Beyond Rye 
Humbled by the Healing Powers of Lourdes

– By JoAnn Cancro –

Here's a fact you may not know: Lourdes, France, a pilgrimage site, has as many visitors yearly as Disney World.

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, in Basque country, Lourdes is a picturesque and thriving city. In May I traveled with the American Association of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta to Lourdes, where we joined forces with the Federal and Western Associations of the United States. Every year the three United States Associations organize a pilgrimage to Lourdes, bringing with them the sick from all over the country. The week we were there, the worldwide membership of the Order of Malta reached Lourdes with malades (the French word for sick) from more than 120 countries. It is here that they join together to work and pray while offering comfort and care to those who are suffering, many with life-threatening illnesses.

Each year, the Order of Malta organizes a pilgrimage that brings more than 30,000 people from all over the world to Lourdes for prayer and healing, and to wash in the sacred waters. Imagine transporting wheelchairs, equipment, gurneys, IV bags, medicines, etc.  It is a mammoth undertaking, and the needs are so great.  The malades are transported in voitures by Knights, Dames, auxiliary and volunteers, from their hotels to The Domain, where, in 1858, Saint Bernadette Soubirous first encountered Our Lady in the Grotto.

The sick and disabled who can make the trip to Lourdes suffer from a variety of diseases, from autism to cancer to cerebral palsy. Many are wheelchair-bound. Their spiritual, emotional and physical needs are lovingly tended to, making their weeklong visit one of peace and healing. For me, a new participant, it was both a humbling and exhilarating experience.

Each year, 400,000 pilgrims bathe in the shrine baths. Many of the miraculous cures involve water from the spring where a young girl named Bernadette saw and conversed with the Virgin Mary on 18 occasions over a period of five months. At the Virgin Mary's instruction, Bernadette dug down to find a spring of water and called for the faithful to come to the sacred waters to pray, repent and contemplate.

Since 1858, water has flowed from this spring, attracting pilgrims the world over to this tiny town in the mountains of France. All pilgrims who drink, bless themselves with or bathe in the water find that it to be a profoundly spiritual and personal experience.

Lourdes immediately became known as a source of healing, miracles, spontaneous healings and pilgrimage. To this day, people travel there seeking consolation, peace, and healing of mind, body and soul through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.

The degree of reverence and hope is truly palpable.