LOURDES, France – On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous at a grotto in this small, quiet French town.
Bernadette, now a Catholic saint, said Mary appeared to her 17 more times at this grotto in Lourdes, France.
The Lady, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception, reportedly told Bernadette: “Penance, penance, penance! Pray to God for sinners.”
At the grotto in Lourdes, Mary was said to have instructed Bernadette to dig up the soil and drink water from the spring. To this day, millions of Catholics continue to visit the Lourdes grotto to draw water from this spring, which they believe to be miraculous.
In this vlog, Rappler senior multimedia reporter Paterno Esmaquel II brings us to this world-famous Catholic shrine.
Watch the video at the topmost part of this story page. – Rappler.com