Veritas et Lux

Lourdes is a town in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in southern France. In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old girl, experienced a series of apparitions in a grotto called Massabielle. On February 11, 1858, while gathering firewood with her sister and a friend, Bernadette saw a light emitting from the grotto, and then a “beautiful lady” appeared to her. The lady was dressed in white with a blue sash and she was holding a rosary. Over the next several months, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times. Only Bernadette was able to see the apparition, despite others being present.

During the apparitions, the Virgin Mary conveyed messages of prayer, penance, and conversion. She asked Bernadette to pray for sinners and to tell priests to build a chapel at the grotto. Two weeks after the initial apparition, on February 25, the Virgin Mary during the ninth apparition instructed Bernadette to drink and wash in a spring that was not yet visible. Bernadette dug in the ground, and a muddy puddle appeared, which eventually turned into a clear spring. It is believed that the water in the spring has healing powers, and many pilgrims have reported miraculous cures upon visiting the spring.

During the sixteenth apparition on March 25, the Virgin Mary revealed her identity to Bernadette, saying in the local dialect, “Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou” meaning “I am the Immaculate Conception”. Interestingly enough, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had been defined four years prior by Pope Pius IX, thus the Blessed Virgin Mary seemed to be confirming that in this statement.

Mary repeatedly asked Bernadette to pray, especially the Rosary. She told Bernadette to pray for sinners, and she urged penance for the conversion of sinners. Our Lady of Lourdes gives us a spiritual assurance of Mary’s presence among the suffering, and the invitation to improve our prayer lives, to repent, and to seek holiness.

Pope Pius X established the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11, 1907. February 11 is also celebrated as the World Day of the Sick, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1992, and pilgrims around the world visit Lourdes to seek healing and consolation.

After her experience, Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers in 1866, and she sought a life of prayer and service away from the public eye. She passed away at in 1879 at the young age of 35, and reportedly her last words were: “I have seen her again! How beautiful she is!”. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933, and she is the patron saint of shephers, field workers, and the sick.

Note: This is not the actual Our Lady of Lourdes statue at the pilgrimage site. This is another one.