At Lourdes in 1858, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Bernadette and revealed herself as “the Immaculate Conception.” The spring that welled up there has been the site of countless healings, and Lourdes remains the great pilgrimage of the sick. This nine-day novena turns to Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, and Comfort of the Afflicted.
How to Pray This Novena
Pray the prayer below once a day for nine consecutive days, holding your intention in your heart.
The Daily Prayer
Ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfort of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Deign to cast upon me a look of mercy. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary from which you dispense your favours, and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical.
I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your motherly intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my request (mention your intention). Through gratitude for your favours, I will endeavour to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Saint Bernadette, pray for us. Amen.
When to Pray This Novena
The novena is traditionally prayed February 2 to February 10, ending on the eve of her feast on February 11, which the Church also keeps as the World Day of the Sick.
About Our Lady of Lourdes
Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto of Massabielle at Lourdes, France. When Bernadette asked her name, she replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception” — four years after the dogma had been defined. A spring appeared at the grotto, and Lourdes has since become the most visited healing shrine in the world. Bernadette was canonized in 1933.
Related Prayers and Devotions
Novena to the Immaculate Conception
We Fly to Your Protection
Browse Marian Prayers
Sources: Prayer follows the traditional Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes as published by EWTN. Historical detail from the account of the 1858 apparitions to Saint Bernadette.