A Life Transformed by Service
Stéphane Souillard, a volunteer with the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes since 2002, never imagined that by offering his help to sick and disabled people at the sanctuary, he would find the woman who would become his wife. «Coming to Lourdes changed my life. Here I have the feeling of existing,» declares Souillard, visibly moved. This experience prompted him to make significant personal decisions, including seeking greater meaning in his profession.
A Path of Faith That Began in Adolescence
The former automotive sector engineer, who currently handles the cult denarius in the diocese of Créteil, discovered the Church during his adolescence in his high school’s chaplaincy. One year after participating in his first pilgrimage with the high school chaplaincies of the Paris region (the Frat) and experiencing his first time in Lourdes in 1994, he decided to be baptized at age 17. In August 2001, he returned to the Grotto of Massabielle as a «solitary pilgrim,» invited by his spiritual director who, upon hearing his desire to serve, told him: «Go to Lourdes!»
Commitment to Hospitality
In Lourdes, Souillard met the leaders of the diocese of Tournai, whom he would accompany for two decades. He was deeply impressed upon witnessing the Eucharistic procession «with its wave of blue wheelchairs,» experiencing what he describes as his first «love at first sight» with the Marian city. Since then, he dedicates much of his vacations to the sanctuary. Starting the following season, he began offering his services as a volunteer in the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes, caring for the sick and disabled.
The Deep Meaning of Service
«In Lourdes, I finally had the feeling of being useful, of giving meaning to my life. I would feel like I was wasting my time spending my vacations at the beach. Here there are no barriers between people. We know we all share the same faith,» explains Souillard. Among the most impactful memories of his early years, he highlights the grateful look of an Italian pilgrim in a wheelchair whom he helped touch the Rock of Massabielle, a moment of deep connection he never forgot.
The Encounter That Changed Everything
It was precisely in this context of «universal willingness to serve» that, in 2016, Souillard met «the woman of his life»: a volunteer dedicated to bathing sick pilgrims in the pools. «She came from Shanghai. I would never have met her otherwise,» he confesses. Two years after this providential encounter, they got married, sealing what the volunteer describes with conviction as «my miracle of Lourdes.»
Original source: www.ladepeche.fr (published August 8, 2025)
Photo: william f. santos on Unsplash
