What is the story behind Lourdes?
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 is Lourdes so important to Catholics?
The pilgrimage site of Lourdes is in France, near the Pyrenees mountains. Every year, it is visited by millions of pilgrims , particularly Catholics. They come to Lourdes to see the site of a famous vision experienced by a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous and to be healed by its supposedly miraculous waters.
Can non Catholics go to Lourdes?
Do you have to be Catholic to attend Our Lady of Lourdes? No.
What are the five special signs at Lourdes?
THE SIGNS. The rock, the light, the water, the crowds, the sicks and the helpers are signs 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.
Why do sick people go to Lourdes?
Lourdes is a place of the journey from sickness to health, spiritual as well as physical; a journey from darkness to light; a journey from the suffering of this earth to the peace of heaven.
Do people drink the water from Lourdes?
It is this very water that fills the Baths or Piscines in which pilgrims bathe on pilgrimage. This water is also available at taps throughout the Sanctuary for pilgrims to drink, wash, and bottle at will, above which it reads: “Wash your face and ask God to purify your heart.”
What happens at the baths in Lourdes?
Many miracles have been attributed to bathing in or drinking the water at Lourdes as well as to participating in the Eucharistic Procession and Adoration. Pilgrims may experience healing in body, mind or spirit and leave with a deeper sense of God's presence and love in their lives.
Why do Catholics visit the baths at Lourdes?
The Healing Waters As Catholics, we see water, tied to the sacredness of Baptism, as a sign. Combined with faith, water can heal. Many miracles have been attributed to bathing in or drinking the water at Lourdes as well as to participating in the Eucharistic Procession and Adoration.