St Bernadette Relics Tour
Join us on Tuesday, 11th October, for a candlelight procession & veneration of the relics of St Bernadette
The Relics of St Bernadette are coming to Northampton Cathedral as part of a nationwide tour of the Diocese’ of Great Britain.
Great…but what does that mean? Well, a relic is part of the physical remains of a Saint, or an object which has been in contact with their body. And who is St Bernadette? Only one of the many great young saints of the Catholic Church!!!
Our Lady appeared to a young Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 on the outskirts of the small town of Lourdes in the South of France, when Bernadette was just 14 years old! Over several months, Mary appeared many more times and that is the start of the story which makes Lourdes one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world with millions visiting every year.
So what’s happening? Part of the bones of St Bernadette have been travelling the country in a beautiful case giving people the opportunity to venerate them. In its simplest form this means to show reverence towards the relics by bowing and praying before them. This is what people from across the Diocese will be heading to our Cathedral to do between Monday 10th – Thursday 13th October 2022. We do this to recognise that, as a Saint, these are the remains of someone who was touched by the transcendent power of God and truly allowed God’s Spirit to live in and work through them in their life.
Tuesday evening is a specially designated time for YOU, the young people and young adults of the Diocese, to gather and venerate the relics at this grace-filled time. We will be gathering in the St Thomas Centre at 7:30pm to hear a bit more of the story of St Bernadette and why people go on pilgrimage to her hometown of Lourdes. We will then be recreating our very own torchlight procession, which happens almost every night with the pilgrims in Lourdes, which will take us to the Cathedral to venerate the relics finishing by 9:15pm. Where else could you want to be!?
So just to recap on the details:
What? Relics Tour Youth Event
Who? Young People and Young Adults age 14-35 (under 18’s must register online)
Families are welcome to come together but under 14’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult
Where? (starts in) St Thomas Centre, (finishes in) Northampton Cathedral, Northampton, NN2 6AG
When? 7:30pm – 9:15pm Tuesday 11th October 2022
You are welcome just to turn up on the evening (18+), although it would help with organisation if you could email us at info@nymo.org to let us know if you intend to come.