The Irish Pilgrimage Trust & the Church
The Irish Pilgrimage Trust was registered as a charity in 1973. It is a lay organisation, administered by a Board of Trustees and is under the patronage of the Bishops of Ireland. Bishop Dermot O'Mahony, Titular Bishop of Tiava and Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin was president of The Irish Pilgrimage Trust until December 2009. A frequent pilgrim with The Trust in Lourdes over many years.
Since 1997, Bishop O'Mahony had invited another member of the Irish Bishops' Conference to accompany the Easter pilgrimage. Archbishop Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Bishop Eamonn Walsh, Titular Bishop of Elmham and Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Bishop Anthony Farquhar, Titular Bishop of Ermiana and Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor, Bishop Christopher Jones, Bishop of Elphin, Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of Kerry, and Bishop William Walsh, Bishop of Killaloe have joined the pilgrimage. Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore, travelled for many years as a group chaplain.
Each year the visiting bishop has been the principal celebrant at the The Irish Pilgrimage Trust's Benefactors' Mass. This is the mass that is celebrated in St Bernadette's Basilica in Lourdes and is the one occassion that all of the Irish groups in Lourdes come together as one big family. The visiting bishop is the principal celebrant. The Bishops have attended the celebration of Reconciliation, and have celebrated the The Irish Trust Mass at the Grotto in recent years. The bishops also concelebrate with the bishops and priests of The Pilgrimage Trust for their celebrations and have also attended the various celebrations at the Domaine.
Another impartant contribution that the bishops give during the week in Lourdes is been available to meet groups from their own pastoral area, joining various groups for their masses and meeting the various pilgrims in the cafes and hotels of Lourdes.
A programme of visits is scheduled for the week in Lourdes. Generally the bishops are invited to visit the groups with young children and the groups that bring young adults with disability. The visiting bishop also visits the groups from their area. With the chairperson of the Trust and the National Chaplain the bishops also meet groups in the various cafes and hotels in Lourdes. A quick cup of coffee, an ice cream, a chance meeting on the road is often a great opportunity to say hello.