Our Lady of Lourdes

Biography

Our Lady of Lourdes, also known as Notre-Dame de Lourdes, is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in honor of her apparitions to Saint Bernadette Soubiroux in Lourdes, France. These apparitions took place between February 11th and July 16th of 1858. The memorial commemorates the eighteen occasions when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette in a grotto near the town of Lourdes. Saint Bernadette was a young girl who lived in Lourdes. During the apparitions, only she was able to see Our Lady, while others present could not. The Blessed Virgin Mary first instructed Bernadette to drink from a spring that miraculously appeared in the grotto during the 9th appearance on February 25th. Bernadette followed the instruction and believed that the water had no unique properties but helped the faithful through their faith and prayer. On March 1st, during the 12th appearance, a visitor washed her arm in the water from the spring and experienced an immediate cure of nerve damage. This event solidified the belief in the miraculous power of the waters of Lourdes, leading to a tradition of miraculous cures for the sick who drank or bathed in its waters. During the 13th appearance on March 2nd, Our Lady instructed Bernadette to relay a message to the local priests. She asked them to build a chapel at the grotto and organize processions to it. Although skeptical initially, due to the growing number of pilgrims visiting the area, several churches were built in the following years. On March 25th, during the 16th appearance, the Blessed Virgin Mary identified herself to Bernadette as "the Immaculate Conception," affirming her intimate connection with the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception proclaimed by the Catholic Church in 1854. As word spread about the apparitions, large crowds began gathering at the grotto, and people started making pilgrimages to Lourdes. Concerned about the growing influx of visitors, on June 8th, 1858, the mayor of Lourdes ordered the grotto to be barricaded, with guards preventing public access. Kneeling near the grotto or discussing it was prohibited, and those who violated these rules were fined. However, Bernadette still saw the last appearance of Our Lady from outside the barricade. In October 1858, Emperor Louis Napoleon III ordered the reopening of the grotto to the public, recognizing the spiritual significance and the impact it had on the faithful. Since then, pilgrims from all over the world have continued to flock to Lourdes seeking solace, spiritual healing, and physical cures. Our Lady of Lourdes is honored as the patroness of sick people. Devotion to her has spread beyond France, becoming particularly significant in Tennessee, Lancaster (England, diocese of), Brentwood (England), Il-Qrendi (Malta), Paola (Malta), Petit Goave (Haiti), and San Gwann (Malta). The faithful's devotion and belief in the apparitions and the healing properties of the Lourdes waters have turned Lourdes into one of the most renowned and visited pilgrimage sites in the Christian world. The legacy of Our Lady of Lourdes continues to inspire countless individuals, providing them with hope, comfort, and a profound connection to the divine.