Peace! This past August Sr. Kate and Sr. Alicia were invited to partake in a pilgrimage to France–the main destination was Lourdes! Please enjoy Sr. Kate’s reflections on this incredible opportunity. Be assured that you were in the sisters’ prayers each day of the journey.
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Ave, Ave, Ave Marie! I can still hear these words to part of the hymn sung by thousands during the rosary procession at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
Located in the foothills of the Pyrenes Mountains, the Shrine is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. Upon entering the main gate, one cannot help but stop and admire the entire campus. Within the Shrine there is a hospital for the sick, numerous chapels, a whole building for confessions, a museum, and a wide open green space the size of a few football fields. In the center of this green space is a magnificent statue of Our Lady of Lourdes with eyes fixed in the direction of the immense Basilica that Mary had told St. Bernadette to build for Her Son.
Behind this Basilica, at its base, is the famous Grotto where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette when she was 14 years old and asked her to “drink from the fountain and bathe in it.” A puzzled Bernadette looked around and found no fountain. She began to dig in the loose gravel, wash her face with the dirt and all of a sudden water starting bubbling up. Though the couple hundred people that were there that day laughed at her, she remained attentive to Mary’s promptings and did as she was told. The next day, upon her return to the grotto, there was a pool overflowing with water and dripping down from the rock where Mary had appeared. To this day, water still drips from the rock beneath the statue of Mary and the streams of water have provided healings to many people. Thousands flock to Lourdes each year to bathe in these waters with intentions for physical, emotional, and spiritual healings.
Going to Lourdes was an experience of a lifetime. It was an honor and privilege to be with so many people at this holy site. The emphasis and attention to the sick was humbling to witness. Most importantly – there was a deep sense of unity that I felt while being at Lourdes. All gathered with a deep devotion to Mary, trusting that through her intercession, Jesus would heal their wounds. Many had pulled me aside to ask for prayers for them and their loved ones. Despite the pain in their eyes and hearts, joy radiated from their faces as they looked to Mary for direction and guidance.
At this beautiful place, each day is packed with all things Catholic. Masses are said in all different languages, a daily Eucharistic procession, Adoration of The Blessed Sacrament, Confessions, an opportunity to participate in the baths or simply wash in the water that still flows from the rock, and also time for quiet prayer. Each evening, there is a rosary procession around the shrine that ends at the steps of the Basilica. Each person carries a lit candle as the rosary is recited. This is a tradition that has continued since the days of St. Bernadette. She would pray the rosary and brought a lit candle (at the invitation of Mary) each time she visited the grotto. Mary had also asked St. Bernadette to have the chapel built for her Son with the intention of people coming to it in processional form. It is fitting to have this procession each night. As we meditated on the mysterious of the rosary, words cannot express the overwhelming sense of unity, peace, and joy as our prayers were brought to Jesus through Mary. The words sung in-between each decade of the rosary: Ave, Ave, Ave Marie! are still ringing in my ears to this day!