The 66th edition of the International Military Pilgrimage will bring together nearly 15,000 soldiers and their families at the French Marian shrine from May 22 to 24, 2026, in an event born from Franco-German reconciliation after the Second World War.
The International Military Pilgrimage (PMI) to Lourdes is one of the most distinctive Catholic military gatherings in the world. Each May since 1958, service members from nearly every continent—between 40 and 41 countries are expected this year—travel to the Pyrenean shrine for three days of prayer, liturgical celebrations, and fraternity under the gaze of the Virgin of the Massabielle grotto.
Organized by the French Catholic military chaplaincy, the event has become the second most important military occasion in France, surpassed only by the July 14 parade. Its distinctive feature is that service members are exceptionally permitted to wear their uniforms within the sanctuary grounds, something normally prohibited.
An origin rooted in reconciliation
The PMI’s roots lie in the context of post-war Europe. As early as 1945, soldiers from different nations who had fought one another began making pilgrimages to Lourdes to pray for peace. In 1958, French and German chaplains—former enemies—decided to open the pilgrimage to other nations, turning the gathering into a tangible gesture of Christian reconciliation among peoples who had slaughtered one another only a few years earlier.
This founding spirit remains intact. The motto of the upcoming edition, “Sentinel of Peace,” drawn from the Gospel, underscores the vocation of the Christian soldier not merely as a combatant, but as a guardian of harmony among peoples.
Liturgy, sacraments, and fraternity
The program alternates solemn Eucharistic celebrations, Marian torchlight processions, and Eucharistic processions with international military ceremonies. The three days also include dedicated times of prayer for war wounded and their families, as well as spiritual accompaniment that allows many participants to receive the sacraments: baptism, confirmation, reconciliation, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick.
One of the most anticipated moments is the International Festival of Military Music, where military bands from dozens of countries perform their repertoires, creating a festive atmosphere that transcends uniforms and borders.
A decorated chaplain after 32 years of service
In the context of this tradition, the French military Church has announced that Father Jean-Yves Ducourneau, priest of the Mission of Saint Vincent de Paul and military chaplain in Saint-Maixent, will receive the Cross of the Legion of Honor during the July 14 celebrations. After 32 years of accompanying French troops, the “Father”—as the soldiers call him—will leave his active post to join the civilian reserve.
The International Military Pilgrimage of Lourdes remains one of the few spaces where the supernatural dimension of the military vocation—the defense of just peace, sacrifice, and fraternity among former enemies—finds public and liturgical expression in a world that tends to reduce the military sphere to mere geopolitics.