What happened 150 years ago in Lourdes?
What happened 150 years ago in Lourdes? It was in 1858, more than 150 years ago, that the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to the young Bernadette Soubirous. The 14-year-old girl lived with her family in difficult conditions until the day the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the grotto at Lourdes.
Do people still go to Lourdes for healing?
Miraculous cures have been associated with Lourdes ever since. Lourdes today is far different from the isolated mountain hamlet of 1858. During the main pilgrimage season that runs from Easter through the end of October, an average of 25,000 pilgrims gather here each day in the shrine located in the center of Lourdes.
Why do people touch the rock in Lourdes?
Spiritually, in the Bible, the Rock symbolises trust in God, the stone on which the Church is built, the solid word on which we lean. Although the current health crisis does currently allow us to touch the Rock, you can make this gesture in your heart at the feet of the Virgin Mary.
What are some fun facts about Lourdes?
Lourdes facts Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage. 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860. 6 million pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, three times a many as in Mecca. The Catholic Church has officially recognised 67 miraculous healings, stringently examined for authenticity.
What happened at the grotto in Lourdes?
Thursday, February 11th 1858 was the day Our Lady revealed herself to Bernadette in the grotto at Massabielle (Old Rock) by the river Gave just outside Lourdes. The grotto itself was not a particularly savoury place, full of river-swept debris and where pigs had been kept.
Why do people touch the walls at Lourdes?
The Grotto of Massabielle is a must for all visitors to the Shrine of Lourdes, whether they are ordinary visitors or believers. The visit to the Grotto is silent, most people touch the wall of the Grotto with their fingers in respect or to make a wish or a prayer. Processions are organised too for infirm pilgrims.
Who was the first person healed at Lourdes?
The first documented miracle at Lourdes occurred in 1858 when Catherine Latapie felt a sudden urge to travel to Lourdes in search of healing. Two years prior, she had fallen from a tree and severely injured her right hand. The accident left two of her fingers entirely paralyzed.
What is the story behind Lourdes?
Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary recalling her apparitions in 1858 in the grotto at Lourdes, France to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl. Our Lady instructed Bernadette to dig in the ground nearby, from which came a spring with healing properties, active to this day.
Why do people touch the rock at Lourdes?
Spiritually, in the Bible, the Rock symbolises trust in God, the stone on which the Church is built, the solid word on which we lean. Although the current health crisis does currently allow us to touch the Rock, you can make this gesture in your heart at the feet of the Virgin Mary.