Lourdes

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.  This triggered a 50 year old memory of visiting the Shrine as an 18 year old young man. I can still see the very tacky town in my mind.  I was turned off by the commercial nature of the place.  But I can still sense the peace and serenity that happened once we went into the Shrine itself.

Two things stand out in my memory:  bathing in the water of  Lourdes and the candle light procession   I did not know what to expect in the baths.  It was a very "solemn" experience  You wrap a cloth around your waist and you step into a  bath.  Then an attendant tips you backwards and your whole body

goes under the water.  Now I can see it as a dying and rising experience.

At night there is a huge procession of the sick who are pushed in wheelchairs by volunteers from all over the world.  Others hold candles and sing Ave Ave over and over again.  It was really a moving spiritual experience.

So on February 11 my memories of Lourdes filled my mind and heart with gratitude for this wonderful experience

Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye