At Lourdes Mary
Prays The Rosary
And Leaves Behind Gifts
Of Peace And Healing

Bernadette was not sure who the lady was but together they began to pray the Rosary. They met a total of 18 times and each time they prayed the Rosary.

During the ninth visit, the beautiful lady told Bernadette to dig in the mud where she was standing. Bernadette did as she was told and a miraculous spring of water began to flow. The waters from the spring cured a crippled boy and a blind man.

To this day, people from all over the world come to Lourdes where the spring still flows seeking cures. Thousands have received these cures.

Bernadette still didn't know that the lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the feast of the Annunciation, which is a much celebrated Catholic feast day that commemorates the first Joyful Mystery, Bernadette asked Mary who she was. Mary replied...

"I am the Immaculate Conception."

This strange answer showed that she was in fact the mother of Jesus. This answer was significant because it confirmed Pope Pius IX's recent pronouncement that Mary was free from original sin from the first moment of her conception within her mother's womb.

Mary's final appearance at Lourdes was on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, another popular holy day.

Mary's purpose for these visits was to tell the world through St. Bernadette Soubirous of the great power of the Rosary. At Lourdes, Mary asked her children to pray the Rosary and to pray especially for sinners.

The story of St. Bernadette Soubirouis is the favorite among many. It is especially good for children to have a devotion to St. Bernadette, for she learned to accept great suffering and did all things for the greater glory of God from childhood throughout her short life.

There are numerous books written on the life of St. Bernadette Soubirous. There is even an excellent Hollywood rendition of the story that is very moving and inspirational, The Song of Bernadette.

The Rosary is a gift God has given through Mary to you.

Use this gift to deepen your love for Him and bring peace and serenity to your life and to the lives of those you love.

Been To Lourdes? Share Your Visit With Our Readers Do you have a great story about Lourdes? Share it! If you have made a pilgrimage to Lourdes, we would love to hear about it. Pictures are especially intriguing. Why did you go? Were you seeking a cure or do you have a devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette? Share with us where you stayed and what you ate. What other sites did you see that you feel our readers would love to see? Did you buy any interesting souvenirs or relics? Enter Your Title Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ] Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph. Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional)[ ? ] Close Help Do you have some pictures or graphics to add? Great! Click the button and find the first one on your computer. Select it and click on the button to choose it. Then click on the link if you want to upload up to 3 more images. Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)   Click here to upload more images (optional) Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)   Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)   Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)   Author Information (optional) To receive credit as the author, enter your information below. Your Name (first or full name) Your Location (e.g., City, State, Country) Submit Your Contribution Check box to agree to these  submission guidelines. I am at least 16 years of age. I understand and accept the privacy policy. I understand that you will display my submission on your website. (You can preview and edit on the next page) Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission. What Other Visitors Have Said About Lourdes Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page... Daughter Healing Not rated yet I went to Lourdes for the second time in July of 2015. I did everything I wanted to accomplish. Went to confession, immersed in the baths, night procession, … Click here to write your own.

Find out what is a rosary and how to use one here...

Return to our History of the Rosary page