Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.February 11, 2011

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, who appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.  The shrine in Southern France is of course one of the great Catholic pilgrimage sites.  But because of time or money or illness, you might not be able to journey to Lourdes, even if you are devoted to Our Lady or St. Bernadette.  Fortunately, there is what you might call the "Grottocam," the camera that records all the goings-on (Masses, processions, private prayers, the lighting of candles) at the Grotto of Massabieille, where the Blessed Mother appeared beginning on Feb. 11, 1858.   The webcam is always on, even in the dead of night.  (The photo here highlights the day's events, but it is always on.)  A few months ago, when I was recovering from some minor surgery and couldn't sleep I turned on my smartphone and spent some time "there."  Here's the link.  Happy Feast Day!

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Thomas Piatak
13 years 4 months ago
Thanks for this, Father.
13 years 4 months ago
This is great.  Thank you so much Fr. Martin.

The latest from america

Engagement with Catholic schools can help seminarians enter ministry with a clearer sense of the pastoral needs of their flock.
Charles C. CamosyJuly 02, 2024
“This is a day of gratitude for El Paso, the work of Annunciation House and the resilience of our community’s hospitality workers,” Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso said in a statement.
Vulnerability, defined as the capacity the human being has to be open and responsive to another human being, is a central mark of what makes us human.
Tom Wolfe would have loved to write about a debate between a billionaire former president who is also a convicted felon and an octogenarian sitting president whose public mental lapses are vociferously denied by many of his own confidantes.
James T. KeaneJuly 02, 2024