Bernadette, St, of Lourdes (originally Maries Bernard Soubirous) (1844-1879)

Holy Communion for the sick at Lourdes, in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. Famous for its holy waters and reported appearances of the Virgin Mary, Lourdes is a site of pilgrimage for the sick and infirm from all over the world. Those seeking divine healing bathe and attend communion.

French saint, born in Lourdes in the French Pyrenees. In February 1858 she had a vision of the Virgin Mary in a grotto, and it became a centre of pilgrimage. Many sick people who were dipped in the water of a spring there were said to have been cured. Canonized in 1933. Her feast day is 16 April.