The Power of Lourdes

July 1, 2023

Annual military pilgrimage offers healing for troops suffering from physical, mental and spiritual trauma

By Columbia staff

July 1, 2023

Fourth Degree Knights lead Warriors to Lourdes pilgrims to Mass at the Rosary Basilica on May 12. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek) — Fourth Degree Knights lead Warriors to Lourdes pilgrims to Mass at the Rosary Basilica on May 12. Photo by Tamino Petelinšek

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

This theme of the 2023 Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage — from the Gospel of Matthew 11:28 — expressed the hopes of the many wounded, ill and injured military personnel taking part in this year’s annual trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes May 10-15. From Vietnam War veterans to Gold Star parents to a young Marine stationed in Afghanistan in the final days of the U.S. withdrawal, they carried heavy burdens and came in search of healing and peace.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, led the delegation from the United States.

“I think it’s very important, especially for people who are carrying burdens of illness or psychological difficulties, or just the weight of war, to understand that they never carry this all by themselves,” said Archbishop Broglio, who also serves as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The Lord walks with them and invites men and women to experience his healing presence.”

Warriors to Lourdes has been co-sponsored by the U.S. military archdiocese and the Knights of Columbus since 2014 and is timed to coincide with the annual Pèlerinage Militaire International (International Military Pilgrimage), which brings about 14,000 troops from more than 40 nations to Lourdes each spring.

The pilgrims take part in devotional processions, military ceremonies and athletic competitions. They also have ample opportunities for prayer and fellowship with their counterparts from other countries. This year, more than 200 service members, veterans, companions and caregivers participated in Warriors to Lourdes, accompanied by chaplains, medical personnel and other staff. Here we present a few of their stories, adapted from interviews conducted in Lourdes.

With the Eyes of Mary

U.S. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Kafer is stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. She learned about the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage through her work as European region coordinator for the Military Council of Catholic Women and was invited to apply.

While I’ve been stationed in Germany, I’ve been blessed to be able to go to other Marian sites in Europe, and I learned from those sites to keep my expectations for Lourdes pretty open. But there really has been this opening for healing here. More of an acceptance than a physical healing, an openness to the Blessed Mother and the comfort she wants to offer us.

I’ve been struggling recently with what it means to allow myself to be loved, and to allow myself to be OK with making mistakes. I came from a career field where if you made a mistake, it ended your career. I had internalized this in ways that I didn’t realize, and I’ve been working through a lot of that. I have actually gone to counseling, which I’ve never done before, and being here has really opened my heart to the graces that has offered.

There was a moment in the baths — and I wasn’t expecting this — but kneeling there in front of an image of the Blessed Mother, you can feel her holding you like your mom does when you’re sick. And while that doesn’t heal you from the problem, she is there with you and supporting you through it. There’s also a kindness and love in the way the women at the baths bring you in. They look at you with the eyes of Mary, with this deep compassion.

It’s really wonderful here to see everyone’s national pride, but there’s also this unity when we all come together and sing the Ave Maria. There’s this hope for peace and openness to communication and learning about each other. Lourdes is hope, a hope for peace.

*****

The Holy Spirit Was Moving

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Reese served in Afghanistan where his teammate, Capt. Andrew M. Pedersen-Keel, 28, was killed in action in 2013. Now serving in Army Special Operations Command, Reese is also on the board of directors of APK Charities, founded in honor of Pedersen-Keel by his parents, Bob Keiser and Helen Pedersen-Keiser, who participated in last year’s Warrior to Lourdes pilgrimage.

I was introduced to Warriors to Lourdes by Bob and Helen Keiser, who told me they were able to come here and process a lot of things. I’m not Catholic, but I was open-minded in coming here. I just wanted to reconnect with myself and God, and then deal with some of the issues that I had while in combat.

I came here with a teammate of mine. We both lost teammates together, and we were able to identify what moral injury is, and how it differs from PTSD. It’s very important. I have dealt with PTSD, and I thought the two blended together. The presentation about moral injury was very impactful, because now I’m able to implement things that will help me deal with my moral injury — forgiveness of the guilt and shame that I may have from losing my friends.

From the moment that I walked in the underground church, I was moved very emotionally, even as a non-Catholic. And then as I saw all the different nationalities come together and going through the service, the presence of the Holy Spirit was definitely moving throughout. When I looked to my left and my right, I saw friends that I just met and people from other nations, crying or just having emotional moments. And it was felt by tens of thousands of people; it was amazing.

Lourdes is life-changing. Lourdes helped give me another reset in my life, spiritually and personally.

*****

Master Sgt. Kim Crosby traveled to Lourdes with her son, Marcus. — *Photo by Spirit Juice Studios*

‘Being Here Has Changed a Lot for Me’

Master Sgt. Kim Crosby has served 36 years in the U.S. military. Now in the Army Reserve, she is currently assigned to the Soldier Recovery Unit at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which has since metastasized. Crosby traveled to Lourdes with her son, Marcus.

I wanted my son, Marcus, to experience this journey with me so that in years to come we will be able to share this memory together.

Marcus was with me when we went to the baths the first day. We washed our hands and our faces and drank the holy water, and we prayed together. When I’m long gone, Marcus will still have that memory.

Prior to coming, it was my understanding that they weren’t doing the full baths anymore because of COVID. But yesterday, they had special permission for me and someone else to go in. That was very, very moving. I sat in the water for a while and said a prayer. After we came out, everyone was there waiting for me, and I broke down. It really touched me.

When I was diagnosed the very first time, I just prayed that I was here long enough to see Marcus graduate from high school. He’s in college now. I told him, “As long as I can, I’m going to fight to stay here.” Hopefully, I’ll get to see him graduate from college. Maybe I’ll even walk that stage with him!

As a parent, you’re always nurturing, taking care. And for him, now, it’s like, “OK, Mom, I have to start taking care of you.” It means a lot for me to have a child who’s now mature enough to understand that these roles are reversed. Being here has changed a lot for me, as well as a lot for him.

*****

‘Heaven Reaches Down’

Father William Cook, a member of Savannah (Georgia) Council 631, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Savannah in June 2022. Before discerning his vocation, he served four years in the U.S. Marines Corps as an air support control officer. Father Cook was a co-sponsored seminarian with the military archdiocese and hopes to serve as a Navy chaplain.

This is my second time at Warriors to Lourdes. In 2017, I came as a seminarian and didn’t know what to expect. I was assigned to a wounded warrior in a wheelchair, which made the experience super fruitful. We were able to take her to everything, even pushing her up the hill for the Stations of the Cross. She wasn’t even Catholic, and it was beautiful to see how she encountered the Lord, as it was the first time she’d experienced praying the stations.

Coming back as a priest is a great opportunity. To celebrate on these altars where thousands of priests have celebrated is just an incredibly fulfilling experience.

One of the more beautiful experiences that I’ve had is going to the baths. In 2017, we were able to go full immersion. This time, we were able to wash our hands and face and drink the water, which was still powerful. I’m always impressed how the volunteers who facilitate the baths take the faith so seriously, so when you go in, it’s a totally prayerful experience.

Lourdes is a unique place because you can almost feel the sanctity, as if heaven and earth were on parallel planes. This is one spot that heaven reaches down to touch earth. It’s a place that gives testimony to the catholic, universal spirit, with people coming from all over the world to make themselves vulnerable to the Lord, offering up whatever ails them or what they’re struggling with, and doing so through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.

If I could describe Lourdes in one word, it would be rich — rich in faith, beauty, tradition, goodness, history.

Snell Essay Alamy 2CG1KJD-sRGB-small.jpg

The Power of Lourdes

With the Eyes of Mary

The Holy Spirit Was Moving

‘Being Here Has Changed a Lot for Me’

‘Heaven Reaches Down’

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