Our Lady of Lourdes, Patroness of the Sick - Pray for us!

02-05-2023Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our Lady’s statue arrived at the parish over 8 years ago. This statue of Our Lady of Lourdes once adorned our church space high above the altar on top of the baldacchino. Our Blessed Mother has been reverenced by thousands of parishioners for several years here at St. Bernadette. Since the parish beautification project included an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on the apse in the sanctuary, it was decided that the statue would be better seen and venerated in the grotto along with a statue of St. Bernadette to represent the apparitions in Lourdes.

To review, Lourdes is a picturesque town in France where the Mother of God appeared to a poor child, Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858. Mary prayed with Bernadette and called her to spread a message of repentance, faith, and most especially, healing. To this day, thousands of men, women, and children flock to Lourdes each year asking for the generous intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

7,000 people have reported healing at the Lourdes Shrine since St. Bernadette’s encounter with Our Lady. That includes 70 healings that have been officially investigated and acknowledged by the Church as miracles. The most recent cure occurred in 2008 when a French nun was healed of a debilitating 28-year spinal condition that left her partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. She did not pray for healing on her trip, but on her way home in a train car, she was completely healed of the infirmity.

These miracles are a sign of the authenticity of the happenings at the grotto that was famously recreated at Notre Dame University and in churches, schools, and monasteries throughout the world. Often, the memorials are visited by those who have received a particular grace or healing through Mary’s intercession. To be able to offer a place where those who are sick and suffering may come to experience God’s healing mercy and love is one of the many reasons for building a grotto right here on our grounds.

This coming Sat, Feb 11, is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pope John Paul II broadened the Feast Day, naming it the “International Day of the Sick.” On this day we acknowledge a twofold mission. The first is obvious, that we are called as Catholics to minister and pray for the sick and suffering, a mission that is realized every day in Catholic hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. And secondly, the Holy Father, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease himself, reminded those who are sick of a special ministry that flows from their suffering. That is, there is redemptive value in suffering. He encouraged the sick to pray and practice magnanimity, offering their pain and suffering to God on behalf of the Church and world.

While there are many who are sick and suffering in our parish family, for whom we must pray, I ask you to pray for a particular group of people on this special feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. As a parish, we also need to support caregivers. These men and women serve the sick day in and day out with little affirmation or encouragement. Sometimes the work is mundane. Other times it is scary, as caregivers are forced to make healthcare decisions that many feel beyond their paygrade, as we say. They deserve our prayers and support.

Lasty, the Order of Malta, a global lay religious order founded in 1048 whose two-fold mission is defense of the Catholic faith and service to the poor and the sick, is organizing the annual World Day of the Sick Mass Sat, Feb 4, at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. The Mass, one of many around the world that day, will also be broadcast live via the ETWN network. All are welcome to attend.

May God bless the sick of our parish and those who care for them!

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V.F.
Pastor