Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O ever Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy and Health of the Sick, we come to you with hearts full of faith and trust.

You appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes, bringing hope to the afflicted and the suffering. Obtain for us, through your powerful intercession, the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, especially the grace of healing for body, mind, and soul.

Comfort those who are sick, strengthen the weary, and console the afflicted. Help us to place our trust in God’s love and mercy, and to follow Him faithfully in all things.

O Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us and obtain for us the favors we need.

Amen.

The "Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes" is a devotional prayer addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Lourdes. This prayer often seeks maternal intercession for various needs, including healing from infirmities, both spiritual and corporal, and comfort in affliction.

The prayer typically acknowledges Mary's appearance in the Grotto of Lourdes, France, to Saint Bernadette Soubirous on February 11, 1858. This event established Lourdes as a "privileged sanctuary" where many have reportedly received favors and cures. The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated annually on February 11.

A common version of the prayer begins: "Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy."  It continues by recalling Mary's appearance in the Grotto of Lourdes and the graces dispensed there, leading the supplicant to "implore your maternal intercession" for specific requests. The prayer often concludes with a commitment to imitate Mary's virtues in gratitude for granted favors.

Another variation, often used in a novena context, includes the phrase, "Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: 'I am the Immaculate Conception.'" This highlights Mary's self-identification during the apparitions, which is a significant theological aspect of the Lourdes devotion.

The prayer is widely used by Catholics globally, particularly by those seeking healing or comfort, and is often recited in chapels dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, such as the one at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Many also pray it in conjunction with Lourdes water, which is believed to have healing properties.