Our Lady of Lourdes
Virgin Mary's apparition to Bernadette revealed God's healing mercy to the world.
Patronage
Sick people, pilgrims, France, people with illness and disabilities
Virtues & Traits
Biography
Our Lady of Lourdes commemorates the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes, France, between February 11 and July 16, 1858. Bernadette, a 14-year-old peasant girl, reported eighteen visions of a beautiful lady who identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. During these apparitions, a spring emerged that would become famous for miraculous healings. The Church officially recognized the apparitions in 1862. Lourdes has since become one of Catholicism's most important pilgrimage sites, attracting millions of visitors annually seeking physical and spiritual healing. The waters from the grotto have been associated with numerous documented cures, though the Church carefully investigates each claim. Our Lady of Lourdes represents God's compassion for the suffering and the power of faith and prayer in addressing human afflictions.