Faith is essential to life

Profound silence characterized Lourdes when our bus snaked around the narrow yet navigable streets of this small town in the Hautes-Pyrenees side of southwest France. In many instances, the silence in Lourdes, a major destination for pilgrimages and miraculous healings, was benevolent. Its summer breeze bore kindness that was cold yet warm to the soul.

It is very easy for the soul to be full and filled in Lourdes. Millions of people—from several faiths and beliefs—visit the sanctuary every year for physical and emotional healing. Some arrive as tourists and leave the holy ground as pilgrims. Others only want to feel the presence of the divine in a place so serene even the gurgling of fast-flowing water in the river sounds like the loving whispers of God. Even the murmuring of the water from the tap—which is everywhere in the holy ground—to a pilgrim’s container sounds like a heavenly invocation of God.

The nightly candlelit Marian procession on the square joined by thousands of devotees from all over the world is a mesmerizing experience that restores faith.

The many Masses in a day at the Grotto of Massabielle, where it is believed that the Blessed Mother—identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception—appeared 18 times to a sickly 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, are food for the faithful’s souls.

Lourdes, in my personal experience, has the capacity to silence thoughts assailed by insecurities and diffidence. For former Philippine Airlines pilot, Capt. Renato Jose Jostol, and businessman Benjamin Chua, with whom I forged instant friendships as we lined up for our turn to be submerged in the tub filled with icy, healing waters that sprung from the grotto, the bath experience was a miracle that had no explanation.

We compared thoughts after our separate turns in the bath. The experience was humbling and moving. We all tried to answer why we—and the rest of the hundreds of people who lined up for that bath that day, wearing only a thin and tight wrap-around cover from chest to the knees—emerged dry one by one right after we stepped out of the tub filled with spring water from the grotto.

“For things you can’t explain, just be grateful to God,” Fr. Dave Concepcion, our pilgrimage chaplain, told us.

“Our Lady told Bernadette to drink and wash in a nearby spring. Bernadette dug on the muddy ground, causing fresh water to flow. The spring continues to flow to this day and healed millions both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. What struck me was the universality of God’s grace,” Fr. Dave said.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is nestled on a 52-hectare property that includes the sacred grotto and the three basilicas—the Immaculate Conception Basilica, Rosary Basilica, and St. Pius X Basilica.

“On Sept. 17, 2022, I had a stroke due to my diabetes,” Fr. Dave added. “In spite of (taking) many tablets, my blood sugar continued to rise. In my first Marian pilgrimage after the stroke, we went to Lourdes and I asked Our Lady to help me. After praying, I drank the water from the spring. The day after, my blood sugar started to go down. My doctor was with me. We removed one tablet at a time. On the third day—and until now—I only needed to take one tablet.”

Lourdes is also about fortified faith. Marivic Campillo, a former hotelier who formed part of the 80 Filipino pilgrims to Lourdes, said, “My experience of Lourdes is about having a deep and personal relationship with Mama Mary. It is a quiet yet powerful reminder of faith, healing, and love.”

Couple Bert and Marian Suarez said: “Our visit to Lourdes was really a wonderful experience! It even allowed us to take a dip in the baths without lining up.” As every pilgrim knows, the lines for the baths at Lourdes can be circuitous, with many lining up for as long as six hours to experience it.

It always feels like the first time for Ghee Guardo-Panganiban, a highly efficient and helpful pilgrimage supervisor of Catholic Travels Inc., despite a number of times she’s escorted a group of pilgrims to Lourdes.

“I still get excited because being there is like another miracle unfolding. Being at the Sanctuary brings peace within me,” Ghee said.

Fred Cedric Dela Peña, a furniture designer, who first visited Lourdes 26 years ago with his family, said, “Back then, I was just a kid who recited prayers mechanically, impatient for the procession to be over. Now, I appreciate the importance of prayer and how God and Our Lady of Lourdes have guided us and healed us throughout the years.”