Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.
Sorry, unable to load the Maps API.
All are welcome to join Assumption Devotions at the Birmingham Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Hednesford, Staffordshire, on Sunday 13th August at 3pm.
The shrine is a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, and was built between 1927 and 1934. it stands on an elevated platform in the grounds of the church in Uxbridge Street flanked by two stone pylons and since 1966 has been the site of annual pilgrimages.
The previous Catholic church at Hednesford was dedicated to St Joseph and St Philomena and was built in the 1890s at Hill Top. The site of the current church was purchased in 1923 after a fundraising campaign, in order to fulfill the dream of the late priest, Father Patrick Boyle, of creating a replica of the grotto at Lourdes to be a pilgrimage destination for those who could not travel to France.
The foundation stone was laid in 1928 and the church was completed in 1934 at a cost of more than £50,000. The Lourdes grotto was completed the following year.
The church was Grade-II listed on 9 May 2016 and the grotto was also Grade-II listed on the same date. The listing outlines its architectural interest as ‘an interesting example of an outdoor Lourdes Grotto shrine, unusual in England for its naturalistic representation of a cave formation; it contrasts well with the flanking Art-Deco style stone pylons’.
In 1972 some 4,000 worshippers descended for an open air Mass which included a Blessing of the Sick.
On Sunday there will be an opportunity for prayers, hymns, the Rosary and devotions.
Monsignor Timothy Menezes, the Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, will give an address. Last year, at the Angelus on the Feast of Assumption, Pope Francis spoke of the hope which the Assumption of Our Lady gives us:
“She is the first creature who, with her whole self, body and soul, victoriously crosses the finish line of Heaven. She shows us that Heaven is within reach. How come? Yes, Heaven is within reach, if we too do not give in to sin, if we praise God in humility and serve others generously.”
*Please bring your own chairs to the event*