Dear Parishioners:

Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day February 2, 2025

Last Sunday, the world awaited the arrival of the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. He predicted six more weeks of winter after waking up to see his shadow! So, last week's blessing of throats and prayers for the intercession of St. Blaise is very timely. Hopefully, the head colds, flu, and ailments of the throat so common in the winter season will subside as we await the arrival of spring.

We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11. It is also the World Day of the Sick, an observation introduced by Saint Pope John Paul II as a way for the faithful to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses. In his Message for the World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis said:

"We are celebrating the 33rd World Day of the Sick in the Jubilee Year 2025, in which the Church invites us to become 'pilgrims of hope.' The word of God accompanies us and offers us, in the words of Saint Paul, an encouraging message: 'Hope does not disappoint' (Rom 5:5); indeed, it strengthens us in times of trial."

So on this Tuesday, we are asked to pray for those who are ill, infirm, and their caregivers, to promote kindness and concern for those who are suffering, and to remember the importance of providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support to the sick, and to reflect on caring for those who are sick, and those who provide them care.

Saint Pope John Paul II established this Day of Prayer on May 13, 1992, one year following his diagnosis of Parkinson's. It is celebrated on February 11 with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a feast associated with faith, healing, and miracles.

On February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to a young French girl named Bernadette Soubirous, beginning a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Bernadette was a sickly child whose family was very poor. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. When she was interrogated by authorities about the apparition,

Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was "something white in the shape of a girl." It was "a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm." A blue girdle encircled her white robe. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand.

The child, Bernadette, was impressed that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu) but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to this simple, humble girl and treated her with dignity. In 1862, Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions.

St. Bernadette Soubirous became a Sister of Charity and Christian Instruction in 1866. She spent the rest of her life at the Saint Gildard Convent in Nevers, France, as an infirmary assistant and sacristan.

Our Lady of Lourdes said to St. Bernadette Soubirous: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.” Thus, St. Bernadette lived always for the happiness of heaven. She died on April 16, 1879, in agony, willingly accepting her great sufferings in faithful fulfillment of her "Lady's" request for penance. She was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI on December 8, 1933. Her incorruptible body is kept in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the motherhouse in Nevers, France.

Through this humble child, Mother Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became a universal feast in 1907. And Lourdes continues to be a place of pilgrimage and healing but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more.

Some people doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: "For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible." Pray for the sick, suffering, and those who care for them, asking Our Lady of Lourdes for her powerful intercession. Be well. Do good. God Bless.

Praying to Our Lady for the Sick & Suffering