Our Lady of Lourdes
Patron of Healing & Peace, Invoked for New Discoveries
Feast Day: April 16th
Bernadette Soubirous was a young girl who worked in the fields near Lourdes, France corralling animals as a shepherdess. One day she was out gathering sticks and wood to be used to make a fire when Our Lady of Lourdes, the Blessed Mother, appeared to her with a Rosary, and reciting a version of her now well known prayer, “Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, Blessed are Thou among Women and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us Sinners, Now and at the Hour of our Death.” Mother Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times and she helped Bernadette locate a hidden spring of water in Lourdes. Millions have made pilgrimages to the area and many comforts have been received due to the aura of the land and its effervescent springs.
Bernadette is a venerable and popular saint. Some describe her as an “icon.” Her story has been translated into a number of books and a film about her, “The Song of Bernadette” is said to be one of the most beautiful stories ever told. © 2006