The Portlaoise Parish Lourdes Pilgrimage Committee celebrated their 50th year of leading pilgrimages to Lourdes on their annual trip last July.
The pilgrimage was established in 1974 to assist pilgrims and invalids to Lourdes each summer.
During the pilgrimage this year, a pair of golden rosary beads and a golden rose were placed on the altar each day during mass.
These symbols are associated with the hymn ‘Our Lady Of Knock’ in which the lyrics ‘Golden Rose, Queen of Ireland’ are sung.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the pilgrimage, the golden rosary beads and golden rose were returned to Portlaoise and are now displayed on our Lady’s side altar in Portlaoise Parish Church.
The golden rosary beads hang from Our Lady’s hands.
Earlier this month, the relics of saint Bernadette Soubirous visited Portlaoise Parish Church.
Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette eighteen times between February 11 and July 16, 1858, at a cave called Massabielle which is now the grotto of Lourdes.
The Lourdes Committee assisted at the mass, carrying their banner proudly, reading, singing, playing music and stewarding.
As part of this celebration, a newly commissioned statue of St Bernadette was unveiled, funded by a collection gathered on this years pilgrimage and supplied by C and D Moran and Sons from Stradbally.
The statue is now in place at Our Lady’s grotto in front of Portlaoise Parish Church.
A spokesperson for the group said: “The Lourdes committee would like to thank everyone who has come on the pilgrimage down through the years and those who continue to support us.
“We would also like to express our gratitude to former members of the committee who have ran the trip down through the years.”
