Patrick and Nancy Madrid are home from Rome, Lourdes and Fatima, and the scale of it says something about the appetite for this pilgrimage: more than 180 pilgrims, travelling as four coach groups, through three of the most visited sanctuaries in the Catholic world.
Patrick wrote this on his return:
Nancy and I just returned from another unforgettable pilgrimage, this time to Rome, Lourdes, and Fatima with over 180 faith-filled pilgrims across four buses! The Lord’s graces were palpable and powerful, with many grace-filled, life-changing moments. We’re deeply grateful for the new friendships formed and past ones rekindled, and are already looking forward to next year’s journey. These pilgrimages continue to be a source of joy, renewal, and deep spiritual connection. Deo gratias!
Patrick Madrid, writing on X after the group came home.
Three sanctuaries, one journey
Rome is where the Church keeps its foundations. Pilgrims pray at the tomb of St. Peter beneath the high altar of his basilica, at the tomb of St. Paul outside the walls, and in the papal basilicas, and they climb the Scala Sancta on their knees. It is the part of the route that tends to surprise people who thought they were going sightseeing.
Lourdes is quieter and works differently. There is the grotto where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858, the spring, the baths, and the torchlight rosary procession that fills the esplanade after dark. Nobody stays a spectator at Lourdes for long.
Fatima closes the journey. The Cova da Iria, where three shepherd children saw Our Lady in 1917, the Chapel of the Apparitions built on the spot, the tombs of Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia in the basilica, and the village of Aljustrel where the children lived. On a busy evening the candlelit procession in the square runs to tens of thousands of people.
What four buses actually takes
A group this size is not one pilgrimage, it is four moving in formation. Mass has to be booked into churches that take reservations months out, and booked four times over. Hotels have to seat 180 people at one sitting rather than in shifts. Each coach needs its own guide, and the four have to reach the grotto or the Cova together if the group is going to pray together. That coordination is the work Canterbury does, and it is the reason a group this size can still feel like a pilgrimage rather than a convention.
Next year
Patrick and Nancy lead this pilgrimage every year, and he has already said he is looking forward to the next one. Next year’s dates will be listed with our current pilgrimages. To hear when next year’s dates open, or to talk about bringing a group of your own, call us on (800) 653-0017 or email hello@canterburypilgrimages.com.
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