March 2025 newsletter
Reflections and news from the Wimbledon College Lourdes Hospitalité
Our centenary pilgrimage in 2023 was not only a success in its own right, but it seems to have proved the catalyst for something of a revival of the College Hospitalité. Three pilgrims from 2023 returned last year to do a stage for the first time. One of them brought his son and friend with them, so we had five first year stagiaires, more than we’ve had for many years! An added blessing was the return after too long of Fr John as our chaplain. We were also accompanied by a number of family members in a non-working capacity. Altogether, a large group, spanning different generations!
But the centenary effect has not stopped there. Sean and Matteo have done a remarkable job of recruiting new first years, with the result that eight College leavers have signed up for a stage this year. They will be joined by two young ladies, one of whom leaves the Ursulines this year and the other who left two years ago and a friend of one of last year’s first timers – so eleven in all.
Not only that, but all five of last year’s first-timers are returning for a second stage this year and will be joined by Jeremy, a stagiaire on the 2023 working party — and John is returning as chaplain. There is no non-working pilgrimage this year as such, but Gerry, a pilgrim from 2023, is coming to keep our working party company.
Just to mention also that, as well as the main working party, a number of College Hospitalité members served as usual in Lourdes at other times in 2024: Peter, Dulce Maria, and Mike in July; Mike again in August; Martin and Jonathan the week before the main party; and Peter, Kevin, and Ige in September.
Peter Chamberlain, Secretary
Main working party (22 to 30 August)
Our trip this year started at Stansted Airport on Thursday 22 August where we met to fly to Lourdes. Paddy, Andrew, and Zach all came on the Centenary Pilgrimage last year and were now going to do their first stage with the Hospitalité. Paddy’s son, Sean (then in Poetry), and an OW friend of Paddy’s, Paul, were also doing their first stage and we were very pleased to have Fr John with us for the first time since 2005.
Lesley, Alex, and Lourdes, and Paddy and Marie, were also on the trip to take part in the non-working party. It was not long before we were all in our various accommodation in Lourdes and walking the streets trying to find somewhere that would take twelve of us for a meal, which was not easy, as the few cafés and restaurants open were very busy! Martin and Jonathan were already in Lourdes, having done their first of two weeks stage the week before, and Christina and Matteo joined us the next day having travelled out separately. So there were 16 of us in total.
The next day, we booked in at the Hospitalité bureau (which only took just under 3 hours!) to be assigned our various jobs. The nouveaux and Fr John were put in Équipe 73, which had two very keen Italian scouts as their chefs. Their devotion to the role involved taking the group on several extra spiritual trips, notably walking to Bartrès and back one evening after duties and walking to the Camp des Jeunes late in the evening! Fr John (and sometimes Matteo) very ably translated the scouts’ Italian for the rest of our group. Matteo was at the airport for the second half of the week and Jonathan, Martin, and I were at the station.
We met up with the non-working party for Mass most days, this year in St Anne’s chapel in the Upper Basilica. We also managed a few Rosaries on the Prairie after supper and I joined the non-working party to do the stations of the cross as Équipe 73 did it as part of their stage.
We had a very enjoyable group meal on the Tuesday evening in the St Sauveur Hotel and were joined, as usual, by our old friend Pascal. Other notable events were that some of us went up to the old town on the Sunday to see the Olympic flame passing through the town and poor Lesley, Alex, and Lourdes had to be rescued coming down from a trip to the Pic du Jer when the funicular got stuck due to lightning!
The weather was generally good with the occasional thunderstorm and Lourdes was back to being very busy as it always was in that week before Covid. Also the station was busier than it has been since Covid.
All too soon we were leaving for the airport bus on Friday 30 August and returned to Stansted tired but very enthusiastic for next year.
Ed Hills, President
News from Lourdes: Piscines reopen for immersion
The COVID pandemic obviously put a stop to the practice of full immersion at the Piscines. It was replaced with a simpler ritual, the gesture of water, which sought to imitate the actions of Bernadette herself, who just washed her face and hands in the spring. This practice proved extremely popular: it was accessible; flexible in that individuals, families or groups could do it together with the minimum of formality; and it did not instil the fear and foreboding that immersion in cold water does in many people. In 2023, 430,000 pilgrims performed the gesture of water. It is clearly here to stay; the ceremony up to now has been performed in the Piscines, but there are plans to also make it available in other sites within the Sanctuary.
At the same time, it has always been the intention to reintroduce the option of full immersion when the time and circumstances were right — in fact, since the end of the pandemic, immersion has always been available on an exceptional basis, with the permission of the Rector. The years since the pandemic have been put to good use to plan for the reintroduction of full immersion at scale, examining the working practices and other measures necessary for it to conform to current standards of hygiene and safeguarding.
So it was that on 15 July 2024, after extensive changes including the installation of new filtration systems, the former men’s baths, five in total, opened for full immersion for all pilgrims. The women’s baths remain dedicated to the gesture of water. Immersions are currently limited to 100 (60 women 40 men) a day, the main constraints being the number of baths, the availability of single-use linen and, at times, the number of suitably experienced male and female hospitaliers. It is planned to increase capacity in 2025, by commissioning additional baths for immersion, for which work is currently in progress.
In 2024, 393,000 pilgrims made the gesture of water and, since its opening in July, 13,500 pilgrims have chosen full immersion. Going forward, pilgrims will now have the choice between the two means of making a sign of their faith in these unique ways.
Peter Chamberlain, Secretary
Some dates
Annual General Meeting: 7.30pm on Sunday 23 March, Sacred Heart Parish Lounge. Please bring finger-food to share and the bar will be open for drinks.
Main working party: Thursdays 21 to 28 August