Via a reader this story about British tourist at Lourdes.
"We come here to party after being reverential all day," said Susan Clare, a 19-year-old student from south London.
Cue a pious version of the Kiss’ anthem "I wanna be reverential all day and party every night"
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Is there any way we can attribute this to Madonna naming her daughter “Lourdes”? She is after all, a wannabe Brit.
(Stunned silence.)
People have lost all sense of the sacred. In a place famous as a major Catholic shrine, this is where some go for drunkiness and revelry, as if it was student spring break at Cancun, Mexico or Daytona Beach, Florida. And I bet the local bishops remain silent while Animal House is in session every night. Saint Bernadette must be weeping at the sight of it all.
This inability these days of so many English people to drink like normal people is just one more manifestation of how English culture has gone downhill.
Ridiculous.
One thing that always creeps into our luggage, regardless where we go, is our sinful habits. They are something that the TSA cannot collect at the gate, unfortunately.
These revelers would do well to read an account in St. Alphonsus Liguori’s “The Glories of Mary” where surviving witnesses deposed on oath that they had seen our Mother set to fire a tent where revelers were profaning a well-known Marian shrine with excesses and disreputable dancing – something these very people seem to be repeating.
Obviously these people need to be instructed that “the wages of sin is death” – NOT “if you behave in church today, you’ll earn a night of debauchery”. You’re reverent in the day and you’re profane at night? Sounds like a comic book villain – Madam Hypocrisy, who generously gives full scholarships to the orphans of her victims!
Seriously, I doubt these clubs with the sacreligious theme were started by praying and fasting pilgrims. If pilgrims become their clientele, then it’s time for a missionary project into the clubs and pubs of the area. (Do you suppose any nightclub could survive the presence of rosary-wielding, Bible-carrying elders every night?)
Its always the British who are the last in the bars at the international conferences which I have the dubious honour of occasionally attending.
Oh Lord, it’s stuff like this that makes me cringe to admit that I’m British!
I love Lourdes. I’m ashamed to think that these young people are bringing the nation into disrepute as they have done in various resorts in Spain and Greece…
…but these idiots are going on organised pilgrimage tours as helpers (after all, Lourdes isn’t the most obvious holiday destination for your average teenager) so where are the organisers? The rules for these events definitely need to be tightened up.
We all sin, but some places should remain sacred. Such members of humanity, would be better off traveling to costa del Dave/Danny/Sharon etc………..
The modern day Catholic Church has done such a great job spiritually forming the young hasn’t it?