From February 11 to July 16, 1858, a mysterious Lady appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous. In the end, she revealed herself as the «Immaculate Conception» and asked that a sanctuary be built at the site of the apparitions—the grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes. She also requested that people come there in procession, pray, and do penance for the conversion of sinners.
Pope Leo XIII allowed a local liturgical feast, which Saint Pius X later extended to the entire Latin Church in 1907. Some might debate whether the apparitions of Lourdes and the miracles that take place there—or perhaps it would be better to speak of the miracle of Lourdes in a broader sense—should have a special liturgical celebration. But there is no doubt that Lourdes remains one of the most significant religious phenomena of our time.
