The Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes (1858)
The story of Our Lady of Lourdes is among the most cherished Marian apparitions in Catholic tradition, closely linked to the life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the humble peasant girl chosen by God to receive the Blessed Virgin’s message. The events took place in Lourdes, France, in 1858, when the Mother of God appeared to Bernadette a total of eighteen times, bestowing a message of penance, prayer, and the miraculous grace of the Immaculate Conception.
I. The Life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844, into a poor but devout family in Lourdes. Suffering from asthma and delicate health, she was uneducated and could barely read or write, yet she possessed a deep humility and love for God. At the time of the apparitions, she was 14 years old.
Her family lived in extreme poverty, having lost their small mill and being forced to take shelter in an abandoned prison cell. Despite these hardships, Bernadette was known for her simplicity, sincerity, and obedience to God’s will.
II. The First Apparition – February 11, 1858
On February 11, 1858, Bernadette, along with her sister and a friend, went to gather firewood near the grotto of Massabielle, a rocky area by the Gave River. As she prepared to cross a small stream, she suddenly felt a strong wind, though the trees remained still. Looking up, she saw in a small niche of the grotto a beautiful Lady, dressed in white with a blue sash, a rosary in her hands, and golden roses on her feet.
Bernadette instinctively took out her own rosary and began to pray. The Lady smiled at her but did not speak. When the prayer ended, the vision disappeared. This was the first of eighteen apparitions.
III. The Message of Our Lady
Over the course of the apparitions, the Blessed Virgin revealed several key messages to Bernadette:
- Penance and Prayer for Sinners
- “Penance! Penance! Penance!” the Lady urged, calling for prayer and acts of sacrifice for the conversion of sinners.
- The Miraculous Spring
- On February 25, Our Lady instructed Bernadette to dig in the ground, revealing a hidden spring of water. This water, later discovered to have miraculous healing properties, continues to flow to this day and has been the source of numerous miraculous cures.
- The Call for a Chapel
- The Blessed Virgin asked for a church to be built at the site, where people could come in pilgrimage.
- The Revelation of the Immaculate Conception
- On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette asked the Lady her name. The Virgin responded in Bernadette’s native dialect, saying:
“Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou.”
(“I am the Immaculate Conception.”) - This was an astonishing confirmation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which had been officially proclaimed by Pope Pius IX only four years earlier, in 1854.
- On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette asked the Lady her name. The Virgin responded in Bernadette’s native dialect, saying:
IV. The Fruits of Lourdes: Miracles and Devotion
Following these events, devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes spread rapidly. The spring of Lourdes became a site of countless miraculous healings, recognized by medical experts and the Church. To this day, the Sanctuary of Lourdes remains one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world, drawing millions of faithful each year.
The Church, after thorough investigation, approved the apparitions in 1862, and in 1876, Pope Pius IX granted the crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. Saint Bernadette herself later entered the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, where she lived in humility until her holy death in 1879. She was canonized in 1933.
V. Feast and Legacy
- Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes: February 11
- Feast of Saint Bernadette Soubirous: April 16
- Lourdes remains a sanctuary of healing, prayer, and pilgrimage, a testimony to Our Lady’s care for sinners and the sick.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Saint Bernadette, pray for us!