NeuroDivine

This hymn was written for World Day of the Sick, a day when many pilgrims gather in Lourdes seeking healing, prayer, and hope. While crowds pray at the grotto and walk in candlelight procession, many of us keep the day in quieter places—hospital wards, dialysis units, and our own homes.

For me, it is shaped by the steady rhythm of dialysis three times a week—the hum of machines, the long hours, and the faithful work of simply showing up. I cannot always travel on pilgrimage in the ordinary way, but I have learned that pilgrimage can still happen in the heart.

The sheltering image of Saint Brigid of Kildare and the healing hope associated with Our Lady of Lourdes remind me that holy ground is not limited to distant shrines. Sometimes it is a dialysis chair. Sometimes it is a bedside. Sometimes it is the fragile space between fear and trust.

On this World Day of the Sick, this hymn is offered as a prayer for those who are unwell, for those who care for them, and for all who walk weary paths. And it carries, too, a quiet hope —that in God’s time, the possibility of transplant may open the way to renewed strength—trusting that whatever comes, Christ walks with us still.

Christ, walk our weary paths today,
Where fear and frailty lie;
In hospital room and quiet home,
Be near, be strong, be nigh.

Like Brigid’s cloak spread wide with care,
Your mercy circles round;
A woven knot of endless grace,
A shelter safe and sound.

O Mary, Lady of Lourdes’ spring,
Whose hope flows clear and bright,
Be mothering presence by our side,
A lantern in the night.

For some who long for holy wells
Yet cannot make the way,
Let hearth and bedside be the place
Of pilgrimage today.

On island paths where saints once prayed—
By ash‑tree, well, and stone—
May those who suffer sense the strength
Of never walking lone.

Bless carers keeping faithful watch,
Whose quiet courage shines;
Let hope flow like the Barrow’s course
Through all our tangled lines.

O Christ, whose cross and rising light
Renew the world again,
Hold every soul in endless love—
Our Healer, Lord, and Friend.

Text copyright 2026 Michael McFarland Campbell.