The Diocesan Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cuenca celebrated on Sunday, October 11, one of the central events of its 50th founding anniversary. First, there was a solemn Mass in the cathedral, followed by a torchlight procession through the historic quarter. The Jubilee Event was part of the Hospital Jubilee Year granted by Pope Leo XIV to recognize half a century of pilgrimages, accompaniment of the sick, and devotion to the Virgin of Lourdes.
The day began at 6:00 p.m. in the cathedral of Santa María and San Julián, with a Eucharist presided over by the bishop, Monsignor José María Yanguas. Afterward, the image of the Hospital Virgin set out in procession well into the night. The bishop himself accompanied the image throughout the route.
A journey through the monumental heart of the city
The procession followed the route of ancient religious celebrations in Cuenca. It is the same one taken by Our Lady of Sorrows in the Evening Rosary of the tenth anniversary of the Holy Marys, and it also formed part of the former Holy Saturday route. From the cathedral, the procession crossed Bishop Valero Square and headed toward the Hanging Houses. It then descended to the Huécar promenade, beside the Auditorium, and from the Valencia Gate continued along Las Torres and Aguirre streets to the parish of San Esteban Protomártir, headquarters of the Hospitality.
The passage of the image beneath the Hanging Houses and the San Pablo bridge, with hundreds of candles lit in the darkness, created some of the most striking images of the night. The procession took place in an atmosphere of recollection, closer to that of the processions at the French shrine than to a large-scale celebration.
The candles carried by the faithful came from the shrine of Lourdes itself. They had been blessed during the fiftieth diocesan pilgrimage, held last July. The Hospitality also offered souvenirs brought from Lourdes, such as rosaries and incense, to raise funds to sustain its work.
The Virgin was accompanied by devotees from various towns and regions of the diocese and members of the hospitalities of Murcia, Albacete, Castellón, and Madrid. Also present was Father Mauricio Elías, Spanish-speaking coordinator of the shrine of Lourdes.
Conference and prayer before the relics of Saint Bernadette
The events had begun on Saturday, October 10, at the parish of San Esteban Protomártir. At 6:00 p.m., Father Mauricio Elías gave a conference on the history and spiritual meaning of the shrine of Lourdes. An hour later, a documentary produced for the anniversary was screened, featuring images and testimonies from the first pilgrimages of the Hospitality and its subsequent trajectory.
At 9:00 p.m., an evening of prayer was held before the image of the Virgin of Lourdes. During it, the faithful were able to venerate the relics of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young woman to whom the Virgin appeared in Lourdes in 1858. The program was completed with an exhibition of photographs, souvenirs, and objects linked to the history of the Hospitality, open until Saturday in the parish halls of San Esteban.
Half a century at the service of the sick
The Hospitality was founded in 1976. It was promoted by María García Moya and a group of nurses from the former Virgen de la Luz Hospital, after having made a pilgrimage to the French shrine the previous year. Since then, doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, and volunteers have made it possible for the sick and people with disabilities to travel to Lourdes, accompanying them there both physically and spiritually.
The Hospital Jubilee Year includes four main celebrations: the opening of the jubilee, the 50th pilgrimage to Lourdes in July, the Jubilee Event this Sunday, and the closing, scheduled for February 2027. Throughout 2026, the image of the Hospital Virgin is also touring numerous municipalities of the diocese, religious communities, and ecclesial institutions, to bring the devotion of Lourdes to those who cannot travel to the shrine.
Thus, Sunday’s procession brought together the two dimensions that have defined the Hospitality for fifty years: devotion to the Virgin and service to the sick.
With information from El Digital de Cuenca.