Cardinal Jozef De Kesel will celebrate the high mass at 10 a.m. and will be present in the procession in the afternoon.

After the procession, a short final happening takes place in the Bruggestraat, near St-John’s church. This happens in open air.

Following groups take part:

• the trumpet players of the Miracle group

• the guest group

• the separate participants with the flags of various associations

• the group with authorities

• the choir of joy

The triumph cart with the Statue of Mary is set in the Bruggestraat.

About the first centenaries there’s little known. We only know that the Baroque altar refers to the 200th anniversary of the miracle.
In the archives we find data about other centenaries. So we can find, several processions took place in the same year. In 1954, on the occasion of the 475th birthday of the miracle, the procession also went two times that year. The procession was partially renovated and expanded. It consisted of three parts: – the life of Mary – the piety to Mary – and Our Lady of St John. At the 5th centenary, on July 1 1979, the procession was completely renewed and 1400 people toke part of it. It contained three parts: – Mary, mother of Christ and the Church – historical evocation – homage of Our Lady of St John, with the apotheosis: the Triumph-car

On May 16th 1909, the statue of Our Lady of St John was crowned by Mgr. Waffelaert, bishop of Bruges. There was a special mass at the Grand Place of Poperinge. This mass was graced by a chor of 600 executors. The coronation of Our Lady is represented by a sun-glass after the altar of Our Lady, and also above the entrence of the church in a sculpture.

After the miracle in 1479, the devotion to Our Lady took a high flight. Only a year later the first procession took place, but the common people already did the procession in small groups. The clerics claimed a July-octave from Saturday to the following Saturday: this became the fair of Poperinge. On that secund Saturday evening, there was a procession around the church. The church stayed open during the whole night: thense the name: Donkere ommegang (Dark procession).

In 1806, by prohibition of the bishop of Ypres, the church remained no longer open that night and the procession moved in the afternoon. It became a prayer-meeting. Since, the procession always starts at 4 p.m. at St John’s with the statue that is carried by some men.

Pamel, comes from the Latin ‘ Pabulum’ which means ‘ meadow’

Originally around the church there was only pasture and arable land. On the last day of the octave (secund monday) there’s a mass at 6.30 a.m. at St John’s. After, the faitful people collects to do the procession.(last procession of the year)

Earlier the procession was only in the vicinity of the chruch (Pamel), but nowadays it follows the official route. The statue was formerly carried by young women but since 2004 it must be transported on a cart.