Hundreds of the faithful came to the Shrine Church of St. Bernadette n Dyker Heights for the rare opportunity to venerate first class relics of the beloved saint. The relics from Lourdes, France are on display as part of the Journey of Grace tour of the U.S.
In the Marian shrine of Lourdes, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the sick and the suffering and drank from healing spring water in the grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.
On the eve of his final day in France, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting in Lourdes with seven survivors of sexual abuse.
Prior to Pope Leo XIV’s arrival to Lourdes Sept. 26, the sanctuary covered the mosaics of Father Marko Rupnik, the spokesman of the sanctuary confirmed to OSV News, sharing pictures of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary with mosaics entirely covered.
Pope Leo XIV will make a four-day apostolic journey to France Sept. 25-28, with a program that stretches from the Élysée Palace and UNESCO in Paris to the Marian shrine of Lourdes and a final stop in Metz, and it will include a private meeting with survivors of abuse in the Church.
The Knights of Columbus will provide armed forces members and veterans who were wounded in battle or suffer from serious illnesses an all-expenses paid trip to Lourdes for the Ninth Annual Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage, a week-long faith journey co-sponsored by the Knights and the Archdiocese for the Military Services in Washington D.C.
Half of the Chapels of Light at Our Lady of Lourdes shrine were destroyed by a fire over the night of July 10–11. The fire was quickly brought under control, according to media reports.
The first-ever U.S. tour of St. Bernadette’s relics has been underway since April, including a May 20 stop at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Harlem, Manhattan.
An international virtual pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes, France, will “affirm the power of prayer” against COVID-19, said the shrine’s vice rector. “Lourdes is all about spiritual and physical healing, and we’ve received 15,000 prayer petitions daily throughout the lockdown from around the world – for people about to die or fearing infection,” said Father Xavier d’Arodes de Peyriague, vice rector and head of international pastoral ministry.
As the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus in Europe continued to grow, the French Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes announced that pilgrims were still welcome, but the pools the sick bathe in hoping for healing would be closed temporarily.
