to him who leaves Paris for
Lourdes via Orleans, Poiters, Tours Bordeaux
and IaIbes, and has thereforet to spend o whole
night IN them after having spent full day, it
| Is barbarons in the extreme. The French are
far behind the Americans in the art of travel
Ing No Pullman sleeping cars on their rail-
ways, no accommodations whatsoever. We
mad to change cars twice on our way, once at
Bordeau& at o'clock and once at Tarbes at 8
O'Clock next morning, and arrived at Lourdes
at O'Clock. You may well imagine how fa-
tigued the pilgrims must have been. Never
theiess, as our Bishop-Director frequently
remarked to us that pilgrimage is penance,
we had to exercise great patience and, besides,
tue novelty OF the scenery and the Importance
OF the destination made us overlook many lit
tie dIhculties which were more than compen-
sated by the great consultations in store for us,
LoURDEs.
Our first preoccupation was to secure ho-
tel Our party was too numerous to fud rooms |
LOT all In one and the same establis ishment. |
Some of us put mp ut the Hotel des Pyrenees,
Others at the Hotel de la Grotte, aud still 9TH
ers at the Hotel de France. This first care of
ours did not take very long and after eating
breakfast we were soon to be found vending
our way to the halowed grotto where onr
Blessed Mother appeared eighteen times to |
Bernadette. l advise all those who wish to
nave some idea of the place to consult Henri |
Laserre's work that was Published in full in |
the Catholic Uorld, and also the pictures that |
are tor sale at any of our Catholic book stores,
On the same evening of our arrival, the pill |
grims went in procession to the holy shrine
from the church of tho town of Lourdes, with
the banner of the Immaculate Conception
which was made ia New York and dest u ed to
oe lett IN the chapel of the our Lady of Lourdes
as a perpetual memorial of the first American
pilgrimage and with the American flag a pres
ent Oh some society to the same. Our readers
must bear in mind that the parochial church
OF Lourdes, an old building in the town, and
the chapel of our Lady of Lourdes, situated
OUTSIDE OF the town, are at a considerable dis
tance from each other, considering the ascent
to be made. There is a street in the town
called Rue de la Grotte." street of the grotto,
which leads to the main read through which
you have to pass to reach the grotto. On our
arrival at the church, which is built upon the
rock, in which is contained the grotto, solemn
Vespers were sung, followed by benediction of
the Blessed Sacrament. After Vespers we pro-
ceeded in procession to the grotto, where we
knelt before statue of the Blessed Virgin and
sang hymn to her and offered up our prayers.
Ihe next morning we went to Mass and re-
,elved Holy Communion at the church of the
srotto from Bishop Dwenger. Scarcely had
me Mass for our pilgrims been said when
mere came pouring in a numerous pilgrimage
rom the diocese of Toulouse, composed of the
'uplls of the Jesuits' College and q great num-
'er OF pious Catholic families. They were
preceded by the college brass band. Theirs
vas more imposing ceremony than ours, for
hey had brought with them about thirty or
orty acolytes all very elegantly dressed, and a q
utnerous corps of singers and other musicians "
it rained tie whole day and the CT
liSrimages were prevented from making their "
ontemplated display of procession and other
ubllc ceremonies Great was also the regret "
the American pilgrims that previous con- II
iact with French vessel to take us from W
larseilles to Cvita Vecchia did not permit us st
0 spend more than two days at Lourdes Ev-
ry one felt as if his devotion increased with ~ ~
me and regretted that half of the time spent -
Paris had not been added to our sojourn in 40
ourdes. Every thing about the place is SO pI
lct uresqne and seems to add to the enchant- th
lg views presented by the scene of the appa- m
tlon. In common with many other pilgrims, Ia Ia
Dur correspondent had no time to lose and q
asteEed to visit q the old cburcb ~ -.