By Dr. Bill Blanke
Catholic Medical Association
From Oct. 13-22, 16 pilgrims led by Father Zach Etienne went to France and saw Lisieux, Normandy, Notre Dame of Paris, Chartres, Sainte-Chapelle and ended the pilgrimage in Lourdes. Fun fact: We were leaving Paris on a high-speed train when the news broke that the Louvre had been burglarized! Oh the text messages we all received from family and friends asking why we are on a high-speed train leaving Paris so quickly.
You may be familiar with the apparitions of Mary to St. Bernadette in 1858, and the spring that St. Bernadette found by digging in the soil at Mary’s direction. “Lourdes water” from this spring was soon determined to have healing properties, and pilgrims began flocking to the area. Four to six million pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, and it is estimated that more than 200 million pilgrims have gone since 1860.
I visited the “Museum of the Miraculously Healed” to read stories of those healed. From the start, church officials at Lourdes were careful in investigating claims of cures. Today, physicians at the International Medical Committee of Lourdes run a rigorous process of investigating claims of miraculous healings, much like the investigation of miracles in the process of an individual being declared a saint.
To my surprise, out of the 200 million pilgrims who have visited Lourdes since 1860, there are only 7,000 reported healings and 72 have been declared as miraculous healings by the Church.
One commentary from the museum noted, “We always wonder why there are so few recognized miracles, only 72, compared to the millions of people who come to Lourdes, but it is important to understand that these miracles are the result of long and arduous medical procedures, research and diagnoses. It’s a long and rigorous process. It also presupposes that cured patients come back to Lourdes to report it, and agree to undergo all this research and further examinations.”
Don’t get me wrong, 7,000 healings are wonderful, and God blessed the 72 who have been declared miraculously healed, but the percentage of healings compared to visitors is not great. Using these numbers, you have a 0.000035% chance of being physically healed by going to Lourdes.
The healings, however, are not always physical. Volunteers accompany visitors too ill to travel alone. The physical work of caring for the sick affects people spiritually, and many report returning home with deeper gratitude for their own health and a more intimate faith.
We read in the Gospels that Jesus performed many miracles, but he did not physically heal everyone. We were reminded by our guide that St. Bernadette herself, despite finding the spring, was not healed of her conditions. She contracted cholera four years before the apparitions, suffered from asthma and died from complications of tuberculosis at the age of 35.
What spiritual healing opportunities does Lourdes provide? Three Basilicas, multiple Masses daily, two locations to walk Stations of the Cross, confession near a statue of St. John Vianney, daily Eucharistic processions, the availability to drink and bathe in Lourdes water, and the highlight: a candlelight rosary procession every evening at dark, accompanying a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, while praying the rosary in multiple languages. After each decade pilgrims raise the candles to sing as one: “Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!” I have chills typing this now.
Did I witness anything in Lourdes? I did not see any physical healings, but I saw three things that I will forever be thankful for. First, Dana and I visited Lourdes in 2022 but she was ill with COVID. This time, Dana was well and able to soak in the beauty and peace of Lourdes. Second, one pilgrim with a special family story about Lourdes was finally able to visit himself and pray in thanksgiving for his mother’s pilgrimage to Lourdes herself years ago. Finally, a pilgrim who has wanted to go to Lourdes since she was a child because her favorite VHS cartoon tape growing up was about Lourdes. She returned to confession for the first time in many years and had a peace about her that I did not sense at the beginning of the pilgrimage. St Bernadette, pray for us!
Dr. Bill Blanke practices family medicine in Evansville. He and his family are members of Good Shepherd Parish in Evansville.