At the conclusion of the eight-day pilgrimage visit undertaken by the rector and priests of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the visiting delegation--which consisted of 25 priests working in guiding and accompanying pilgrims at Lourdes, France--attended a solemn Mass celebrated by Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Tla’ Al-Ali, western Amman, with the concelebration of visiting priests and deacon Hayel Almat,  as well as in the presence of a number of parishioners.

After the recitation of verses from the Holy Bible by Deacon Almat in both Arabic and French, Fr. Rif’at Bader delivered his homily by welcoming the visiting priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church which is sometimes referred to as “Monmartre de la Jordanie”, and thanked the Ministry of Tourism and the Jordan Tourism Board for their support for this pilgrimage trip.

Fr. Bader said that the holy waters of Jordan gather and mix today with the waters of Lourdes which Blessed Virgin sanctified through her apparitions to Saint Bernadette. Referring in his address to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes as a spiritual, psychological and physical hospital, he highly valued the daily testimony of the priests in the footsteps of Lord Jesus Christ, the healing physician, and thanked them for their propitious work which includes accompanying the sick and the suffering at Lourdes.

Fr. Bader thanked the rector and the accompanying priests of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes for visiting to the Holy Land of Jordan, and asked them to include Jordan as well as its people in their daily prayers so that Jordan would always remain stable and safe. He also urged them to pray for peace in the Holy Land, so that the blatant aggression can stop immediately and the Holy Land could restore just peace. Fr. Bader added that Jordan expects to welcome more pilgrims from France, and he encouraged the visiting delegation to promote the pilgrimage from France to Holy Jordan.

The parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church concluded his homily by thanking the priests for their concelebration of the blessed Sunday Mass, where the Eucharist that brings people together “is the basis of its own doctrinal formulations” as taught by Saint Thomas Aquinas on his feast day which coincides  Sunday, January 28. He also asked them to pray for the beloved Jordan and its good people.

For his part, the rector and priests of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Fr. Michel Daubanes, thanked Fr. Bader for the invitation he extended to participate in this Sunday Pastoral Mass, highly valued this good opportunity, and asked the gathering faithful to pray for the priests of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. He described his visit, which includes the accompanying delegation to Jordan, as wonderful and rich especially to the Baptism Site from which prayers are lifted up for peace. He expressed his wish that the dove that fluttered over the waters of the Jordan River shortly after Lord Jesus' baptism would flutter in a symbolism of peace throughout the Middle East and the entire world.

Fr. Daubanes concluded his speech with a promise to pray for Jordan and its friendly people, stressing the spiritual twinning between the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in Na’our, Jordan.

Following the Holy Mass, a candlelight tour was held with the participation of the rector and priests of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes who blessed the faithful to the tune of the prayers for Blessed Mary’s intercession which were performed by Fr. Bader and hymn singer Natalie Sam’an in the company of the parish choir. The candlelight session concluded with the hymn of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, 'O Children of Mary', as the faithful greeted their Heavenly Mother with the greeting, 'Peace, peace be upon you, Mary', in both Arabic and French. Then, Father Daubanes gave the final blessing to the faithful seeking the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes to heal the sick.

After the Holy Mass, the attendees gathered in the Karam Imsih pastoral hall, where conversations were exchanged between the faithful attendees and the visiting delegation. Then, Rector of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes Fr. Michel Daubanes presented souvenirs to the parishioners which included icons of the Virgin Mary, images of Our Lady of Lourdes, in addition to the holy water of Lourdes as a token of love, brotherhood, and appreciation for the generous hospitality in the Holy Land of Jordan.