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On 11th February each year, Catholics around the world remember the story of the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous in France in the 1800s.
�After these appearances, the Blessed Virgin Mary was given the name Our Lady of Lourdes.
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day
Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous
She was born in 1844 into a very poor family. They lived in a dilapidated basement and her father worked as a miller. Bernadette was known to suffer from asthma.
Bernadette Soubirous was a young girl who lived in a small town called Lourdes, in southern France.
On February 11th 1858, when Bernadette was 14 years old, she was sent to collect firewood not far from her home.
While she was gathering branches and twigs, Bernadette looked up towards a small cave in the nearby rocks. Here, she saw a vision of a lady.
Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous
The lady was dressed in white and blue and had yellow roses at her feet. She held a set of rosary beads.
�Taken aback and unsure of who or what she had seen, Bernadette left.
Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous
Over the course of the following few months, the lady appeared to Bernadette a number of times.
When she asked the lady who she was, she replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
It was at this point that the young Bernadette realised she was speaking to the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception
Catholics believe that from the moment of her existence, Mary was given the gift of the Holy Spirit and freed from the stain of any sin.
The Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary being born without original sin.
Miracles in Lourdes
Miracles in Lourdes
News of Bernadette’s visions spread throughout the local community. She was met with doubts from her parents and the local clergy, who believed she was imagining things or dreaming.
However, on one of her appearances, the lady asked Bernadette to dig in some nearby dry dirt. When she did this, Bernadette discovered a spring that flowed to create a stream.
This stream caused many people to change their minds and believe in the visions. Many people came to bathe in the stream and there were claims of people being miraculously healed of injuries or illness.
Grotto at Lourdes
Grotto at Lourdes
A shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes was created at the grotto where Bernadette had her visions.
Today, Lourdes continues to be a place visited by pilgrims from all over the world. Many people believe that the water from the spring has healing properties, so bathe in it or drink it when they visit.
“Lourdes Grotto” by Flocci Nivis is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day
After her death, Bernadette Soubirous was made a saint by the Catholic church.
Today on this feast day, Catholics may attend mass or take part in special services dedicated to Mary.
The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes was established in 1890.