The National Pilgrimage to Lourdes and Rome took place between August 13 and September 13, 1948. It was the largest pilgrimage to those sites ever to leave the United States.
Background Confraternity of Christian Doctrine National Congress
World War II concluded in Europe on May 8, 1945. The following year, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine's (CCD) National Congress met in Boston. At the event, they proposed a pilgrimage in the hopes of restoring relations between the United States and Europe in the wake of the war. At the same Congress, Archbishop Richard J. Cushing of Boston called for prayers for the canonization of Pope Pius X. The late pope was considered the modern patron of the CCD.
Planning Plans for the pilgrimage were made by Bishop John J. Wright, who traveled to Europe in the summer of 1947 to make arraignments. During the planning trip, he received the pope's blessing on the endeavor.
Cushing and the Archdiocese of Boston announced in January 1948 that he would be leading a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France and Rome, Italy. Cushing said he would be leading a "peaceful army" to several European sites and asked all to "pray for the world peace and international security needed for the success of this great spiritual venture."
Within a month of the announcement, more than 4,000 people expressed interest in attending, including individuals from 35 of the 48 United States and several Canadian provinces. There were 1,500 who would have attended but the American Express-Catholic Travel League, who organized the trip, could only find steamship accommodations for a smaller number.
For a cost of between $995 and $2085, pilgrims would visit France, Switzerland, and Italy over four weeks. The pilgrims would also have a private audience with Pope Pius XII to petition for the canonization of Pope Pius X.
Additional side trips to other countries, which would add several weeks to the itinerary, were also planned. A complete trip would take pilgrims to eight countries, including Holland, England, Ireland, and Scotland, and would take eight weeks.
Prior pilgrimages and devotions Many of the pilgrims would be leaving the country for the first time. Cushing himself had said that prior to the pilgrimage that the closest he had ever been to Rome was South Boston's Castle Island. The last time a large group of Americans made a pilgrimage to Rome was in 1933. The last pilgrimage to Rome led by an Archbishop of Boston took place in 1929 with Cardinal William Henry O'Connell.
There was a strong devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes in Boston at the time. There were numerous churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary under this title, numerous shrines in other churches, and a church dedicated to St. Bernadette Soubirous.
Voyage to Europe Departure from Boston
On August 13, 1948, a special train ran from Boston's South Station to New York City filled with 400 pilgrims. At the station, a crowd of 10,000 were on hand to see them off, including Mayor James Michael Curley. The crowd was double what had been expected, despite no formal send off being planned.
So many people clamored to greet Cushing, who arrived 45 minutes early, that he got off the train and greeted people on the platform for a second time, delaying the train by 20 minutes. More than 100 uniformed Boston Police officers were on hand to direct the crowds, as were 25 railroad police officers. The car Cushing drive to the station in had an escort of six motorcycle officers, and he rode with Police Commissioner Thomas F. Sullivan.
Cushing told reporters, "It would be difficult for any thrill of the pilgrimage to surpass that of the send-off we got from South Station ... I was never so proud to be a Bostonian."
On board the train, Cushing walked the length of the nine cars, shaking hands and speaking with each. A special menu was printed in the dining car for the occasion.
Departure from New York City More than 100 additional pilgrims joined them at Pier 90 on New York City's West 50th Street. Another 10,000 people gathered at the pier to wish the pilgrims well. The pilgrims sailed for Europe on Cunard-White Star Line's RMS Queen Mary on August 14.
Before the ship left, every pilgrim from the Boston area was given a copy of the previous day's Boston Evening Globe, which included a story and photos of the send off they received at South Station. The 450 copies of the newspaper were flown by Northeast Airlines and a representative of the airline brought them to the pier.
A bon voyage party was held on board the evening the ship left, and was attended by Harold Borer, the general manager of the Cunard Line, and Ralph Reed, the president of American Express.
The ship, which left just after midnight, had more than 2,200 passengers in total. Also on board were a number of prominent Protestants who were bound for the inaugural World Council of Churches in Amsterdam.
Trans-Atlantic crossing
Daily Mass was offered on board, and pilgrims listened to lectures about the places they would soon be visiting. Each pilgrim received a yellow and purple lapel pin so that they could be easily recognized. Pilgrims took part in many of the activities offered on the ship, including films, dancing, lectures, concerts, and tea time.
During the trip, Cushing and Wright shared the cabin that Winston Churchill occupied on his trip to the Yalta Conference.
The Boston Globe published a special one page edition of the paper for the pilgrims that was distributed each day by volunteers, including Wright. News from Boston and New England was sent by radio to the ship from Boston, and the ship printed special copies for the pilgrims. This continued throughout the pilgrimage.
First day On the first day of the crossing, The Fugitive was played. The ship's chief engineer, Thomas A. Llewellyn, hosted a reception on board for the hierarchy. On the promenade deck, confessionals were set up for those who wished to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary The day after, Sunday, August 15, was the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While on board, Cushing blessed the waters in a ceremony was timed to match the blessing of the waters at Salisbury Beach for the Archdiocese. Thousands of passengers, including many non-Catholics and others not on pilgrimage, attended the ceremony. Many pilgrims, believing that swimming in the ocean on the feast day would bring about special blessings and cures, overtaxed in the ship's swimming tank.
Cushing's mass was held in the main lounge, with all 2,200 passengers invited. In other parts of the ship, the other clergy on board offered 60 additional masses. Cushing reminded pilgrims that the day marked the anniversary of the coronation of Pius X.
Later in the day, Cushing presented a check worth $1,500 to the Lowell Community Chest. That evening, Chief Engineer Tal Bailey ordered the ship to slow down as it was moving too fast and would arrive in France before it was scheduled to do so.
Death of Babe Ruth On August 17, the pilgrims learned of the death of Babe Ruth through the Globe's wireless newscast. Throughout the ship, pilgrims said prayers for the repose of his soul, including special prayers said at Cushing's daily Mass.
France During the pilgrims' time in France, the French press covered their journey.
Arrival in Cherbourg and trains to Paris At dawn on August 19, passengers disembarked the Queen Mary at Cherbourg, France. They needed to board smaller ships to bring them to shore as the fighting in World War II, which ended just three years prior, had destroyed all the docks large enough to accommodate ships the size of the Queen Mary.
When the first pilgrims landed on shore, representatives from American Express ran an American flag up a flagpole and there was an impromptu singing of the Star Spangled Banner and several hymns. They were greeted by Henri Claudel, a former French consul in Boston, and several high ranking clerics from the area.
Two special trains were run to take the pilgrims from Cherbourg to Paris. As they slowly passed through Normandy, Cushing stood on the train platform and blessed the thousands of caskets holding the remains of American soldiers that were waiting to be returned to the United States for burial. From there, the trains continued the five hour journey to Paris, viewing countryside still marked from battles of World War II.
The pilgrims alighted at the Saint-Lazare station in Paris. They were greeted by a large crowd, including Monsigneur Baupoin on behalf of Cardinal Emmanuel Célestin Suhard, who was on vacation.
Nine hotels were secured for the pilgrims in the area of the Paris Opera House: the Paris, Grand, Commodore, DeParis, Ambassador, Scribe, Astor, Continental, and Terminous St. Lazaire.
Holy Hour at Sacre Coeur de Montmartre
On August 20, pilgrims spent the morning sightseeing in Paris. In the afternoon, a Holy Hour was held at the Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre. Thousands of Parisians joined the Americans in the prayer. After the ceremony, Cushing, joined by the other bishops and flanked by uniformed guards carrying halberds, blessed the pilgrims standing on the broad stone steps of the church.
In his sermon, Brady spoke of the ties that bound the American church with its French counterpart: "The assistance which American Catholics are now extending to their brothers in faith in France are in return for many deeds on behalf of the young Church in America, which France so generously donated in the beginning."
William J. Slattery, the American-born superior general of the Vincentians, echoed Brady in speaking of how it was French priests who brought Catholicism to New England.
Cushing and Wright visited Notre-Dame de Paris to make plans for the Sunday mass where Cushing would preach. The pair and several other clerics then visited the mother house of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul The sisters served at Carney Hospital in Boston, and Cushing proposed renaming it the St. Catherine Laboure Hospital. He also visited a number of other Catholic societies who are represented in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Several pilgrims took a 75-mile side trip to visit Lisieux, the home of Saint Thérèse.
Legion of Honour presentation There was no official program for pilgrims on August 21, with pilgrims free to shop, sitesee, or make trips to other locations such as Versailles and Fontainebleau. The date coincided with the fourth anniversary of the liberation of the Liberation of Paris, and the official municipal celebration was scheduled to end at dawn the next day.
Cushing and Wright were awarded the Legion of Honour that day by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. The ceremony took place in the Louis XIV salon on the second floor of the French Foreign Ministry building. Invited guests to the ceremony and luncheon immediately preceding included American Ambassador Jefferson Caffery, O'Hara, Brady, and Ryan.
In his acceptance remarks, Cushing said that generals would always dislike each other and leaders would always tend to dislike each other, but the common people he was leading and those he met in France "wish to love one another and tend to trust one another." Therefore, he said, "the chief objective of all government action on our day should be the facilitating of international friendship and knowledge on a popular level."
The award, which was announced the day before, was given for furthering Franco-American goodwill by leading the pilgrimage. Cushing was awarded the highest order of the Legion. In his remarks, Schuman noted that the first bishop of Boston, Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus, was French.
The press accompanying the pilgrims were the guests of Pierre Ordiono, the press chief of the French Foreign Office, at the Cercel Interallie.
Mass at Notre Dame