Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this Christianity: practises lesson on Pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain the role and importance of Lourdes as a place of Christian pilgrimage.

Now, quite a lot of our learning today might be new to you, but please don't worry because I'm here to help you through each step of the lesson, and I'm confident that by the end, you will be able to achieve this outcome.

So let's get started and take a look at our keywords for today.

We have Lourdes, miracle and pilgrimage.

Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to St.

Bernadette in a series of visions and it's claimed that miraculous healings have taken place here.

A miracle is an extraordinary act or event that defies the laws of nature.

And a pilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy side or a sacred place, and it's often considered to be an act of worship and devotion.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Lourdes as a place of pilgrimage, and then we'll move on to look at the importance of Lourdes for Christians.

So let's get started and take a look at Lourdes as a place of pilgrimage.

To start off, I'd like you to consider whether you have ever been on an important journey? And if you have, where did you go? And what was so important about this particular journey? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So hopefully, you've been able to either think about or discuss a journey that you've been on that was important to you and why it was important.

Now, a pilgrimage is a type of important journey, but pilgrimage is actually a religious journey to a holy site or a place that is significant for a particular religion.

Now, a person who goes on a pilgrimage is called a pilgrim.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Why do you think religious believers might want to go on a journey to a place of religious significance? Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that religious believers might want to go on a pilgrimage because they can grow closer to God and strengthen their faith through both the journey and the destination.

It can also be considered a form of prayer and worship.

Believers will often go on pilgrimage to seek spiritual or physical healing.

Or they might actually go to meet new people who share the same beliefs as them.

Let's now imagine that I've been asked to give one reason why Christians might go on a pilgrimage.

My answer is that they might go to grow closer to God.

Now I'm going to ask you the same question.

So I'd also like you to give one reason why Christians might go on a pilgrimage.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that Christians might go on a pilgrimage to worship and to pray, to seek healing, or to meet other people who share the same beliefs as them.

So well done if you've got one of those answers or something similar.

So today we're looking at Lourdes as a place of pilgrimage.

Now, Lourdes is a town in southwestern France that's become a famous pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Now, this is because it's believed that in 1858, a girl named Bernadette Soubirous, who is now known as Saint Bernadette, had visions of the Virgin Mary in a grotto or a cave.

This happened when St.

Bernadette was just 14 years old and she was out collecting firewood near a cave known as the grotto of Massabielle, she saw in the grotto a woman who was dressed in white wearing a blue sash and the woman had a golden rose on each foot.

This woman then appeared to St.

Bernadette 18 times over the space of several months.

In these appearances, it's claimed that the woman declared herself as the Immaculate Conception, which means a person who was born without original sin.

Now, many Christians, particularly Roman Catholic Christians, believe that the Virgin Mary, who is Jesus' mother, is the only human to have ever been born without original sin.

And this means that it's believed that the woman who appeared to St.

Bernadette was actually the Virgin Mary.

Now St.

Bernadette claiming that the woman declared herself as the Immaculate Conception was significant in Lourdes becoming a place of pilgrimage.

And this is because at the time, St.

Bernadette would not have known what the phrase Immaculate Conception meant.

Now, the Immaculate Conception was a very new and complex idea within the Roman Catholic Church at that time.

So it was highly unlikely that an ordinary 14-year-old girl would've known and understood what that phrase meant.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Do you think that this makes St.

Bernadette more or less believable? Off you go.

So at the time, this made St.

Bernadette's claims more convincing, and that's because it's highly unlikely that she could have made up this vision and made up that this woman declared herself as the Immaculate Conception.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? The Virgin Mary appeared to St.

Bernadette 17 times and declared herself as the divine conception.

Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because the Virgin Mary actually appeared to St.

Bernadette 18 times and she declared herself as the Immaculate Conception.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

Now, during these 18 appearances, the Virgin Mary gave St.

Bernadette some instructions.

And these were, to pray for sinners , to come back to the grotto many times, to tell priests to build a chapel there, and to wash in and drink from the spring that appeared at the grotto, so the pool of water that appeared from the ground.

Now today, Lourdes actually reflects the instructions that the Virgin Mary gave to St.

Bernadette.

So a chapel was actually built at the grotto, and the site of Lourdes now actually includes several large churches and basilicas.

Pilgrims come in procession and they visit Lourdes many times.

Pilgrims can drink and bathe in the water of the spring, and it's actually believed that this water has miraculous healing powers.

And Lourdes is considered to be a place of prayer, and it's where people can confess their sins, pray for sinners, and reflect on their faith.

Now today, Lourdes is a very popular pilgrimage destination for many Christians all over the world, and millions of people visit Lourdes every single year.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following is not a way that Lordes reflects the instructions that the Virgin Mary gave to St.

Bernadette? A, there's a chapel and several large churches.

B, laws is not accessible to large groups of people.

C, pilgrims can drink and bathe in the water of the spring.

Or D, Lourdes is a place of prayer.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is B.

Lourdes actually is accessible to large groups of people and millions of people visit Lourdes every year.

So well done.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to write a paragraph explaining why Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

In your paragraph, I'd like you to include the following things, the keywords, Lourdes, miracle and pilgrimage, the phrase Immaculate Conception, and the names, Virgin Mary and St.

Bernadette.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to write a paragraph explaining why Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

And you were asked to include the keywords, Lourdes, miracle and pilgrimage, the phrase Immaculate conception, and the names Virgin Mary and St.

Bernadette.

Your response might be similar to this, "Lourdes is considered to be a place of pilgrimage following St.

Bernadette's visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858.

Over several months, the Virgin Mary appeared to St.

Bernadette and declared herself the Immaculate Conception and gave St.

Bernadette a set of instructions such as to wash in the spring.

As a result of these appearances, many Christians consider Lourdes to be a sacred place, and they visit Lourdes to grow closer to God, strengthen their faith, and even go in the hope of a miracle healing." So well done for completing your paragraph, explaining why Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Christians and including the keywords, the phrase Immaculate Conception, and the names the Virgin Mary and St.

Bernadette.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the importance of Lourdes for Christians.

So to get started, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself about why Lourdes might be an important pilgrimage destination for Christians? And you can use the images on the screen as a prompt for your discussion or your thoughts.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that Lourdes is an important place of pilgrimage because it has historical significance dating back to 1858.

You may have also considered that as well as this historical significance, it also holds particular religious significance, especially for Christians who venerate, respect the Virgin Mary.

It also is important because Christians can actually come together as a community of believers here, and it's believed to be a place of healing where miracles can happen.

And you may have also considered that this means that it's a place of hope and a place of peace.

Now, let's imagine that I've been asked to give just one reason why Lourdes is important for Christians.

I've said that it's important because it holds religious and historical significance.

I'm now going to ask you the same question.

I would like you to also give one reason why Lourdes is important for Christians.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that Lourdes is important for Christians because it's a place where Christians can gather together as a community, or that it's a place of peace and hope.

Or you may have said that Lourdes is believed to be a place of healing.

Now, many people who visit Lourdes are Christian, but actually, non-religious people and people who belong to other religious groups can also visit Lourdes as well.

However, a large proportion of the people who visit Lourdes every year are made up of Roman Catholic Christians.

And this is because many Roman Catholic Christians believe in the Virgin Mary's apparitions to St.

Bernadette, and that the Virgin Mary is the Immaculate Conception.

Now within the Roman Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary is venerated, which means she's regarded with a great respect and this is because she's the Mother of God.

And for Roman Catholic Christians, St.

Bernadette's visions of the Virgin Mary confirmed their beliefs about the importance of the Virgin Mary.

And also the instructions that the Virgin Mary gave to St.

Bernadette confirm the Roman Catholic teachings on the power of prayer and the need for penance.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? Roman Catholic Christians make up a large proportion of the number of people who visit Lourdes each year.

Fantastic, that statement is true, but why is that statement true? Well, it's because many Roman Catholic Christians believe in the Virgin Mary's apparitions to St.

Bernadette and the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception.

Which makes Lourdes a very important place for Roman Catholic Christians.

So well done for identifying that that statement was true, and for identifying the reason why.

We're now going to hear from someone who's been to Lourdes.

Hannah is a Roman Catholic Christian who's visited Lourdes a number of times, and her first visit to Lourdes had a profound impact on her life.

Hannah is going to tell us a little bit about this.

She says, "I was raised as a Roman Catholic from infancy.

But in my teenage years I lost faith and I didn't believe or practise the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

During my mid 20's, I was given the opportunity to visit Lourdes and I decided to go because although I didn't consider myself to be religious at the time, I had heard about Lourdes and I knew it was a place of historical and religious significance.

When I arrived at Lourdes, I felt a sense of peace, stillness, and unity with other pilgrims. I took part in prayer, I attended mass, and I volunteered to help pilgrims who were unwell.

The experience left me feeling renewed and hopeful, and I left feeling a sense of calm and peace in my life that I didn't have before.

The visit encouraged me to return to the church I attended as a child.

The whole experience inspired me to renew my faith and also volunteer to take others on pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Each year I volunteer taking groups of sixth form and college students to Lourdes during the summer.

Lourdes has become a special place for me, and I look forward to going each year and helping young people to experience Lourdes too." So now we've heard from Hannah, let's check your understanding.

True or false.

Only practising Roman Catholics visit Lourdes.

Fantastic, that statement is false, but why is that statement false? How do we know that this statement is not true? Well, it's because actually, anyone is welcome to visit Lourdes.

And Hannah is an example of someone who was not a practising Roman Catholic when she visited Lourdes, but when she visited, it helped her renew her faith.

Also, Christians who belong to other denominations, not just the Roman Catholic church and people who are not Christian at all, can also visit Lourdes.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying why.

Let's now hear from Father Jason, who is a Roman Catholic priest.

Father Jason has been to Lourdes himself, but he also sees many members of his parish go on pilgrimage to Lourdes every year.

Father Jason says, "I've been to Lourdes myself and I've seen members of my parish go to Lourdes and witnessed firsthand the profound impact that Lourdes can have on an individual when they return.

I've known individuals who've converted to Christianity after visiting Lourdes, and I've known people who've been spiritually healed during a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Pilgrimages can evoke our earthly journey towards heaven." Now, Father Jason mentioned spiritual healing, but as well as individuals experiencing spiritual healing in Lourdes, there are actually records of physical healings as well.

Some people who visit Lourdes report being physically healed from an illness or a disability with no medical or logical explanation.

However, only a small number of these claims have actually been verified and declared as official miracles.

And currently, there are over 70 officially recognised miracles from Lourdes.

Because of Lord's miraculous healing powers, many people who are unwell or living with disabilities visit Lourdes every year, and they do so in hope of miraculous spiritual and or physical healing.

So let's now check your understanding.

Which word best describes a pilgrim experiencing unexplained healing from visiting Lourdes? A, milestone.

B, magic.

C, marvel.

Or D, miracle.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is D, miracle is the word that best describes a pilgrim experiencing unexplained healing after visiting Lourdes, well done.

It's now time to have a go at task.

What you can see here is an evaluation statement that says all Christians must go on pilgrimage to Lourdes.

If you were completing a full response, you would be expected to evaluate the statement referring to Christian teaching, giving reasoned arguments to support the statement, reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, and reaching a justified conclusion.

Now, you won't be completing a full response to this statement today because Alex has already written two paragraphs responding to the statement.

One paragraph supporting the statement, and another paragraph supporting a different point of view.

I would like you to reach a justified conclusion based on the arguments that Alex has presented.

Alex has said, "Some Christians such as Roman Catholic Christians may agree with the statement because visiting Lourdes can bring an individual closer to God and strengthen their faith.

This is supported by the catechism of the Catholic church, which states that pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey towards heaven.

This shows that going on pilgrimage to a destination such as Lourdes is essential for becoming closer to God and the possibility of heaven.

On the other hand, some Christians might argue that going on pilgrimage to Lourdes is not a necessity.

There are many other ways that Christians can grow closer to God, experience spiritual healing, and feel united with other Christians, for example, celebrating the Eucharist.

This argument demonstrates that visiting Lourdes is not the only way that a Christian can grow in their faith." So now you've heard Alex's arguments, I would like you to reach a justified conclusion based on these.

And here's some guidance that you might find useful when structuring your conclusion.

So start by offering a clear overall view.

Then briefly show awareness of other perspectives, and then finally justify your overall view with a reason.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So Alex had written two paragraphs responding to the statement that all Christians must gone pilgrimage to Lourdes.

He'd written one paragraph supporting the statement and one paragraph supporting a different point of view.

Your task was to reach a justified conclusion based on Alex's arguments.

Your conclusion might be similar to this.

"Overall, it's clear that for some Christians going on pilgrimage to Lourdes is not a necessity, despite the view that it can bring many benefits to an individual's faith and life.

This is because many of the benefits a person can receive through visiting Lourdes, such as becoming closer to God, can also be achieved in other ways like celebrating the Eucharist.

So well done again for completing the task and reaching a justified conclusion based on Alex's arguments.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that a pilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy site or sacred place, and it's considered to be an act of worship and devotion.

We've also looked at Lourdes as an example of a place of Christian pilgrimage.

Lourdes is in southwestern France, and many Christians consider this to be a pilgrimage destination.

Lourdes became a popular pilgrimage destination when the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to St.

Bernadette when she was a young girl.

And during the appearances, the Virgin Mary declared herself as the Immaculate Conception and gave St.

Bernadette a set of instructions for Lourdes.

We've seen that today, millions of people visit Lourdes every single year, and that Lourdes is particularly significant for Roman Catholic Christians who venerate the Virgin Mary.

And finally, we saw that people can visit Lourdes for many reasons, including to pray and in the hope of a miracle.

So a huge well done for all of your work this lesson.

It has been wonderful learning with you today.