Waterford Pilgrimage
Our Voluntary Staff
Our Sick
Lourdes
Apparitions
Who to Contact
How to go to Lourdes
Picture Gallery
The Craic
Other Links
Pilgrims
Stagiaires
The diocese is divided into three regions, Waterford, Dungarvan (West Waterford) and Clonmel (South Tipperary). Within each deanery there is a committee who handle the applications and selection of sick people.
Applications are sought from the public in December and it must be stressed that the ability to pay is not a consideration for anyone wishing to travel to Lourdes as a sick person.
The applications are handled in several different ways e.g. (1) through Guilds, which are committees set up in different areas who select and fund the trip for a sick person, usually from the location of the guild. (2) Through parishes who likewise apply on behalf of a sick parishioner. (3) Many factories / companies sponsor sick people who would have a connection with someone in the firm. (4) Private individuals apply themselves or on behalf of friends / relatives.
Each application must be accompanied by a medical form and each application is then considered on its merits by the medical board. Obviously because of the difficulty in getting to Lourdes by plane and also the fact that we are a voluntary organisation it is not possible to accept all applications. However priority is always given to those who have never travelled before. Also when selecting suitability the medical boards decisions are taken purely on medical grounds.
The first thing to do is to contact one of the following people, depending on the area you live in :-
Mr. Sean Dunphy, 5 Hillside Grove, Dunmore Road, Waterford.
Tel 051 873629. Mobile 086 3568940.
Mrs. Mary Power,4 Chestnut Close, Viewmount Park,
Waterford.
Tel 051 855237
Waterford includes parts of the county as far as Kilmacthomas.
DUNGARVAN (WEST WATERFORD) :
Mr. Tommy Street, 22 Kilrush Park, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Tel 058 43007, Mobile 087 7942073
Mrs. Frances Tobin, Townparks East, Tallow, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Tel 058 56326
CLONMEL (SOUTH TIPPERARY) :
Mrs. Carrie Kenny, Antmount, Mountain Road, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tel 052 22252
Mr. Noel Morrissey, 2 Inislounaght, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tel 052 23694. Mobile 086 8837824.
Depending on the location they will put you in contact with either the Guild, Parish committee or may take your name as a private individual. They in turn will make the necessary arrangements with you to complete the application form and also the medical form which have to be in by mid February.
Your application will then be processed and you will hopefully have an answer in early / mid March.
If your application is successful, all the necessary arrangements for travelling together with passports etc. will be looked after by the deanery committee.
Each year we take approximately 110 sick people to Lourdes on our annual Pilgrimage and during their stay they are accommodated in the Accueil Notre – Dame.
The Accueil Notre Dame was built in 1999 and is a ultra modern complex which caters for over 900 sick people in total. Often referred to as the Hospital, it is not a hospital and there would be very limited medical facilities.
The building is finished to the highest standard of comforts and could be compared to many hotels in Lourdes. Accommodation consists of a small number of single, double and mostly six bedded rooms. All the rooms have their own toilet and shower facilities.
The Waterford pilgrimage take over one complete floor which consists of the accommodation rooms, offices, dining room, small kitchen and all the equipment required for the duration of our stay.