Operation Lourdes Day Four

Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful weather, we decided we would walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette today. We headed toward the Grotto to begin our journey and were surprised to discover that Mass was being celebrated there. No doubt who our tour guide is as she literally led us to Christ at the start of our day!

After Mass, we headed out of the Grotto and into the town of Lourdes. Our first stop was the little Cachot where Bernadette lived at the time of the apparitions. To say it was a humble dwelling is quite the understatement. A former prison deemed too unsanitary for the worst of criminals, the little one room hovel was the Soubirous residence after the family fell on hard times. Before that, until Bernadette was ten years old, the family lived in the Boly Mill, where her father ran a successful business. That was our second stop on the walking tour.

Next we visited the Parish Church of the Sacred Heart which houses the baptismal font used for Bernadette on January 9, 1844, when she was only 2 days old. It still holds holy water so that pilgrims can dip their fingers into the bowl by which St. Bernadette became a child of God. A refreshing dip to be sure!

Last on our tour was the old hospice and school run by the Sisters of Nevers. That is where Bernadette made her First Holy Communion when she was 14. She boarded there for six years after the apparitions and before leaving for Nevers in 1866 to enter religious life. Nevers, France is where her body still lies incorrupt but, as that is about 700 kilometers away from Lourdes, it wasn't on the walking tour! Although we were told many more facts about the hospice, our tour guide spoke no English so those details were lost in translation!

We treated ourselves to a nice dinner where we sat outside overlooking the Gave River. We were entertained by a young boy who was fishing off the bridge. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him reel in a big catch!

As the day draws to a close we go to bed exhausted...9 miles of walking... but hearts filled with many graces and deep love for Mary who continues to lead us deeper into her Son's heart!