Thousands expected at annual Marian pilgrimage this weekend

The largest annual event in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is set for Saturday, Aug. 17. 

After a post-COVID dip in attendance, the pilgrimage to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Mission continues to draw thousands for Mass, followed by a Eucharistic procession to place a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the shrine atop the hill in Fraser River Heritage Park. 

Mass will be held with Archbishop J. Michael Miller at 1 p.m. near the pavilion, and the event will conclude with a picnic after the Eucharistic procession. Pilgrims are encouraged to bring picnic baskets and lawn chairs. Charcoal briquettes are prohibited in the park, but propane is permitted.

The pilgrimage celebrates the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the third Saturday of August each year and traces its origin back to the founding of the archdiocese.

The grotto structure was constructed in 1892 after Bishop Louis-Joseph d’Herbomez promised Mary he would build a shrine in her honour in a solitary place where he liked to meditate. He died less than two years later, but his successor ensured the grotto was built.

The grotto was also a popular pilgrimage site for local Catholics and First Nations peoples in the early 20th century, and even today, the procession up the hill is led by members of the Sto: lo and Squamish First Nations.

Mid-century that began to change. The original grotto was demolished in the 1960s due to its decaying condition. A small rocky shrine was all that was left.

The old foundations of all three St. Mary’s Residential School iterations can be seen clearly in the park.

The land was eventually sold to the B.C. government in 1974. Still, the grotto remained in the memory of locals. It was eventually rebuilt and maintained through the collaborative work of the Knights of Columbus and the Mission Heritage Association.

The current structure dates to 1997 and has been regularly visited by many Catholic groups for decades. It has been the site of marriages, baptisms, and, of course, the annual pilgrimage that attracts several thousand people.

For more information about this years event follow the link.

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