LOURDES, France (CNS) – Military chaplains are used to hitting the road and heading where the hurt is as they tour bases, camps and veterans clinics.
But on a recent pilgrimage to Lourdes with wounded soldiers, a group of Catholic chaplains also found a sacred space for healing.
But on a recent pilgrimage to Lourdes with wounded soldiers, a group of Catholic chaplains also found a sacred space for healing.
 Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services greets U.S. Army Maj. Derrick Mitchell after Mass during a military pilgrimage at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. (CNS/Paul Haring) The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes “is a special place for Catholics and for anyone who has faith. It’s a place where you can feel and experience prayer,” said Msgr. Frank Pugliese, one of the chaplains on the pilgrimage. |
“I think this is truly a field hospital” where people experience inner spiritual healing as they reconnect with God and other people of faith, said the monsignor, who is the former vicar general of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and a retired military chaplain who served the naval forces for 21 years. He is currently helping two parishes in San Diego.
In Lourdes, “The healings that happen I think are amazing, not all of them physical,” he said.
“People have a sense of peace, of being loved, of being able to leave behind some of the baggage that they come with. And I think that’s sometimes a more powerful healing than if someone throws away crutches,” he said.
“People have a sense of peace, of being loved, of being able to leave behind some of the baggage that they come with. And I think that’s sometimes a more powerful healing than if someone throws away crutches,” he said.
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