Feb 11, About Today for Monday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Posted by Monica on February 9th, 2013

This is a syndicated post from Divine Office - Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church. [Read the original article...]

February 11

Our Lady of Lourdes

Optional Memorial

Today we remember the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to little Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858. This 14-year-old girl, afraid of following her friends across a shallow river at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, was comforted by the Blessed Virgin Mary from a small, nearby grotto. Initially, few believed her account, but the young girl returned for a total of 18 apparitions from Our Lady. At times, thousands of people gathered around Bernadette to witness these events; where they reported healings and the appearance of a new surging spring where Bernadette had been instructed to drink.

Today, Lourdes is a magnificent Marian shrine where millions pilgrimage each year. **

Written by Sarah Ciotti

**The Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent ed. New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1914.

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