Warriors to Lourdes May 2024 at No Cost for Veterans
ABOUT THE WARRIORS TO LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
The theme of the 62nd PMI is Pacem Meam do Vobis – My peace I give unto you. The cross on this year’s logo was designed in Hungary as the symbol of the 2020 International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest. The cross will be exhibited and processed during the 62nd PMI. It represents our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us his peace as well as the Eucharist, source of our peace and our salvation. The dove carrying the olive branch symbolizes the Holy Spirit and represents the gift of peace.
THE 2024 WARRIORS TO LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
The Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage will take place 21-27 May, 2024 during the 64th International Military Pilgrimage 24-26 May 2024.
The application period for the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage runs September 15, 2023 – January 15, 2024. Learn if you are eligible to apply. If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MILITARY PILGRIMAGE
During World War II, members of the French military visited the site of St. Bernadette’s apparitions, offering prayers for peace. In December of 1944, U.S. military personnel joined British, Belgian, French, and Russian military representatives for a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. After the War, French soldiers and their chaplains invited German soldiers and their chaplains to gather to pray together. The purpose of this initiative was to heal physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds and to reconcile the past between these former adversaries by recognizing their common identity as Christians in search of peace. The first official PMI was celebrated in 1958—13 years after the war and one-hundred years after the apparitions. Today, the PMI continues to take place for one weekend each May, drawing active-duty members and veterans from over 40 nations.