Why do people touch the walls of the grotto 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.



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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.

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Instead, the volunteers of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes are inviting pilgrims to take part in the water gesture by washing their face, hands and forearms with water from the miraculous spring. The gesture can be done alone, but also with family, friends or those close to them.

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Like many pilgrimage sites, a chief lure of Lourdes is what many consider the healing power of its waters. Those waters come from a spring where Bernadette said she encountered the Virgin Mary.

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THE SIGNS. The rock, the light, the water, the crowds, the sicks and the helpers are signs of Lourdes.

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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.

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Ever since, Lourdes water has been supplied to the Sanctuary's taps. It's free of charge and easy to access, and many pilgrims are keen to bring some back home. Its miraculous nature is down to faith. This is not holy water as it's sometimes called: the water from the Spring can only be blessed by a priest.

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However, as of late December 2022, the baths remain closed for actual immersion, but they have developed an alternative plan.

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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.

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A nice day at the lake A lovely day trip to the lake. Great for swimming and other water sports like paddleboarding, canoeing. Nice walk from the centre of Lourdes.

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While I experienced many beautiful blessings on the trip, the biggest ones occurred in Lourdes, a place in France people visit to seek healing because Mary appeared there. Over several months in 1848, Mary appeared a number of times to a 14-year-old peasant girl named Bernadette.

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If you are a Roman Catholic, the religious significance of Lourdes is obvious, but even non-Catholics can enjoy a visit to the Sanctuary, its facilities, and this French town in the foothills of the Pyrénées.

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The “secret of Lourdes is the Eucharist,” the renowned shrine's chief medical officer told OSV News. “The fabulous part of Lourdes is that we are invited, convened (here) by our Blessed Mother, but we end up discovering and possibly making friends with Jesus Christ, who is very present in Lourdes,” said Dr.

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