The pilgrimage was instituted in 1884 by Father Santiago Florencio Oyarzábal Machado of Venezuela, after he returned from a trip to the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Tony Pereira, a lay member of the current organizing committee, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the origins and importance of this devotion. 

Every February, the El Ávila mountain in Venezuela becomes the backdrop for a unique trail, as hundreds of people accompany the image of Our Lady of Lourdes, carried on the shoulders of the faithful in a procession that begins in Puerta Caracas in the capital district and ends in La Guaira. The 12-mile pilgrimage follows a route called Camino de los Españoles, or Way of the Spaniards, which climbs more than 10 miles, before dropping down to sea level.

There are 14 stations along the route, representing the Way of the Cross, and the destination is the church of Saint Sebastian in Maiquetía, where there is a replica of the grotto where Our Lady of Lourdes appeared. A Mass is then celebrated in her honor.

Tony Pereira’s family is closely connected to the history and origins of this initiative. “My great-grandmother was part of the organization of the first pilgrimage, and for many years, she helped Father Machado with this. My uncle Victor also dedicated many years to clearing the trail, all the way up the mountain, so that the image of Our Little Virgin could pass. And since the age of 10, I would bring him water and food, as he stayed on the mountain for days at a time.”

Tony has been going on this pilgrimage since he was three months old. “There are pictures of me being carried along,” he says, his voice tinged with emotion. “I am encouraged by my love for Mary, with the title of Our Lady of Lourdes, and I thank God for allowing me to accompany Our Heavenly Mother on this pilgrimage every year.”

A tradition kept alive, despite challenges

“It all began when Father Machado visited the Shrine at Lourdes in 1882. The pilgrimage made such an impression on him that when he returned, he built a replica in the grotto of La Guaira, with the help of members of his community,” says Pereira. “I have been on the organizing committee for 38 years, and I can say that my devotion increases all the time. God keeps the flame of faith alive in us and gives us the strength to keep organizing the pilgrimage.” Tony says that the replica of the Lourdes grotto is considered “the first replica of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Americas, which arrived only 25 years after the apparitions in France.”

The image was blessed on February 8, 1884, and devotion at the grotto began to attract pilgrims from all over Venezuela. They would crowd the streets, and some people had to sleep outside.

Since then, this pilgrimage, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary, has taken place almost without interruption, despite a variety of difficulties, including political and social conflict, and natural disasters. It was only cancelled twice, during the disturbances and looting that took place in Caracas in 1935 and 1989.

“In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virgin was driven around in a car equipped with loudspeakers, so that people could come out on their balconies and pray,” says Father José Martín Vegas, the parish priest of San Sebastián. “During my years as parish priest, I have come to feel a sense of belonging to this organizing group, to the point where not even the Vargas disaster could stop it, even though from a merely human and institutional viewpoint, it would have seemed appropriate,” he added, referring to the floods and landslides in Vargas, which killed thousands in 1999.

Devotion renews the Faith in Venezuela

Tony Pereira is moved by the people’s devotion to the Virgin Mary. “Many people have come up to me to speak about the graces of Our Lady of Lourdes,” he says, recalling stories of women who were unable to have children but, after entrusting themselves to Mary, managed to conceive. “Some of them presented their children to me and told me they thought they would never have them. After the pilgrimage, the children were blessed.”

Tony has also felt the help of Our Lady, following several “heavy blows,” including, the death of his parents, the murder of his son, and problems with his own health. “Our Lady of Lourdes has kept me standing all these years. She has always helped me to overcome difficulties.”

The Bishop of La Guaira presides over the yearly celebration. Bishop Raúl Biord, who has been in office since 2013, told ACN, “Walking along the mountain is a reflection on life, because sometimes there are highs, and sometimes there are lows. It is a symbol of what we are as a Church, a people walking along sinuous and dangerous paths. A Christian goes on a pilgrimage with faith, carrying with him his hunger, fatigue, and exhaustion. And then there are treacherous stones along the way, which can cause one to trip and fall. But when that happens, you just have to get up and carry on.”

“We carry the image of Our Lady on our backs, and sometimes life is a struggle we have to bear as well. That is the weight of life, our loved ones, and the poor,” the bishop insists. “But what is beautiful is that we forge friendships along the way, and that too is life. Nobody is alone, as Pope Francis reminded us in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti.”