Our Lady of Lourdes: apparitions, message and prayer

Our Lady of Lourdes is the title under which the Church honours the Virgin Mary after her eighteen Apparitions to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, from 11 February to 16 July 1858 at the Grotto of Massabielle. There she gave her name as “the Immaculate Conception” and called for prayer, penance and conversion. The Sanctuary today welcomes around 3.6 million pilgrims each year.

This page explains who this Marian figure is, what happened in 1858 apparition by apparition, what the Church teaches, and how to pray to her. It also treats, in a clearly labelled section, the spiritual reading that links the Apparitions to the mysteries of the Rosary. This page is part of our prayer hub for Lourdes. Practical information about the site, opening hours and visits is treated in a separate article on the Sanctuary. Every difficult theological word is explained as we go along.

Who is Our Lady of Lourdes?

Our Lady of Lourdes refers to the Virgin Mary as she showed herself to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, France. She is not another person than Mary, but a title of devotion linked to the place of the Apparitions. The Church has officially recognised these manifestations since 1862.

A Marian title, not another Mary

“Our Lady of Lourdes” is not another person than the Virgin Mary. It is a title of devotion. The Church gives Mary names linked to places where her presence has marked the faith of Christians. So we speak of Our Lady of Fatima, of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or of Our Lady of the Rosary. The CCC § 971 recalls that Marian devotion is intrinsic to Christian worship: it always leads to Christ, of whom Mary is the Mother.

In 1858, in Lourdes, a fourteen-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous saw a “Lady” eighteen times in a grotto by the Gave de Pau. Bernadette described her as clothed in white, with a blue sash and a yellow rose on each foot. The “Lady” held a rosary. After a Church enquiry, these Apparitions were recognised, and the title spread throughout the world. Today, around 3.6 million pilgrims visit the Sanctuary each year (2024 figure from the Sanctuary).

A universal Marian figure

The strength of Lourdes lies in its simplicity. Mary appears there to a poor, uneducated child who does not understand the theological words she reports. The “Lady” brings no new revelation. She restates the Gospel: pray, do penance, be converted. She asks for a chapel, a procession, a spring. She promises happiness not in this world, but in the next.

This poverty of message makes Our Lady of Lourdes a universal Marian figure. She speaks to the sick, to little ones, to sinners — that is, to everyone. She calls for no new devotion or unheard-of practice. She calls for what the Church has always taught, entrusted to the most humble of visionaries.

The site and the separate article

The Sanctuary of Lourdes, the estate built around the Grotto of Massabielle, is treated in detail on our page dedicated to the Sanctuary: basilicas, water rites, opening hours, planning a visit. This present page focuses on the figure of Mary honoured at Lourdes and on the prayer she calls for. It also recounts, apparition by apparition, what happened in 1858 and offers a spiritual meditation on the link between Lourdes and the Rosary.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary

Bernadette Soubirous was born in Lourdes on 7 January 1844 into a family of ruined millers. She saw the Virgin eighteen times in 1858. She entered the Sisters of Charity of Nevers in 1866 and died on 16 April 1879, aged 35. Beatified in 1925 and canonised in 1933 by Pius XI, her feast day is 16 April.

A poor and fragile childhood

Bernadette was the eldest of six children. The Soubirous family had known ruin. In February 1858, she lived in a former prison cell — the “cachot” of the rue des Petits-Fossés. Bernadette had suffered from asthma since childhood. She was small for her fourteen years, could barely read, and knew little of her catechism. She spoke Bigourdan patois, a form of Gascon Occitan. At the school of the Sisters of Nevers, she was among the very last of her class.

This poverty and fragility matter for the theology of Lourdes. Mary did not choose a brilliant child or a soul already accomplished. She chose the most humble, the least equipped, the least educated. Bernadette herself would later say: “The Blessed Virgin used me as a broom. When you no longer need the broom, you put it behind the door.”

The encounter of 11 February 1858

On 11 February, Bernadette went with her sister Toinette and her friend Jeanne Abadie to gather dead wood and bones to sell. They came near the Grotto of Massabielle, by the Gave. Bernadette, held back by her asthma, hesitated to cross the cold canal. She heard a sound like wind, looked up at the Grotto, and saw a “Lady” in the niche. She took out her rosary and prayed. The “Lady” prayed with her, moving the beads of her own rosary.

Thus began an adventure that would last five months and change Bernadette’s life for ever.

Nevers, religious life and holiness

In 1866, Bernadette entered the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, at the convent of Saint-Gildard. She lived there humbly, often unwell. Her superiors did not spare her, precisely to guard her from glorying in the Apparitions. She served in the infirmary, prayed, and suffered in silence. Until her death, she repeated the prayer: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, poor sinner.”

She died on 16 April 1879, aged 35, of tuberculosis. She was beatified on 14 June 1925 and canonised on 8 December 1933 by Pope Pius XI. The Church declared her a saint not for the Apparitions themselves, but for the exemplary character of her faith, humility and fidelity. Her body rests at the convent of Saint-Gildard, in Nevers. Her full life is told in our biography of Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

The 18 Apparitions to Bernadette in 1858

From 11 February to 16 July 1858, Bernadette Soubirous saw the Virgin Mary eighteen times at the Grotto of Massabielle. The “Lady” asked her for prayer, penance and conversion, brought forth a spring, requested a chapel and a procession, and finally revealed her name on 25 March: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Overview

The table below gathers the key moments. The detailed account of each Apparition follows in the subsections. Sources: the official Sanctuary and the authentic documents assembled by Fr René Laurentin (Lourdes: authentic account of the apparitions; Logia of Bernadette, vol. I-III). For the complete analysis apparition by apparition, see the detailed account of the 18 Apparitions.

11 February: the first encounter

On the morning of Thursday 11 February 1858, Bernadette, Toinette and Jeanne Abadie went down to the Grotto of Massabielle to look for wood. Bernadette took off her sabots to cross the canal of the Gave. A breath of wind stopped her. She looked at the Grotto: in the niche, among the brambles of a wild rose bush, a “Lady” clothed in white, with a blue sash and a yellow rose on each foot. The “Lady” smiled at her and made the Sign of the Cross with a rosary. Bernadette prayed. When she finished, the vision disappeared.

14 February: the sign of the cross and holy water

Three days later, drawn by an interior attraction, Bernadette returned with several other young girls. She took some holy water to check whether the “Lady” was not a deceiving spirit. When the vision appeared, Bernadette sprinkled it. The “Lady” smiled and inclined her head. The prayer of the rosary resumed.

18 February: the first words

Two devout women accompanied Bernadette: Antoinette Peyret and Mme Millet. They brought a writing set to ask the “Lady” for her name in writing. The “Lady” replied: “What I have to say to you does not need to be written down.” Then she added the words that Bernadette would keep in her heart: “Will you do me the favour of coming here for fifteen days? I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the other.”

19 February: the blessed candle

Bernadette brought a blessed candle for the first time. This simple gesture opened the Lourdes tradition of candles. Every year, dozens of tonnes of candles burn at the chapels of light.

20 February: the personal prayer

According to the depositions gathered by Fr Laurentin, on that day the “Lady” taught Bernadette a personal prayer that the visionary would never disclose. She would repeat it all her life.

21 February: “Aquéro”

Around a hundred people accompanied Bernadette. Commissioner Jacomet had her brought to his office to make her speak. Bernadette refused to name the “Lady”: she said only Aquéro, “that one” in patois. Dr Dozous, doctor of Lourdes, observed the ecstasy and became one of the first scientific witnesses to speak in favour of the events.

23 February: the secrets

One hundred and fifty people were present. The “Lady” revealed to Bernadette three secrets that concerned only her. Bernadette never disclosed them, despite pressures.

24 February: the threefold call to penance

The “Lady” spoke these grave words, repeated three times: “Penance, penance, penance! You will pray to God for sinners. Go and kiss the ground in penance for sinners.” Bernadette obeyed publicly, kissing the ground in front of the crowd.

25 February: the spring

Three hundred people were there. The “Lady” asked Bernadette to go and drink from the spring. There was no visible spring. Bernadette scraped the ground with her fingers. Muddy water appeared. She drank and washed. The next day, the water cleared. Since then, the spring has flowed without interruption. The Sanctuary estimates its flow at around 350,000 litres per day, given freely to pilgrims at the Lourdes water fountains, near the Grotto of Massabielle.

27 February: the silence

Eight hundred people witnessed a silent apparition. Bernadette drank from the spring, performed her gestures of penance, and prayed.

28 February: the threat of prison

More than a thousand people followed Bernadette. After the ecstasy, she was summoned by Judge Ribes, who threatened her with prison. Bernadette answered fearlessly: “I am ready.”

1 March: the first healing

More than fifteen hundred people were present. A first priest was there. During the night, Catherine Latapie, from Loubajac, went alone to the Grotto. Her right arm had been paralysed for eighteen months. She plunged her arm into the water of the spring. Her hand and arm recovered their movement. The recognition of this fact, on 18 January 1862, would make it the first officially recognised miracle.

2 March: the chapel and the procession

The “Lady” gave Bernadette a message for the Church: “Go and tell the priests to come here in procession and to build a chapel here.” Bernadette went to the presbytery. Father Peyramale, parish priest of Lourdes, required a sign: that the “Lady” reveal her name and make the wild rose bush of the Grotto bloom in mid-winter.

3 March: the smile

Three thousand people were already there by seven in the morning. The “Lady” did not appear. After school, Bernadette returned, drawn by an interior call. The “Lady” appeared. When asked for her name, she answered with a smile. The wild rose bush did not bloom.

4 March: the end of the fortnight

Around 8,000 people were waiting for a striking miracle at the close of the fifteen days announced on 18 February. The apparition was silent. No visible sign was given. The crowd left disconcerted. Bernadette herself did not understand. For twenty days, she did not return to the Grotto.

25 March: the name

The day of the Annunciation. Bernadette felt called to the Grotto. The “Lady” was waiting, the niche already lit. Bernadette asked her name three times. On the fourth, the “Lady” joined her hands on her breast, raised her eyes to heaven, and said in Bigourdan patois: Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou — “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Bernadette, who did not know this term, repeated it like a refrain on the way to the presbytery so as not to forget it. Father Peyramale, who was preparing the theological examination for the liturgical feast of the Immaculate Conception, was profoundly moved. The dogma, he knew, had been defined only four years earlier.

7 April: the miracle of the candle

During the apparition, Bernadette held a lit candle. The flame surrounded her hand without burning it. Dr Dozous, present, observed the fact and checked after the ecstasy: no burn, no redness. This medically observed phenomenon is one of the rare “physical signs” of the Apparitions.

16 July: the last encounter

The Grotto was by then closed by a palisade on the orders of the prefect. Bernadette felt an interior call. She went to the right bank of the Gave, opposite the Grotto, and saw the “Lady” one last time. The Apparition was silent.

Bernadette later confided: “It seemed to me I was before the Grotto, at the same distance as the other times. I only saw the Virgin. Never had I seen her so beautiful.” (Laurentin, Récit). 16 July is also the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: this is a coincidence of date, not a “transformation” of the “Lady”, as one sometimes reads.

”I am the Immaculate Conception”: what this name means

On 25 March 1858, the Virgin said to Bernadette: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This means that Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, in view of the merits of Christ. It is a dogma defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. It must not be confused with the virginal conception of Jesus.

The dogma defined by Pius IX in 1854

Four years before the Apparitions, on 8 December 1854, Pope Pius IX had defined by the bull Ineffabilis Deus that the Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ (CCC § 491). This definition is a dogma, that is, a truth of faith that the Church believes with certainty.

The Immaculate Conception is the fruit of long theological reflection. The Church had meditated on this truth since the Fathers. The feast of Mary’s Conception goes back to the seventh century in the East. Pius IX closed the debate: Mary is, from the first instant of her existence, preserved from any stain of original sin. This privilege belongs to her alone.

That Bernadette, an uneducated young girl, reported this technical term exactly, deeply impressed her contemporaries. She repeated the expression in Occitan on the way to the presbytery without understanding it. Father Peyramale was overwhelmed.

Do not confuse this with the virginal conception of Jesus

A very common confusion must be avoided. The Immaculate Conception concerns Mary: it is her own conception, in the womb of Saint Anne, that is free from original sin. It does not refer to the virginal conception of Jesus: Mary conceiving Jesus by the Holy Spirit, while remaining a virgin (CCC § 484-486). These are two different truths. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats the Immaculate Conception at numbers CCC § 490-493.

Bernadette reported a term she did not understand

The daughter of poor millers, Bernadette could neither read nor write at the time of the Apparitions. She repeated the term as a refrain without grasping its theological weight. The 1858-1862 trial emphasised this innocence, which the Church investigators saw as a sign of truth.

The message of Lourdes: prayer, penance, conversion

The message of Lourdes fits into three simple words: prayer, penance, conversion. The Virgin repeats the Gospel without any new revelation. She invites each person to pray for sinners, to do penance, and to return to God. The water and the request for a chapel express baptism and the life of the Church.

Three words that repeat the Gospel

The message of Lourdes contains no new revelation. It repeats the Gospel with simple words: prayer, penance, conversion. The “Lady” asks Bernadette to pray “for sinners”. She calls each person to change their life.

The CCC § 67 recalls an important rule: private revelations, like those at Lourdes, “do not belong to the deposit of faith”. They do not complete the Revelation closed with the apostles. They can only help us to live it more deeply. Such is the case at Lourdes.

”Pray for sinners”

The insistence of the “Lady” on sinners is striking. It is they, not the just, who are at the heart of the message. Mary does not ask for new devotions. She asks for intercession for those who drift away from God. She places Bernadette, the humblest of children, in the position of intercessor for the world.

Bodily penance

Kissing the ground, walking on the knees, drinking from muddy water: the “Lady” asked Bernadette for material, visible, sometimes humiliating gestures. This bodily penance is not an archaism. It reminds us that conversion engages the whole person, not only the intention. At Lourdes, the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) is today one of the living hearts of the Sanctuary.

The Rosary, heart of the message

At every Apparition, Bernadette prayed the rosary. The “Lady” herself held one. The Rosary is therefore the heart of the message of Lourdes. It is not a prayer added to the Gospel, but an ordered meditation on the twenty mysteries of the life of Christ, in the company of his Mother (CCC § 2678).

Water and chapel: signs of baptism and of the Church

On 25 February, the “Lady” asked: “Go and drink from the spring, and wash yourself in it.” This gesture recalls baptism, in which the faithful is plunged into water and purified. On 2 March, the “Lady” asked for a chapel and a procession. This request gave rise to the Sanctuary and its great evening processions. It expresses that personal faith lives within the visible communion of the Church.

How the Church recognised the Apparitions

After an enquiry begun as early as 1858, the Bishop of Tarbes, Bishop Bertrand-Sévère Laurence, officially recognised the Apparitions by an episcopal decree of 18 January 1862. He declared that the Virgin Mary had “really appeared” to Bernadette Soubirous. The cult of Our Lady of Lourdes then developed, with the Church’s approval.

The episcopal decree of Bishop Laurence, 18 January 1862

The Church never believes on hearsay. From 1858, a commission of enquiry was set up by Bishop Laurence. It examined the facts, questioned the witnesses, and listened to Bernadette several times. It studied the healings. After four years of enquiry, the Bishop published his decree.

The decree concluded: “We judge that the Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, truly appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, on 11 February 1858 and the following days, eighteen times in all, in the Grotto of Massabielle.” The diocese then bought the land around the Grotto, and construction of the sanctuaries began. The recognition has been confirmed by his successors.

The status of the Apparitions in the Church (CCC § 67)

The CCC § 67 clarifies the status of private revelations, like those at Lourdes: they do not complete the public Revelation closed with the apostles. They may help the faithful to live the faith more fully, but they do not oblige it. The Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of 17 May 2024, signed by Cardinal Fernández, provide for six categories of discernment for supernatural phenomena. Lourdes remains one of the best-established cases in the Catholic Church.

Mater Populi fidelis (4 November 2025)

A recent clarification concerns Marian titles. On 4 November 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published the note Mater Populi fidelis, approved by Leo XIV. It sets boundaries around certain titles given to Mary (“Co-Redemptrix”, “Mediatrix of all graces”), recalling that “God alone can give grace” and that Christ is the sole Mediator. This note invites prudence with devotional formulas that present Mary as “universal dispenser of grace”. The title of Our Lady of Lourdes is not concerned: it is a title of place, not a new theological title.

The Apparitions and the Rosary: a spiritual reading

A Catholic devotional tradition from the early twentieth century proposes to read the 18 Apparitions as the symbolic staging of the mysteries of the Rosary. This spiritual reading rests on two sure facts: Bernadette prayed the rosary at every Apparition, and the “Lady” held a rosary. It remains an author’s reading, not a teaching of the Church.

Methodological note — author’s spiritual reading, not Church teaching. The section that follows sets out a devotional reading attributed to an early twentieth-century author. The text has circulated in various editions. Its precise identity is not confirmed by our sources. This reading is not a teaching of the Magisterium. It offers a symbolic meditation grounded in two sure facts: Bernadette prayed the rosary at every Apparition, and the “Lady” carried a rosary. It never replaces the historical account or the teachings of the Church. We clearly distinguish it.

The principle of the reading

The Rosary numbers fifteen traditional mysteries (joyful, sorrowful, glorious), to which Saint John Paul II added five luminous mysteries in 2002 (Rosarium Virginis Mariae). The spiritual reading brings each episode of the 18 Apparitions close to a mystery of the Rosary as it was prayed in 1858, in its traditional state. The result forms a “rosary of the Apparitions” that gives rhythm to the five months of 1858.

The prelude — the three introductory Aves

Before the mysteries, the Rosary begins with three Hail Marys, which traditionally honour three attributes of Mary: power, wisdom, mercy. The spiritual reading associates:

• 11 February — Mary’s power. The “Lady” chose the humblest of children in the most deprived of places. Her power is shown in chosen weakness, in the manner in which God appeared to Moses at the Burning Bush (Ex 3 — ESV-CE): by a sign, in a hidden place, to a fragile instrument.
• 14 February — Mary’s wisdom. The episode where Bernadette sprinkles holy water is read as a scene in which Marian wisdom discerns the true. The “Lady” does not withdraw: she smiles and inclines her head, sign of assent.
• 18 February — Mary’s mercy. The first spoken words are marked by courtesy and gentleness. “Will you do me the favour” expresses, in the spiritual reading, mercy that asks without imposing, promising not immediate happiness but the eternal.

The joyful mysteries (19 February – 24 February)

• 19 February — Annunciation. Bernadette comes to the Grotto for the first time with a blessed candle. The “Lady” welcomes her at the very start of the rosary, as the angel Gabriel presented himself to Mary (Lk 1:26-38 — ESV-CE).
• 20 February — Visitation. On this day, the “Lady” teaches Bernadette a personal prayer. The spiritual reading sees in it an echo of the Magnificat of the Visitation (Lk 1:39-56 — ESV-CE).
• 21 February — Nativity. The ecstasy is marked by a candle wavering in the draught. The spiritual reading sees in it an image of Christ’s birth in poverty, the fragile Child threatened by the world’s shadows.
• 22–23 February — Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. On the 22nd, the “Lady” does not appear: Bernadette obeys an order received. On the 23rd, the “Lady” entrusts three secrets, as Simeon announced to Mary a sword that would pierce her soul.
• 24 February — Finding in the Temple. The “Lady” disappears at moments during the ecstasy. Bernadette searches, weeps, then rediscovers the vision. Joy follows sorrow, as Mary finding Jesus in Jerusalem.

The sorrowful mysteries (25 February – 1 March)

• 25 February — Agony in the Garden. Bernadette scrapes the earth, drinks muddy water. Her face expresses deep sadness. The spiritual reading sees in it an image of Christ’s Agony at Gethsemane: the bitter cup, sweat mingled with earth. The spring gushes forth at that very spot, like the blood and water from Christ’s side.
• 26 February — Scourging. The call to penance, spoken the day before, continues its effect. Bernadette kisses the earth in reparation. The spiritual reading draws this gesture close to the liturgical adorations of Good Friday before the Cross.
• 27 February — Crowning with Thorns. The Apparition is silent. The crowd begins to mock Bernadette. The visionary climbs on her knees towards the niche, in a sign of reparative adoration.
• 28 February — Carrying of the Cross. Bernadette climbs three times on her knees towards the Grotto, kissing the ground. She is summoned by Judge Ribes, who threatens her. She bears the cross of suspicion and persecution.
• 1 March — Crucifixion. According to some estimates, twelve thousand people are present. The gesture of the “rosaries in the air”: the crowd, believing that the “Lady” is about to bless, raises up its rosaries. The spiritual reading sees in this an echo of Ecce homo, where the crowd brandishes its decision. On the same day, at nightfall, Catherine Latapie plunges her paralysed arm into the spring and is healed: the first recognised healing, mystical blood and saving water.

The glorious mysteries (2 March – 7 April)

• 2 March — Resurrection. The “Lady” asks for the chapel and the procession. She sends Bernadette “to tell the priests”, as the holy women were sent to the apostles on Easter morning. A temple must be built where Christ rises in the life of his Church.
• 3 March — Ascension. Bernadette waits in vain in the morning. The “Lady” has withdrawn. She returns at nine o’clock, like Christ who “rises and returns” in the promise of the Spirit.
• 4 March — Pentecost. End of the fortnight. The crowd awaits a miracle that visibly does not come. But on that day, Bernadette prays the three entire rosaries, like a descent of the Spirit that unites the whole life of Christ in Mary.
• 25 March — Assumption. The name: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” A gesture of rising towards heaven, hands joined, gaze raised. The spiritual reading draws this gesture close to the Assumption: Mary wholly turned towards heaven, having overcome death through the privilege of her conception without sin.
• 7 April — Crowning of Mary in Heaven. The miracle of the candle: the flame surrounds Bernadette’s hand without burning it. The spiritual reading sees in it an image of Mary’s Crowning, whose hands transmit to men the light of Christ without ever being consumed by it.

16 July — the epilogue of Mount Carmel

The last Apparition falls on the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This is a simple coincidence of date, not a transformation. But the spiritual reading sees in it an echo of Elijah’s vision on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18 — ESV-CE), where the prophet awaits and sees a small cloud rise from the sea, which will become rain. The “Lady” appears one last time, more beautiful than ever, like the mystical cloud that promises fruitfulness.

How to receive this reading

This spiritual reading is beautiful and fruitful for prayer. It sheds light on why the Rosary is so closely associated with Lourdes. It replaces neither the historical account nor doctrine. It is one way of praying with Bernadette, not the way. The faithful is free to receive it as a path of meditation. The Church has never adopted it as magisterial teaching, and the note Mater Populi fidelis of 4 November 2025 in fact invites prudence regarding overly emphatic Marian formulas.

Praying to Our Lady of Lourdes

People pray to Our Lady of Lourdes mainly through the Rosary, through the novena of 3-11 February, and through a simple invocation: “Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.” The Sanctuary broadcasts a daily rosary from the Grotto. The prayer of Lourdes is above all a prayer of trust and conversion.

The Rosary, the first prayer of Lourdes

The heart of prayer at Lourdes is the Rosary, which Bernadette prayed at every Apparition. The CCC § 2678 recalls that Marian prayer, in the Catholic tradition, always leads to prayer to Christ, without replacing it. You may pray the Rosary alone, with your family, or with the daily broadcast from the Sanctuary, through its “Pray with Lourdes” app. Discover how to pray the Rosary with Bernadette in a dedicated article.

The novena of 3 to 11 February

A novena is a prayer spread over nine consecutive days. The novena to Our Lady of Lourdes is traditionally celebrated from 3 to 11 February, in preparation for the feast. It combines the prayer of the Rosary, intentions for the sick, and meditation on the Apparitions. Each day, the faithful may choose an Apparition to meditate on: on 3 February, the first encounter; on the 4th, the holy water; and so on until the 11th, day of the feast. See our guide to the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes.

Invocations and official prayer

Many of the faithful use the simple invocation: “Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.” One may also meditate on the words Bernadette repeated until her death: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, poor sinner.” The Sanctuary offers official prayers for the novena and for the daily rosary. They are available on lourdes-france.org and in the official Sanctuary app.

The rosary for the sick and the Mass

At Lourdes itself, every day from the Grotto, the rosary is prayed for the sick of the whole world. The Sunday international Mass gathers pilgrims of every language. The torchlight Marian procession, in the evening, extends the rosary into songs and shared prayer. These three rhythms — daily rosary, Eucharist, evening procession — structure the prayer life of the Sanctuary.

Sharing an intention

You may share a prayer intention for a sick person or a loved one through our prayer wall. The editorial team carries these intentions in union with the Sanctuary.

Healings and miracles: what the Church says

The Church has to this day recognised 72 healings as miraculous at Lourdes, out of roughly 7,300 files examined since 1858. Each case follows a strict procedure: Lourdes Medical Bureau, International Medical Committee, decision of the bishop of the diocese. Lourdes promises no healing, and the water of the spring is ordinary water.

A rigorous medical and canonical procedure

The procedure is highly structured. It unfolds in three stages:

1. The person presents to the Lourdes Medical Bureau, at Lourdes, where the file is examined.
2. The file is then studied by the International Medical Committee of Lourdes, which judges whether the healing is complete, lasting and “unexplained in the current state of medical knowledge”.
3. Finally, the bishop of the diocese of the healed person decides, as the final authority, whether or not to recognise the miraculous character of the healing.

This journey often takes around ten years. Dr Alessandro de Franciscis has been president of the Bureau since 10 February 2009.

The recognised healings to date

According to the Sanctuary, 72 healings have been recognised as miraculous out of roughly 7,300 files examined since 1858. The two most recent:

• 70th miracle: Sister Bernadette Moriau, recognised in 2018.
• 72nd miracle: Antonietta Raco, proclaimed on 16 April 2025.

The first recognised healing, that of Catherine Latapie from Loubajac (1 March 1858), was proclaimed at the same time as the recognition of the Apparitions, on 18 January 1862.

Discover the full procedure and the story of the 72 recognised healings in a dedicated article.

YMYL: what Lourdes does not promise

A point of prudence is essential. Coming to Lourdes or drinking the water of the spring does not guarantee any healing. The water of the spring is ordinary water, drinkable, with no proven therapeutic property. Its value is spiritual and sacramental, not medical.

Dr Patrick Theillier, former permanent doctor of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, emphasises in Lourdes, a land of healings that spiritual healing is more frequent and deeper than physical healing. He also recalls that the Bureau’s mission is not to demonstrate a miracle, but only to note whether a healing is complete, lasting and unexplained in the current state of medical knowledge. The canonical recognition of the miracle then belongs to the bishop of the diocese alone.

Celebrating Our Lady of Lourdes on 11 February

The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on 11 February, the day of the first Apparition in 1858. Inscribed in the calendar of the universal Church by Pope Saint Pius X in 1907, it is an “optional memorial”. Since 1993, 11 February has also been the World Day of the Sick instituted by John Paul II.

11 February, universal liturgical memorial

First granted to the diocese of Tarbes in 1890, the feast was extended to the whole Church by Pope Saint Pius X in 1907, on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the Apparitions. It has the status of “optional memorial” in the general Roman calendar. At Lourdes, it takes on a particular scale: Masses, procession, international rosary, vigil.

World Day of the Sick (since 1993)

On 13 May 1992, John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick. It was celebrated for the first time on 11 February 1993. The choice of this date, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, underlines the deep link between Lourdes and the care of the sick. Each year, at Lourdes and in every diocese, this day gathers the sick, their families and carers for prayer and the sacraments. A papal message is published for the occasion.

The Popes and Lourdes

Several Popes have marked Lourdes: Pius XII (encyclical of 1957 for the centenary), John Paul II (in 1983 and 2004, his last foreign journey), Benedict XVI (2008, for the 150th anniversary). Leo XIV, elected in May 2025, is to preside over celebrations at Lourdes on 26 and 27 September 2026.

Pius XII marked Lourdes with the encyclical Le Pèlerinage de Lourdes (2 July 1957), for the centenary of the Apparitions. John Paul II came to Lourdes in 1983 and then in 2004 — this last was his final apostolic journey abroad. He celebrated the World Day of the Sick there with particular emotion, himself deeply affected by illness. Benedict XVI went there in September 2008 for the 150th anniversary of the Apparitions; he meditated at length at the Grotto.

Leo XIV (elected on 8 May 2025) has a personal link with Lourdes. According to the Sanctuary, he is to preside over celebrations at Lourdes on 26 and 27 September 2026; registrations have been closed. A forthcoming event: details to be verified on the official website.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and references

Magisterium

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, editio typica 1997 — CCC § 67, § 484-486, § 490-493, § 963-975, § 966, § 971, § 2678
• Pius IX, bull Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854
• Pius XII, encyclical Le Pèlerinage de Lourdes, 2 July 1957
• John Paul II, apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 16 October 2002
• Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Norms for Discerning Presumed Supernatural Phenomena, 17 May 2024
• Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Mater Populi fidelis, 4 November 2025

Bible (ESV-CE Lectionary, official English liturgical translation)

• Ex 3 (Burning Bush)
• 1 Kgs 18 (Elijah on Mount Carmel)
• Lk 1:26-38 (Annunciation)
• Lk 1:39-56 (Visitation, Magnificat)

Official Sanctuary

• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes — lourdes-france.org

Bernadettine corpus

• Laurentin R., Lourdes: authentic account of the apparitions
• Laurentin R., Logia of Bernadette, vol. I-III
• Laurentin R., Life of Bernadette
• Theillier P., Lourdes, a land of healings

Methodological note on the section “Apparitions and the Rosary”

• Spiritual reading attributed to an early twentieth-century devotional author whose precise identity is not confirmed. No passage is reproduced verbatim. Speculative claims from the devotional sources (sacrificial stone, diabolical interventions, the formula “universal dispenser of grace” — contrary to Mater Populi fidelis) have been excluded. The parallel is presented as meditation, never as historical fact or Church teaching.