Loss and healing: A Marian pilgrimage in secular Dutch society

Abstract

A pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, supported by health insurance, helps old and ailing Dutch people cope with the losses of growing old in secular Dutch society. Elderly people are very much in need of the churches that are disappearing, and with them the collective rituals and symbols that would help elderly people express and cope with pain. The pilgrimage is a ritual of remembrance and connection, linking past, present, and future, and the living with the dead. It offers a modern and deeply felt religious experience in which personal traumas and painful memories of lost relatives and dead children are elicited and articulated as narratives. Pilgrim´s stories before, during, and after the journey are its most healing aspect and give insight into the process of healing and empowerment.