Our Lady of Lourdes of San Francisco

Marian devotion of San Francisco (California)

La devoción a Our Lady of Lourdes of San Francisco is part of the global expansion of the advocation of Lourdes, born in the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Bernardita Soubirous in the Grotto of Massabielle, in Lourdes (France) between 11 February and 16 July 1858. As a result of the rapid growth of the pilgrimage to Lourdes, in many countries, the French sanctuary environment was raised to the extent possible.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Lourdes of San Francisco is part of the global expansion of the advocation of Lourdes, born in the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Bernardita Soubirous in the Grotto of Massabielle, in Lourdes (France) between 11 February and 16 July 1858. As a result of the rapid growth of the pilgrimage to Lourdes, in many countries, the French sanctuary environment was raised to the extent possible.

In the city of San Francisco, California, this devotion is especially expressed in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes located in the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi (San Francisco de Assisi National Sanctuary), in the North Beach district. The Grotto is a devotional replica inspired by the Grotto of Massabielle, incorporated into the whole Franciscan sanctuary; it is part of the effort to offer the faithful a space of Marian prayer and of welcome to the sick and afflicted, according to the spirit of Lourdes.

In the consulted sources of the sanctuary, of the archdiocese and in reliable historical references, a exact date of construction of the Grotto of Lourdes in San Francisco and no detailed foundational account: therefore, no consta with documentary precision the year of its erection and the name of its promoters.

The image and the sanctuary

En el recinto del National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi se venera una image of Our Lady of Lourdes located in an artificial grotto that simply reproduces the classic scene of Massabielle: the Virgin standing on a rock, with white and blue cloak, hands united in prayer, with the rosary hanging from the arm and the golden rose on each foot, according to the iconography spread from the apparitions of 1858. The concrete material of the image (stone, plaster or other) is not specified in the sources consulted; therefore, no consta in a reliable way.

The set is integrated into the gardens and dependencies of the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisithe Catholic temple of Latin rite erected on the ancient parish of San Francisco de Assisi, which the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States has recognized as National sanctuary dedicated to the saint of Assisi. There the historical church and several spaces of prayer are preserved, including the Marian Grotto, which functions as a place of silence, recollection and trusting supplication. It is not known that the sanctuary has the title of the lower basilica; its official title is that of National sanctuary.

Sponsorship and coronation

The devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes, in general, is particularly associated with the sick and those who suffer, in continuity with the cures linked to the sanctuary of Lourdes in France. In the specific case of the San Francisco Grotto, the Virgin of Lourdes is the object of particular veneration by the faithful of the city and pilgrims who come to the National Sanctuary of San Francisco of Assisi, but no consta which has been formally proclaimed as a civil or ecclesiastical patron of the city, county or archdiocese.

Nor has any official reference been found to a canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Lourdes of the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi; therefore, according to the available data, does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of Lourdes in the universal Church is celebrated the 11 February, anniversary of the first apparition of Saint Bernardite. This date is also the liturgical memory of the advocation in the Roman calendar and, in addition, John Paul II instituted that day as World Sick Day, which reinforces the character of Lourdes as a refuge for those suffering from disease or suffering.

In the National Sanctuary of San Francisco de Assis, the feast of February 11 is celebrated with the Holy Mass and Marian acts around the Grotto, according to the usual practice in the shrines that have replica of the Grotto of Lourdes; however, the available public sources do not provide quantitative data of influx or describe in detail processions or other specific local traditions, so no consta precisely the number of pilgrims and the concrete way in which such celebrations are organized. It can be said, in any case, that the faithful approach the grotto light candles, pray for the sick and entrust to the Virgin their intentions, in line with the spirituality of Lourdes.

Throughout the year, many devotees visiting the National Shrine, both locals and tourists, stop at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes for personal prayer, reciting the Rosary, and silent supplication, similar to what happens at other shrines that replicate the French grotto.

Link to the Rosary

La advocación de Our Lady of Lourdes is intimately linked to Rosary. During the apparitions of 1858, Bernadette Soubirous prayed the Rosary and the Virgin accompanied her by passing the beads of the rosary in silence, joining the prayer of the seer. This image of Mary with the rosary in her hand has spread throughout the world, to the point of becoming one of the most characteristic iconographic features of Lourdes.

In the grotto of San Francisco, the image of Our Lady of Lourdes is also presented with the rosary, visually inviting the prayer of this Marian prayer. Although there are no specific regulations on groups or co-fradies of the Rosary linked to this grotto, the common experience of the sanctuaries of Lourdes around the world allows us to state that the Rosario is one of the most common devotional practices in that place: meditating on the mysteries of the life of Christ with Mary helps the faithful to unite their suffering with that of Christ and to entrust their needs to the intercession of the Virgin. In this way, devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes of San Francisco and the prayer of the Holy Rosary are naturally intertwined in the spirituality of the sanctuary.