Holy masses, other activities to be held in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes on Feb. 11

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles John Brown will preside over a high mass at 12 noon on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Kanlaon Street in Quezon City, in solemn commemoration of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, marking the 165th anniversary of the series of apparitions of the Blessed Mother to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 at the Cave of Massabielle in Lourdes, France.
Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco will co-celebrate the Apparition Mass with Capuchin and Diocesan priests of the Diocese of Cubao.
Eleven other feast masses will be celebrated on Feb. 11 with the first mass at 5 a.m. and the last mass at 9 p.m.
The solemn grand procession will be held at 5 p.m. Participants are reminded to bring holy rosaries and candles.
Novena masses were offered from Feb. 2 to 10. Other fiesta activities include the Dalaw Patrona, a penitential procession,Holy Communion and blood-letting activities, a medical mission and a memorial mass for the deceased members of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes coincides with the observance of the 31st World Day of the Sick.
In Lourdes, France, devotees and pilgrims traditionally gather at the basilica that was constructed at the site of the apparitions, as well as at the miraculous well, where healing of both the body and the spirit have been reported. The Roman Catholic Church had recognized more than 60 miraculous cures at Lourdes, a popular destination for pilgrimages, healings, and spiritual renewal.
According to stories, the Holy Mother, wearing a white dress with a blue belt, a rosary in her hands, and two golden roses at her feet, appeared to a poor and sickly girl, St. Bernadette, at least 16 times starting on Feb. 11, 1858 at the Cave of Massabielle in Lourdes. She asked her to pray the Holy Rosary for the conversion of sinners, to build a chapel on the site of the apparitions, and to drink from a spring of miraculous water nearby. The Blessed Mother introduced herself as the “Immaculate Conception.”
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes has been celebrated worldwide since 1907, making it one of the oldest feasts in the Church calendar.