The Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes in Madrid has elected Samuel Soria as its new president, in the context of its recent internal elections, according to ACI Prensa. This lay association, dependent on the Archdiocese of Madrid, has been pilgrimaging to the Lourdes sanctuary since 1958 and organizes two annual pilgrimages, in May and October.
With decades of history, the Madrid Hospitality has established itself as one of the largest diocesan pilgrimages in the world, outside of the French national convocations and some international initiatives.
A mission centered on the sick
The axis of the Hospitality’s activity is the accompaniment of the sick, both during the pilgrimage and throughout the year. The volunteers are organized into groups—children, mothers with children, women, people with infectious diseases or mobility difficulties—and maintain continuous contact with them.
As the new president explains in statements collected by ACI Prensa, the bond created in Lourdes does not end upon returning to Madrid. The volunteers visit the sick in their homes or centers, accompany them, and help them with various procedures, thus reinforcing the community dimension of the institution.
Soria insists that the sick person must be the center of every pilgrimage. “If the sick person is the center of every pilgrimage, everything will go well,” he states.
A tradition that renews itself
Samuel Soria, 43 years old, has pilgrimaged to Lourdes more than 30 times over the last 25 years. He now assumes the presidency as a service to the institution and with the purpose of continuing the work done by his predecessors.
Among his objectives are facilitating procedures for volunteers and improving the internal communication of the Hospitality, in order to strengthen participation and ensure the future of the association.
The Lourdes Hospitality in Madrid thus faces a new stage maintaining as its base its original identity: the direct and priority attention to the sick who pilgrimage to the Marian sanctuary.