Catholics from across central New York joined together for a special service in front of the shrine at St. Frances Church in Auburn. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of a series of visions by a young French girl named Bernadette Soubirous. She said she saw Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in a grotto near Lourdes, France.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Jean Nila, 7, holds her candle at the entrance to St. Francis of Assisi Church during the Our Lady of Lourdes celebration.
Jean Nila, 7, holds her candle at the entrance to St. Francis of Assisi Church during the Our Lady of Lourdes celebration.
The first appearance occurred Feb. 11, 1858. Bernadette saw Mary 17 more times after that. In a very short time, the people of Bernadette's village heard of her visions and came to see for themselves. By the fourth occasion, the people carried candles, which has become a tradition for people visiting the shrine. By the last time Bernadette saw her vision, the people coming along numbered in the thousands.
Although this pilgrimage was organized by local churches, the event and others like it, have the endorsement of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the Lourdes grotto Sept. 13. From Dec. 8, 2007 until Dec. 8 of this year has been declared the Lourdes jubilee year.
As part of the preparation, a new wooden sign was erected, which summarizes the history of the shrine. It was built in 1955 when the Rev. John Nacca was the pastor of the church. The shrine “honors the virgin Mary on the centennial of the proclamation of the dogma of the immaculate conception in 1854.”
The shrine itself is made of rock, and according to some of the parishioners, is approximately 30 feet high and 20 feet deep. The interior is made of rock, cut into concentric circles that become smaller in diameter as the grotto deepens. In the very back, is a Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, while Bernadette prays, kneeling at Mary's feet.
The Rev. Frank Lioi, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Auburn, was the coordinator of the celebration.
“We heard of the 150th anniversary,” he said, “and since we had a shrine here in Auburn, we thought we would have a celebration. We chose this date to parallel the Pope's visit to Lourdes.”
The event was held at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of Sept. 14. There were more than 150 people gathered in front of the shrine. The event was hosted by the Rosary and Scapular Society of St. Mary's Church and the Sunday Night Rosary Group of St. Francis' Church.
Frank Guariglia said a group of people had been coming together at St. Francis for many years to say the Rosary on Sunday nights.
The Rosary for the evening of the Lourdes celebration was a bit different. It was a living Rosary.
Lioi opened the service by reading a passage from the Rosary.
Volunteers then came up carrying carnations, which they placed in a vase before they gave their own short readings from the Rosary, which was followed by a response from the people.
At the end of each section of the Rosary, called a decade, Steve Uhnak, the cantor for the service, led the singing of the five verses of the Lourdes hymn.
After the Rosary was completed, the people processed into the church.
They were not able to light their candles until they were inside the church because of strong winds that had begun to blow.
As they processed along the sidewalk and up the church steps, Uhnak sang a chanting song called the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each of his recitations received a response from the people.
The Pope has encouraged Catholics around the world to visit the Lourdes grotto or any holy site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, such as the Auburn shrine.
Although this pilgrimage was organized by local churches, the event and others like it, have the endorsement of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the Lourdes grotto Sept. 13. From Dec. 8, 2007 until Dec. 8 of this year has been declared the Lourdes jubilee year.
As part of the preparation, a new wooden sign was erected, which summarizes the history of the shrine. It was built in 1955 when the Rev. John Nacca was the pastor of the church. The shrine “honors the virgin Mary on the centennial of the proclamation of the dogma of the immaculate conception in 1854.”
The shrine itself is made of rock, and according to some of the parishioners, is approximately 30 feet high and 20 feet deep. The interior is made of rock, cut into concentric circles that become smaller in diameter as the grotto deepens. In the very back, is a Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, while Bernadette prays, kneeling at Mary's feet.
The Rev. Frank Lioi, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Auburn, was the coordinator of the celebration.
“We heard of the 150th anniversary,” he said, “and since we had a shrine here in Auburn, we thought we would have a celebration. We chose this date to parallel the Pope's visit to Lourdes.”
The event was held at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of Sept. 14. There were more than 150 people gathered in front of the shrine. The event was hosted by the Rosary and Scapular Society of St. Mary's Church and the Sunday Night Rosary Group of St. Francis' Church.
Frank Guariglia said a group of people had been coming together at St. Francis for many years to say the Rosary on Sunday nights.
The Rosary for the evening of the Lourdes celebration was a bit different. It was a living Rosary.
Lioi opened the service by reading a passage from the Rosary.
Volunteers then came up carrying carnations, which they placed in a vase before they gave their own short readings from the Rosary, which was followed by a response from the people.
At the end of each section of the Rosary, called a decade, Steve Uhnak, the cantor for the service, led the singing of the five verses of the Lourdes hymn.
After the Rosary was completed, the people processed into the church.
They were not able to light their candles until they were inside the church because of strong winds that had begun to blow.
As they processed along the sidewalk and up the church steps, Uhnak sang a chanting song called the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each of his recitations received a response from the people.
The Pope has encouraged Catholics around the world to visit the Lourdes grotto or any holy site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, such as the Auburn shrine.
