Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the most beloved titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, honoring the apparitions that took place in 1858 in the quiet mountain town of Lourdes. Through this title, the Church recalls a series of encounters between the Virgin Mary and a poor, humble fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous - encounters that would transform Lourdes into one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world.

On February 11, 1858, Bernadette had gone with her sister and a friend to gather firewood near the Grotto of Massabielle. As she paused by a small stream, she heard a sound like a rushing wind. Looking toward the rocky niche of the grotto, she saw a young Lady clothed in white, wearing a blue sash and roses upon her feet, with a rosary hanging from her arm. A soft but brilliant light surrounded her. Bernadette later said the Lady smiled gently and invited her to pray the Rosary. Though frightened at first, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

Over the following weeks, Bernadette returned to the grotto and experienced seventeen more apparitions. The Lady spoke to her about prayer, penance, and the conversion of sinners. She asked that a chapel be built at the site and that people come there in procession. During one apparition, she instructed Bernadette to dig in the ground. From the muddy soil emerged a small spring that continues to flow to this day. Many pilgrims have since drunk from or bathed in the water, and numerous healings have been reported. While the Church does not claim that the water itself possesses magical properties, it has carefully investigated cases of cures associated with Lourdes. A small number have been declared medically inexplicable after rigorous examination.

On March 25, 1858, the Lady revealed her identity in the local dialect, saying, "I am the Immaculate Conception." This declaration deeply impressed Church authorities, as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had been formally defined only four years earlier. After careful investigation, the local bishop officially recognized the apparitions as worthy of belief in 1862, affirming that the Virgin Mary had indeed appeared to Bernadette.

Devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes spread rapidly. A statue based on Bernadette's description was placed in the grotto in 1864, and a great sanctuary gradually rose above the site. Today, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes encompasses multiple basilicas, chapels, fountains, and facilities for the sick and disabled. Each year, millions of pilgrims travel there seeking physical healing, spiritual renewal, and a deeper encounter with Christ.

The Church has consistently honored Lourdes. Pope Pius IX granted official recognition and approved a canonical coronation of the image in 1876. Later popes, including Pope Pius XI - who canonized Bernadette in 1933 - have reaffirmed the importance of the shrine. Pope John Paul II established the World Day of the Sick in 1992 in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, linking the shrine forever with prayer for the suffering.

The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is simple yet profound: prayer, penance, humility, and trust in God's mercy. In appearing to a poor and uneducated girl, Mary once again demonstrated Heaven's preference for the lowly. Through Lourdes, she calls the faithful to conversion of heart and reminds the world that grace flows abundantly for those who seek it with faith.

Her feast day is celebrated on February 11, a day when the Church prays especially for the sick and all who suffer, entrusting them to the loving care of Our Lady of Lourdes.