Rosary in Grotto Makes a Public Statement of Parishioners’ Faith

Our Lady of Lourdes started Rosary at the Grotto eight years ago, and except for the pandemic year of 2020, parishioners have been gathering in the grotto every Tuesday evening during the summer to pray, sing hymns in praise of the Blessed Mother and listen to Gospel readings — and of course, say the rosary.

Feast Day of Our Lady of Velankanni Renews Hard-Hit Community

The usual peace and quiet of a Sunday afternoon on 217th St., between 92nd and 93rd avenues, in this Queens neighborhood was anything but on Sept. 12. Instead, it was transformed by the colorful and boisterous sights and sounds of a popular Indian Marian devotion: the celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Velankanni, also known as Our Lady of Good Health.

View from the Pew-Our Lady of Lourdes Church

Even before Carmen Cruz set foot in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, she felt a connection to the parish. When Cruz and her husband, William, moved to Queens Village in 1973, they purchased a house across the street from the church.

Marian Devotion in Queens Village

Parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes in Queens Village held a procession to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Velankanni (Our Lady of Good Health), known as “the Lourdes of the East,” a growing Marian devotion in our diocese, on Sept. 8.

Our Lady of Velankanni

Some 700 faithful came to Our Lady of Lourdes parish to celebrate the feast of “The Lourdes of the East” – Our Lady of Velankanni. It was a celebration of the diocese’s growing Indian Catholic community.