Col. Chuck Gallina, USMC (Ret.)

The 2018 Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for Non-Wounded, Wounded, Ill or Injured Military Personnel during the 60th Annual International Military Pilgrimage will take place May 15-22, 2018. The theme for the 60th PMI is Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). The pilgrimage, sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), and the Knights of Columbus, is the latest event in a long history of both organizations’ involvement in Lourdes and service to the military. In this edition ofcATHOLIC MILITARY LIFE, the only official podcast of the AMS, Col. ChuCK Gallinia, USMC (Ret.), explains how military personnel, their designated caregivers and volunteers will travel to the Marian shrine for a time of rest, prayer and healing. The retreat will consist of a number of spiritual events, including special Masses, Faith and Fellowship Sessions, a Marian Procession, Adoration and Blessing of the Sick, a visit to the baths at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, and an International Opening Ceremony and Candlelight Vigil that draw tens of thousands of troops to the sacred shrine every year. “We will journey and pray with pilgrims from around the world,” says the Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services. “It will be an occasion to raise our hearts and minds to the Prince of Peace and beg for an increase in understanding and a decrease in strife.”