The 2025 annual pilgrimage (Saturday-Sunday, 30-31 August):

Opening of the 150th anniversary jubilee year: commemoration of Estelle’s letter of request and testimony of concern for others and trust in times of trial.

We will commemorate the first days of September 1875: Estelle Faguette, from her bed of suffering, had a letter of supplication placed at the foot of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Montbel park, owned by the La Rochefoucauld family, for whom she worked as a servant. As the sole support of her parents, who were ‘on the verge of begging for bread,’ she begged the Blessed Virgin to grant her healing. This was the beginning of ‘150 years of graces.’ Following her example, pilgrims learn that calm and courageous waiting in trials strengthens the believer’s hope and deepens their trust in God’s unfailing love.

The answer to Estelle’s prayer came nearly six months later, through five visits from the Virgin Mary between 14 and 19 February 1876: ‘Your little letter touched my mother’s heart.’

After this healing, recognised as supernatural by the Archbishop of Bourges in 1983, ten further encounters with the Virgin Mary prepared Estelle for her mission, which is well summarised by the title of the letter of recognition from Rome: ‘Our Lady of Mercy, lead us to the Heart of Christ’. Indeed, on 22 August 2024, the Church authorities, encouraging the faithful to freely express their devotion to Our Lady of Mercy, declared that ‘the words that Estelle attributes to the Virgin Mary have a special value that allows us to glimpse the action of the Holy Spirit at the heart of this spiritual experience’.