Welcome to the Catholic Association Nurses information page! With the doctors and the other helpers (Handmaids and Brandcardiers) the Nurses work as volunteers for a week of pilgrimage in Lourdes.
The Catholic Association Pilgrimage is usually during the last week in August of each year and welcomes people from all over - but especially from the diocese of Clifton, East Anglia, Northampton, Portsmouth, Southwark and Stonyhurst College. We are represented on various other pilgrimage bodies, such as the British Lourdes Nurses Association.
As a nurse on our pilgrimage, you will be expected to have current registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council and be prepared to have clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau. In addition to trained nurses, we also welcome student nurses, recently retired nurses and healthcare assistants who work under supervision. You should have your own indemnity insurance for working in France in addition to that of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage. Some professional organisations, such as the Royal College of Nursing, include this as part of your membership. You will also need an E111 form and a current passport, and if yours is not a British or European one, you may need a visa. Our travel agent, Tangney Tours will be able to give you advice on this and many other details of our pilgrimage, or you can apply through your diocese and they will be able to advise you.
We warmly welcome you to work with us, in a voluntary capacity, though through fundraising it may be possible to help you with your expenses. Some nurses stay in hotel accommodation for the week and some stay in hostel type accommodation at the Ave Maria.
Our uniform is a white dress with a personalised CA armband, or a white polo top discreetly emblazoned with our logo, which is worn with your own white or navy trousers. Although we have several of the polo tops, we do not have a large stock of dresses so it is preferable to bring your own.
If you wish to join us please contact our pilgrimage's Chief Nurse via email at chief_nurse@catholicassociation.co.uk or letters may be forwarded through Tangney Tours or the Pilgrimage Directors, preferably with as much notice as possible prior to our pilgrimage for administration reasons! On receipt of your request we will be able to give you further details of our pilgrimage and what tasks and responsibilities you can expect to be given.
Some of our nurses volunteer to supervise those who are registered as 'sick pilgrims' but who stay in one of the various hotels with their nominated carer, instead of on our 'ward' in the Accueil Notre Dame. These nurses have usually had a few years experience in Lourdes and consequently have excellent knowledge of the local area.
A typical nurse who volunteers with us can expect to be on duty from when they meet the other pilgrims (including other nurses) at her nearest relevant airport (e.g. Stansted), until the majority of the sick pilgrims have left for their hotels or are settled on the ward. During the week they will possibly work alternate 'lates' and 'earlies,' but may have one or two night shifts. As the nurse, you will be expected to ensure safe practice is maintained and good care given throughout. There will always be an experienced nurse in charge with a doctor and chaplain on duty.
Please note that the 'early' shift meet on the ward for a 'handover' from the night shift and a short prayer (with a cup of tea!) before supervising a room or two of 'sick' pilgrims who may need help from the nurse and the other helpers in getting up, washed and dressed before having medication and heading off for breakfast. The rooms are a mix of one, two and six-bedded ones, each with toilets and showers. There is also a bathroom available for them.
You are likely to then have free time (during which you may wish to go for coffee, catch up on sleep, or accompany the group to Mass) until just before lunch, when many of the 'sick' pilgrims need help with medication etc. again and any records need updating prior to 'handover' as the 'late' staff arrive... which may then leave you free until lunchtime the next day!
The 'late' shift nurses continue any cares such as medication, wound dressings, documentation, with a break in the afternoon accompanying the pilgrims to the Blessed Sacrament procession, a service, an excursion or a shopping trip! The pilgrims usually all return for their evening meal and medication, then many of them join the Torchlight Rosary Procession. Because this finishes relatively late, a twilight shift of nurses will help you to supervise settling as many of the sick pilgrims as possible before you hand over to the night staff.
The night shift seems to go fairly quickly in Lourdes: apart from keeping a watchful eye over everyone throughout the night, once the morning staff arrive you hand over and go - no ward round of pills or observations of TPR & BP to do first!
Be prepared for the week to absolutely fly by, for lots of special moments to treasure in your heart and to be absolutely exhausted by the time you get home!
A word of warning: most of our nurses and other helpers can't help feeling that they need to come back again... and they often bring other family members with them too!