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http://www.lourdes2008.com
The Story of Lourdes
On
February 11, 1858, in Lourdes,
France,
a 14-year-old French peasant girl named Bernadette was collecting wood with
her sister and friend. Near the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw an
apparition of a woman dressed in white, with a white rosary. She prayed the
rosary with the woman, who vanished when they finished. Three days later,
Bernadette saw the lady again, and then 16 more times over the next five
months. On one visit, the woman in white told Bernadette to drink from a
stream, even though none was visible. Bernadette scratched at the ground and
found water to drink. That stream flows today; its water is credited with
having healing powers.
On her sixteenth visit,
the woman identified herself to Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception.
At the time, young Bernadette did not know that only four years earlier, Pope
Pius IX had declared belief in Mary as the Immaculate Conception to be a
doctrine of the Catholic faith.
In 1862, the apparitions
at Lourdes
were recognized by the Church as authentic. In 1933, Bernadette was named a
saint. Today, six million people visit Lourdes
each year on pilgrimage, many seeking healing or acceptance of their
sufferings, in union with those of Christ Crucified.
What is an
Indulgence?
The
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults tells us, “Every sin has
consequences. It disrupts our communion with God and the Church, weakens our
ability to resist temptation and hurts others. The necessity of healing these
consequences, once the sin itself has been forgiven, is called temporal
punishment. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and other works of charity can take
away entirely or diminish this temporal punishment. Because of the fullness of
redemption obtained for us by Christ, the Church attaches to certain prayers
and actions an indulgence or pardon, that is, the full or partial
remission of temporal punishment due to sin. Christ, acting through the
Church, brings about the healing of the consequences of sin when an individual
uses such a prayer or engages in such an action.” (Chapter 18)
Gaining a
Plenary Indulgence
The
Holy See has granted a plenary indulgence for the faithful in the Archdiocese
of Philadelphia who make a Sacramental confession, receive Communion and pray
for the Holy Father’s intentions, as well as:
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“make a sacred pilgrimage to one of the
specially designated churches and devoutly take part in a liturgical
celebration or another pious practice…” or
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“…visit one of the specially designated
churches and there stand still with a mind intent on devout reflections for an
appropriate period of time to be concluded with the recitation or singing of
the ‘Our Father,’ the ‘Creed,’ as well as the invocation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.”
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The elderly, infirm and homebound may
receive the plenary indulgence if they “join themselves in the desire of the
heart to those [making a pilgrimage]...and they devoutly recite before an
image of the Blessed Virgin Mary the ‘Our Father,’ the ‘Creed,’ and any Marian
prayer.”
(Excerpts from
letter from Cardinal James Francis Stafford, Major Penitentiary)
Prayers to gain the Indulgence
for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
For the Intention of our Holy
Father Benedict
The Lord’s Prayer
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ our
Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. The
third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the
living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes
Mary,
you showed yourself to Bernadette
in the crevice of the rock.
In the cold and grey of winter,
you brought the warmth, light and
beauty
of your presence,
In the
often obscure depths of our lives,
in the depths of the world where
evil is so powerful,
bring hope,
return our confidence!
You
are the Immaculate Conception,
come to our aid, sinners that we
are.
Give us the humility to have a
change of heart,
the courage to go to confession.
Teach us to pray for all sinners.
Guide
us to the source of true life.
Make us pilgrims going forward
with your Church,
whet our appetite for the
Eucharist,
the bread for the journey, the
bread of life.
The
Spirit brought about wonders in you, O Mary:
by his power, he has placed you
near the Father,
in the glory of your eternal Son.
Look with kindness on our bodies
and hearts.
Shine forth for us, like a gentle
light,
at the hour of our death.
Together
with Bernadette, we pray to you, O Mary,
as your poor children.
May we enter, like her, into the
spirit of the Beatitudes.
Then, we will be able, here below,
to know the joy of the Kingdom
of Heaven
and sing together with you :
Your Will be done !
Virgin
Mary,
blessed servant of the Lord,
Mother of God, hear our prayer.
O
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
O
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
O
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
Amen.
The priests of Saint John Bosco Parish hear
confessions every morning 8:30 - 8:50 and also during Lent on Wednesday
evenings, 7:00 - 8:30
Daily Mass is offered every day at 6:30 am,
9:00 am
Pilgrims have one week before and after the
Feast to fulfill the Indulgence requirements.
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