On 11 February, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated its snowy feast day, marking the anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin to St Bernadette in 1858.
The day also coincided with World Day of the Sick, initiated by St John Paul II in 1992.
Though the winter months typically bring fewer pilgrims, about 1,000 pilgrimage leaders gathered in Lourdes 9-11 February for a special retreat.
They included organisers of major pilgrimages such as the Sovereign Order of Malta, which brings thousands of sick pilgrims each year.
Kenneth Craig, president of the Order of Malta American Association reflected on the spiritual, service, and social dimensions of their annual pilgrimage.
“The sick come to Lourdes to be transformed,” he told OSV News, pointing that while people pray for being cured, it’s the inner peace they find that helps them accept and live with the disease.
On 10 February, pilgrims participated in a torchlit Marian procession, and on the feast day,
Mass was celebrated by Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, followed by a multilingual rosary at the grotto, drawing around 10,000 attendees.