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Many Catholic shrines are associated with alleged apparitions of the virgin Mary. In the case of Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant girl, told her mother that she had seen a 'lady' in the cave of Massabielle, about a mile from Lourdes, while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar appearances of the lady were reported on seventeen further occasions that year, and many Christians believe the sightings to have been of Mary mother of Jesus.
When a location becomes known for having been visited by the Holy Mother, it becomes a place of pilgrimage and donations to the local church quickly allow for the construction of impressive shrines and for the betterment of the church and its community. Pope Pius IX authorised the local bishop to permit the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes in 1862. Lourdes is now a site for Catholic pilgrimage, receiving over 80,000 pilgrims a year. It renowned for its cures and approximately 7000 people have sought to have cures confirmed as miracles, but only 68 of these have been declared as scientifically inexplicable by both the Lourdes Medical Bureau and the Catholic Church. This number is so small as to suggest that these cases were likely to have been cured or gone into remission anyway.
The truth of the apparitions of Lourdes is not an article of faith for Catholics.
For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/catholicism/visions-of-the-virgin-mary
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Places to see at Lourdes?
The Basilica of Lourdes Lourdes Castle Lourdes Spring
Is Lourdes Hospital named after Our Lady of Lourdes?
Either after our Lady of Lourdes or after the town itself.
Why is Lourdes so important to Christians?
Lourdes is important to Christians because Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette and led her to a spring with healing water. Many people have been healed from the water and many Catholics go on pilgrimage to Lourdes..Catholic AnswerThe most important thing about Lourdes is God's message to us, which He sent via the Blessed Virgin Mary: poverty, prayer, penance, and the Church. The healings are just miracles attesting to the fact that this is a genuine miracle and we are to listen to it. In all the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin she has only appeared to reinforce the message of the Scriptures and Holy Church.
What do Catholics take to Lourdes?
Roman Catholic AnswerI should think that the most important things to take to Lourdes are your faith in God, and your need for Him.
Who is the oldest out of reginae and Lourdes?
Lourdes is the oldest
What is lolo's real name?
Her name is Lourdes rodriguez.
What is the birth name of Lourdes Zuriaga?
Lourdes Zuriaga's birth name is Lourdes Zuriaga Perruca.
What are the three main cities that are most important to catholicism?
Rome, Jerusalem and Lourdes
What is the most famous church in france?
The most famous church in France and one that gets the most annual tourists is called Cathedral de Notre-Dame de Paris. In second place is La Sainte-Chapelle.
What is the capital of Lourdes?
Lourdes is a town, not a country, so it does not have a capital. Lourdes is in France. The capital of France is Paris.
What is the birth name of Lourdes Colon?
Lourdes Colon's birth name is Lourdes Noemi Ortiz Ortiz.
What is the birth name of Lourdes Estores?
Lourdes Estores's birth name is Lourdes Ann Kananimanu Estores.
