More Volunteers Needed At Lourdes

Over the last 125 years, the Hospitalité Notre Dame of Lourdes in France has been welcoming the pilgrims that travel each year to one of the worlds most visited Marian shrines.

Antoine Tierny
President, Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes
The Hospitalite Notre Dame was founded in January of 1885, in the chapel of Lourdes, to accommodate the pilgrims, especially the sick and the handicapped

The volunteer organization that began with only three people, today has more than 20,000 volunteers from 60 countries. Their duties range from carrying stretchers, keeping order and even cleaning the centers. They are all essential, because each year they receive about 6 million pilgrims.

Antoine Tierny
President, Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes
People that come to Lourdes have many expectations. The Virgin Mary draws pilgrims and the sick that hope for a miracle.

Antoine Tierny, who has volunteered at Lourdes for 36 years, says that one of the experiences that most touched him was the story of a former German soldier.

Antoine Tierny
Presidente, Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes
After the war, this German soldier didnt know what to do to make up for lost time. One day he and his friends decided to go with a sick person to Lourdes. This person was healed and he came back home so changed that he founded the German version of our organization.

The Hospitalité Notre Dame will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2011. The celebrations could promote this organization and encourage many to volunteer helping the sick.