Catholic Fire

April 16 is the feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous, a mystic and visionary at Lourdes, France. St. Bernadette is the patron of: Lourdes, the poor, the sick, and people ridiculed for their piety. Her novena begins today. Novena Prayer Dear Saint Bernadette, Chosen by Almighty God as a channel of His Graces and Blessings, and through your humble obedience to the requests of Our Blessed Mother, Mary, you gained for us the Miraculous waters of Spiritual and physical healing. We implore you to listen to our pleading prayers that we may be healed of our Spiritual and physical imperfections. Place our petitions in the Hands of our Holy Mother, Mary, so that She may place them at the feet of Her beloved Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that He may look on us with mercy and compassion: (Make Petition) Help, O Dear Saint Bernadette to follow your example, so that irrespective of our own pain and suffering we may always be mindful of the needs of others, especially tho...

The feast of Our Lady of  Lourdes, which we celebrate on February 11, has always had a special place in my heart -- not only because of my French family background and living in a small French village (located in the heart of the USA), but because as a child, I related on a personal level to Bernadette. Like her, I was initially a slow learner in school. My health was poor and I was a little behind my peers in the primary grades because I missed so much school and also because I was nearsighted and needed glasses. (However, it didn't take me long to catch up and even excel in my studies after I got my glasses.) Everyday after school, I visited Bernadette and Our Lady at the Lourdes shrine behind our church and prayed there, often imagining what it would be like to have been St. Bernadette. To this very day, I continue to be fascinated by the simple obedience, humility, and holiness of this great saint. February 11 marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 ...

February 10, 2013. (Romereports.com)  More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Monday, on the 155 anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to a young girl named Bernadette.   Organizers at Lourdes have spent the past few weeks preparing for the expected surge in pilgrims, over the course of the next few days. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary first appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette in 1858 inside a Grotto. For a period of several weeks, 18 additional apparitions followed. Some years later the Church recognized the apparitions and the shrine was built. Today, more than six million people visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes each year, making it the third most visited Marian shrine in Catholicism. All the ceremonies will also be broadcast live through TV Lourdes, the sanctuary's internet television channel.

February 10, 2013. (Romereports.com) Italian journalist Vittorio Messori is widely known for tackling current issues within the Catholic Church. Previously, he has published two books about John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger. Now, he is focusing his attention on the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. He believes the authenticity of the message, lies in the credibility of Bernadette's testimony, since she says she saw the apparition directly. It's also the topic of his latest book Bernadette non ci ha ingannati, or Bernadette Does Not Deceive. VITTORIO MESSORI Journalist and Writer “History can show that the apparitions of Lourders are authentic. And when we have a faith crisis, which also happens to me, naturally, when we have doubts, when we have problems, then we can seize that which is true, and that is Lourdes.” Messori says the message of Lourdes can help many people reconcile with their Catholic faith, because her apparitions appear to strengthen the Pope's...