On the day after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, thus highlighting the importance of her mission at the heart of the People of God.
With a decree signed on 11th February 2018 – the 160th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes – Pope Francis made this liturgical feast a requirement for the entire Roman Rite Catholic Church. At the time, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments explained that this decision had been taken because “as a caring guide to the emerging Church, Mary had already begun her mission in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).”
In Lourdes more than anywhere else
Since 11th February 1858, huge crowds have come to Lourdes to confide in Mary. She welcomes them into her loving arms, like a mother caring for her little ones.
In Lourdes, Mary, our Mother, lifts us up and says to us, ‘Go and drink at the spring and wash yourselves there.’ Let us wash away the fatigue of the journey and, by going to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, prepare our hearts to receive the Lord in his Word and in his Eucharist.
In Lourdes, the Virgin Mary asked, ‘that people should come in procession…’ Let’s set out on our journey so that she can lead us to her Son.
Novena to Mary, Mother of the Church
Celebrate Mary, Mother of the Church over nine days, from the Sunday after the Ascension of the Lord to the Monday after Pentecost.
A decade of the rosary, followed by the following prayer:
Virgin Mary, holy Mother of God, Our Lady of Lourdes,
as in the past you brought forth the spring of Massabielle,
through your gentle maternal intercession
bring forth from the Heart of your divine Son the gift of God, the Holy Spirit,
and pour it out on each of your children.
You asked Bernadette
to go and tell the priests to, ‘build a chapel here,
and come here in procession.’
We hear your call,
and by choosing you as our mother today,
we want to build the Church in our hearts
and in the hearts of all our brothers and sisters.
Virgin Mary, gentle Mother of the Church,
give your children the love of the Church,
and be for them a sure refuge until the end of time.
Amen.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Pilgrims pray to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes
During the month of May, Lourdes honours the Virgin Mary by offering a white flower to Our Lady. Throughout the month of May, volunteers from the Sanctuary lay white flowers in front of the crowned Virgin Mary on behalf of pilgrims. These flowers complete the bouquet created by the prayers of all those who recite the rosary in different languages every day at the Grotto.
