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Since 2013, the Knights of Columbus has partnered with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, to sponsor the annual Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage.

Each year, wounded, ill and injured U.S. warriors (as well as non-wounded) are accepted to participate in a five-day retreat in Lourdes culminating with the events of the International Military Pilgrimage. Selected pilgrims spend this time of prayer and reflection taking meaningful steps in their journey toward healing from moral injury and finding inner peace.

During World War II, members of the French military visited the site of St. Bernadette’s apparitions, offering prayers for peace. In December of 1944, U.S. military personnel joined British, Belgian, French, and Russian military representatives for a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. After the War, French soldiers and their chaplains invited German soldiers and their chaplains to gather to pray together. The purpose of this initiative was to heal physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds and to reconcile the past between these former adversaries by recognizing their common identity as Christians in search of peace. The first official PMI was celebrated in 1958—13 years after the war and one-hundred years after the apparitions. Today, the PMI continues to take place for one weekend each May, drawing active-duty members and veterans from over 40 nations.

Lourdes is one of the most popular Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world. It was the location of a series of 19th-century apparitions, during which the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. During the past 100 years, millions of pilgrims have flocked to the site, with the hope of receiving a special healing and a deepening of faith.

In 1882, Blessed Michael McGivney, a young parish priest in New Haven, Connecticut, founded the Knights of Columbus to serve the needs of a largely immigrant Catholic community. What began as a small fraternal benefit society has since grown into the world’s premier lay Catholic 3 men’s organization, with more than 2.1 million members in over 16,800 local councils. As members of one of the world’s leading international charitable organizations, Knights around the world donated approximately 50 million service hours and nearly $185 million for worthy causes in their communities in 2022. The Knights of Columbus also offers a range of life insurance products to members and their families and was named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Insurance Companies 2024 in the permanent life insurance category. Knights of Columbus Insurance currently has more than $123 billion* of life insurance in force. In addition, the organization offers investment services in accord with Catholic social teaching through its wholly owned subsidiary, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, which holds more than $27 billion** in assets under management. Based on the founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity, the Knights of Columbus is committed to strengthening Catholic families and parishes, and to practicing faith in action through service to all in need. To learn more or to join the Knights of Columbus, please visit kofc.org/join.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services was created by Pope John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church's full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the U.S. in 134 countries. The AMS is responsible for the spiritual well-being of more than 1.8 million men, women and children.