Izegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Thursday, more than 900 people from the KSA Noordzeegouw organization have embarked on a nine-day camp in Lourdes, southern France, from the area of Izegem known as Bosmolens. They set off at around 5 p.m. in 14 buses from the Heilige-Familiekerk. The participants are going to Lourdes for the KSA Noordzeegouw camp from August 20 to 28.
Why are more than 900 KSA members travelling to Lourdes?
The KSA Noordzeegouw is the provincial organisation for the 63 KSA groups in West Flanders. One of the biggest meetings for the organisation is the Lourdes camp, which involves members from various towns and places engaging in outdoor activities, religious activities and community service. Most of those involved in the meeting will be KSA members aged between 14 and 25 years, consisting of Jonghernieuwers and senior youth members and leaders.
This camp will offer a combination of friendship, adventure and reflection in what is regarded as one of the most popular pilgrimages in Europe. According to the KSA Noordzeegouw gouwleider Bert Cappon, the number of participants for the current camp is of great significance because it had been many years since so many members of the organisation went to Lourdes at once.
“It is already since before the year 2000 that we have left with so many young people,”
Cappon said.
The event is also intended to strengthen links between the 63 affiliated KSA groups. By spending more than a week together, members from across West Flanders can build friendships and develop a shared identity within the wider organisation.
What will the Lourdes camp programme include?
Camp activities shall be held at Village des Jeunes, whereby participants shall stay in a big tent camp. Programmes are designed by the association, which consists of sporting activities and outdoor programmes together with praying, worshipping and meditations. Participants shall take part in hiking, games, sports competitions and mountain trips in the Pyrenees.
The following outdoor programs shall be organized for the participants: hiking to Pic du Pibeste and Pic du Béout, going on trip to a big waterfall, hiking to Lac de Lourdes and a mountain trip to the Cirque de Gavarnie. Some participants can take part in adventurous activities like rafting, mountain biking and rope courses. Religious programs will include visits to the grotto at Lourdes, taking part in the procession with candles and celebrating together.
KSA members will keep guard of the flag at the grotto during the camping period. It should be noted that the camp is not only about entertainment or ceremonies of religious nature. Participants shall help disabled people in Lourdes to travel around the town and go to the grotto.
How long has the KSA Lourdes tradition existed?
This Lourdes camp is part of a long-standing tradition. KSA Noordzeegouw has visited the place since 1929, with additional visits in 1937, 1948, 1953 and 1959. The tradition of the four-yearly Lourdes camp started in 1964. This means that the 2026 visit will be at least six decades of organized KSA camps in Lourdes and almost a century of interaction between the West Flemish youth organization and this French pilgrimage city. KSA calls the Lourdes camp a unique event where the organization’s members can come together in an international camping trip. It also claims that it is Belgium’s biggest foreign youth camp organizationally.
What happened to earlier Lourdes camps?
The last edition, which took place in 2022, gathered approximately 800 members of KSA who visited Lourdes. As it was stated before, the camp was supposed to happen in an earlier period of time; however, due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the organisation’s four-yearly program, the camp was moved to August 20 to 28 under the title “Diepgeworteld,” which means “Deeply rooted.” The participants were involved in mountain hikes, sporting and recreational activities, cultural programs, orienteering, excursion to the Cirque de Gavarnie.
There was also a grotto service, the celebration of reconciliation, the procession with candles and the closing ceremony of the camp in the Cathédrale de Verdure. The camp in Lourdes in 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. As was planned before, there would be more than 600 participants; however, it was considered not safe to bring such a large number of people on pilgrimage abroad due to health reasons. KSA Noordzeegouw mentioned that one of the reasons to cancel the camp was the presence of vulnerable people in Lourdes. Thus, organisers emphasised that public health should go first and gave enough time to organise alternative activities in Belgium for local groups.
