From the official Lourdes website (visit it …. it’s fantastic!)
On 11th. February 1858 Bernadette, her sister Toinette and a friend of theirs, Jeanne, went looking for wood on the meadows and led towards “the place where the canal rejoins the River Gave”. They were in front of the Grotto of Massabielle. Toinette and Jeanne crossed the icy water, crying out with the cold; Bernadette hesitated to do this because of her chronic asthma. She heard “a noise like a gust of wind”, but “none of the trees were moving”. “Raising her head, she saw, in a hollow of the rock a small young lady, who looked at her and who smiled at her. This was the first Apparition of the Virgin Mary
More from the official site
On 25th. March 1858, the day of the sixteenth Apparition, Bernadette went to the Grotto, and on the instigation of the Parish Priest, Abbé‚ Peyramale, asked the Lady for her name. Three times Bernadette asked the question. On the fourth request, the Lady responds in dialect “Que soy era Immaculada Conception“. (“I am the Immaculate Conception”). Bernadette does not understand immediately the meaning of these words. The Immaculate Conception is, as the Church teaches, “Mary, conceived without sin, thanks to the merits of the Cross of Christ”. (The definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception 1854) She goes to the Parish Priest to tell him the Lady’s name. He understands that it is the Mother of God who has appeared at the Grotto of Massabielle. Later the Bishop of Tarbes, Monseigneur Laurence, confirms this.
The Immaculate Conception is, as the Church teaches, “Mary, conceived without sin, thanks to the merits of the Cross of Christ”. Thus the Immaculate Conception is also the sign of what all people, recreated by God are called to be.
A prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes by Pope John Paul II
Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,
Blessed by the Most High!
Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,
We join in your song of praise,
to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,
to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom
and the full liberation of humanity.
Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,
Glorious Mother of Christ!
Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,
Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,
and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,
attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience
and to his manifestations in the events of history.
Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,
Mother of the living!
Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,
Be our guide along the paths of the world.
Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,
to stand with you before the innumerable crosses
on which your Son is still crucified.
Hail Mary, woman of faith,
First of the disciples!
Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always
to account for the hope that is in us,
with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.
Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:
in the depths of silence and prayer,
in the joy of fraternal love,
in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.
Holy Mary, Mother of believers,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
pray for us.
Amen.
need miracle healing from cancer
I have full confidence in the intercession of the Blessed Mother and now I place a prayer request for my son George and daughter Priya,who are already matured for marriage,but could not settle life as yet due to various misfortunes in their life.Meanwhile a marriage proposal came recently from the parents of the girl named Neenu Elizabeth Paul for our son George Varghese and discussion between the parents are going on,but no final reply has been received from girl’s parents.We pray that Almighty unite our son George with the foresaid Neenu Elzabeth Paul in matrimony shortly,by overcoming all hurdles on the way.I beg you to pray for the fulfillment of our wish in this case and also for enabling our daughter Priya to get a suitable life partner.I hope that you will place the new prayer request in the next prayer meeting or mass.I need a miracle to fulfill my above wish.Take care.
Baby Varghese
Please have sister, Maria Christy from Kollam, Kerala, South India in your intercessory prayers. She has brain cancer and had been strongly advised to begin chemotherapy soonest. Thank you very much.
I ask for prayers for my daughter who has tumour growing in uterus, she urgently needs operation. Dearest Mother Mary I ask for your intersession to Jesus your Son for a miracle for complete healing. Jesus I place all my trust in You. Have mercy on us sinners. Amen
father, please help me, You knows my pain, You always know what was happened because You see everything a most hidden corner though God knows, I come with a broken heart, I need You. please forgive me and damianus aditya too. Father, You knows how long I have waited a reconcilitation and restore relations for me and him. God if you deign, please God soften and touch damianus aditya christie heart for me. I can’t touch his heart but Lord you can. I always try to be strong, but to be honest I was deeply hurt. may be that God is telling me to let him go, i surrender my life to you . please bless those who hate me, don’t let their hatred on I made them proud. please touched me, treat wounds within me, help me to move as you wish, remove the burden, to delete all trauma, delete all memories of his promise and his parents promise. I’m putting the disappointments, pain and my whole hope in Your hands, please make this miracle happen for me
I feel very lost and unhappy, I am tired of living sometimes. Please help me, I’m hurt inside, i am so tired no matter how hard I pray nothing seems to be working, please pray for Damianus aditya christie and me. I have been waiting for reconciliation and peace for me and him, everyone tells me to forget it and leave it. I cried, it’s not so easily as they say and imagine. i feel so traumatized, I have been struggling with depressed and suffering for the past 3 years. I know I can’t force God or anyone, to follow my will, “not my own will, but Yours” I depend on you and still hope, if God deign, please God soften and touch Damianus aditya christie heart for me. I can’t touch his heart, but Lord you can. Please help me with your prayers, I really need a miracle, thank you