Pastor's Corner, September 22, 2013

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

At this time I and my fellow pilgrims are on our way to Lourdes and then to Fatima. Once again let me assure you that we are praying for all the intentions many of you gave us before we left.

What happened on February 11, 1858, in Lourdes, France? 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous went with her sister and a friend to the river Gave to gather wood. She saw there a young and beautiful lady in a niche in the grotto near the river. This was the first of 18 apparitions. The lady later identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception.” Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a place of mass pilgrimage from all over the world. The spring water from the grotto is the source of many physical healings.

What happened on May 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal? Ten year old Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (8 years old) Marto were herding sheep at the Cova da Iria near Fatima. Lúcia described seeing a woman “brighter than the sun.” Further appearances took place on the 13^th of each month and Our Lady asked the children to do penance and acts of reparation to save sinners. In the course of her appearances, Mary confided to the children three secrets, now known as the Three Secrets of Fatima. On October 13, 1917, the “Miracle of the Sun” took place. Witnesses later spoke of the sun appearing to change colors, rotate like a wheel, and “dance” in the sky.

Please remember us in your prayers as we visit these holy sites.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker