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.



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Since 1858, when a 14-year-old peasant named Bernadette Soubirous proclaimed she had had 18 encounters with the Virgin Mary, Lourdes has become one of the most visited sites by Catholics in the world. Lourdes has a special appeal for the fragile and the weak, including wounded military personnel.

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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.

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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.

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In Lourdes, the Holy Virgin invites all to regard earth as a place of pilgrimage toward our final homeland, which is heaven. In reality, we are all pilgrims, we need Mary to guide us; and in Lourdes, her smile invites us to go forward with great confidence in the awareness that God is good, God is love.

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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.

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Statue of the Virgin Mary in the grotto... 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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Prayer, Penance & Poverty The message of Lourdes is the Good News of the Gospel message of prayer, penance and poverty. After four years of investigations, the Catholic Church proclaimed the apparitions at Lourdes in 1858 as valid and pronounced this site a place worthy of pilgrimage.

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The message of Lourdes is a gospel message. In all of the exchanges between Our Lady and Bernadette at Massabielle, Mary calls humanity to rediscover the Good News that God loves and cares for us. No matter who we are, Christ is there for us.

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Throughout the years, at least 7,000 people have reported experiencing supernatural healings at Lourdes, but a mere 70 of those cures have been recognized by the Catholic Church as miraculous — the latest, which took place in 2008, was declared in 2018.

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The Massabielle Grotto is the very place where the apparitions occurred, and within it is the spring that Bernadette discovered. To the right of the Grotto are the Taps where you can drink Lourdes water. Those who wish to can also go to the Sanctuary Baths and perform the water gesture.

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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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The city is famous for its reportedly miraculous healing water and religious buildings, but visiting Lourdes is more than a religious experience, but is an immersion in history.

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Different Christian views on pilgrimage He believed these were not true forms of worship and distracted from the purpose of worship. In particular, Protestants have often considered worship of figures such as the Virgin Mary a form of idolatry , as it goes against the commandment that only God can be worshipped.

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