EXTRA -- Lourdes, France, online pilgrimage July 16, 2020

(CNS photo)

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France will be holding a worldwide online pilgrimage July 16 -- the anniversary of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Everyone is invited to join the online initiative, which will be livestreamed for 15 hours in 10 languages from the Grotto of Lourdes at www.lourdes-france.org/en/lourdes-united.

For more than 160 years, the sanctuary has been an essential place for millions of people who visit each year, seeking hope, healing, fraternity and deepened faith, the event's promoters said in a news release June 30.

"The world is facing an unprecedented economic and social crisis, coupled with an unprecedented quest for meaning," it said.

And the "Lourdes United e-pilgrimage will bring together all those who, in the four corners of the world, see Lourdes as a beacon of faith, commitment, sharing and hope," it added.

Navigating the top of the homepage at www.lourdes-france.org/en/, visitors can also find ways to request a Mass, light a candle and place a prayer petition in the grotto.

-- Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies -- Canmore, Alberta, Canada

(CNS photo)

Destination:  The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies is a new church for the parish, which dates back to the 1800s, and the first Marian shrine in the Diocese of Calgary in Canada. Pilgrimages, conferences and other events are planned once pandemic restrictions are eased.

Masses at the shrine, as at so many places right now, require reservations. That may change by the time you plan your trip to Alberta. Check the website for updates.

Why to go: The Virgin Mary is sitting with her son Jesus in a lush Alberta forest, surrounded by deer drinking from a gurgling stream, with the majestic Three Sisters peaks in the background.

“The window cries out to you ‘Rocky Mountains,’ and there is Our Lady in the midst of that,” said Father Nathan Siray, pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies Parish. “That’s kind of our No. 1 devotional image to Our Lady of the Rockies that is completely unique to this building.”

The powerful image is set in custom-made stained glass, one of the focal points of the new $20 million (US$14.8 million) church in the mountain community of Canmore, about 15 miles southeast of Banff. Bishop William McGrattan dedicated the new 17,000-square-foot church May 30, during a Mass that was livestreamed on the Diocese of Calgary’s Facebook page because of the restrictions. The first public Mass in the new church was celebrated June 8.

The new church is at the edge of town, off the Trans-Canada Highway, and figures prominently when motorists arrive.

The exterior design reflects a European-style alpine church. That was the vision of Father Bryan Frank, a former pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies, and Guy Turcotte, a parishioner and the developer of Silvertip Resort in Canmore, who donated the roughly three-acre property for the church.

Accessibility: Precautions because of COVID-19 are limiting tours to 10 people who must wear masks and sign-up in advance. Details are on the sign-up page. Find the link on the home page.  

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies, 2 Silvertip Trail, Canmore, AB  T1W 2Z7

Phone — 1-403-678-5022

Website — https://www.rockiesparish.com/

— Andrew Ehrkamp, CNS; Sharon Boehlefeld contributed this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org