On a Pilgrimage to Lourdes, Fr. Benedict Croell, OP captured this intimate look at the nightly candlelight procession.

Pilgrims who visit Lourdes have the opportunity to pray and meditate at this site of Our Lady’s apparitions. Our Lady first appeared to Bernadette in 1858, and announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception”, near the Grotto of Massabielle. During the first two apparitions, little Bernadette prayed the Rosary with Our Lady and left without any exchange of words. During the following apparitions, Our Lady emphasized God’s love for us, penance, and the necessity of performing acts of penance for sinners.

Pilgrims attend Mass at the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette; are invited to watch a video presentation that explains, in detail, the story of Lourdes; drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed many and can even submerge into the healing baths. A life-size Stations of the Cross that overlook the Grotto of Massabielle offer Pilgrims to experience Christ’s unconditional love. Visitors are also welcomed to walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette making visits to see Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived.