Each year, on 22nd August, the Church celebrates the feast of Mary Queen of Heaven. On this Marian date, the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes also commemorates her birthday, with renewed joy and a spirit of gratitude to the Virgin Mary. But who is this spiritual family, and what is the meaning of this celebration?
A family born in Lourdes
The Family of Our Lady of Lourdes is a spiritual community born in Lourdes, the place where Saint Bernadette Soubirous met the Virgin Mary in 1858. Deeply rooted in the message of the Immaculate Virgin, this spiritual family brings together the faithful (lay people, consecrated persons, priests) who want to live and pass on the spirit of Lourdes in their daily lives.
This feast is an opportunity for all the members of the Family to renew their spiritual commitment, to pray together, to come together in fellowship and to rekindle the flame of their Marian mission.
A double jubilee in Lourdes: two graces, just one call
This year, 2025, is particularly special, marked by two major spiritual events that invite us to enter more deeply into Saint Bernadette’s legacy.
1. Jubilee year in Lourdes – “With Mary, pilgrims of hope”
This Jubilee Year is preparing the hearts of the faithful during the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee of the Church, called for by Pope Francis. Lourdes is playing a full part in this under the theme, “With Mary, pilgrims of Hope”.
This jubilee calls all believers to return to the sources of their faith, to allow themselves to be purified, consoled and sent on mission.
In Lourdes, the Grotto becomes a living spring in which, through Mary, everyone can experience God’s love. The Family of Our Lady of Lourdes, through its missionary spirit, is particularly committed to living and helping others experience this path of renewal and hope.
2. Centenary of the beatification of Saint Bernadette (1925–2025)
100 years ago, on 14th June 1925, Bernadette Soubirous, the humble visionary at the Grotto of Massabielle, was declared Blessed by the Church. To celebrate the centenary of her beatification, the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes organised a pilgrimage to Nevers, where Bernadette lived her last years as a Sister of Charity of Nevers.
For many members of the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes, this pilgrimage, which took place from 19th to 22nd May 2025, was a time of prayer, renewal and encounter with their “little sister”, Bernadette, whose life continues to illuminate their path of faith.
The Family of Our Lady of Lourdes meetings
All over the world, members of the Family of Our Lady of Lourdes come together in prayer and spiritual communion. In Lourdes, the local team has a dual mission: to lead the prayer meetings and on-site gatherings of fraternal sharing, and to assist with the celebrations (Masses and rosaries) that are broadcast internationally.
These events enable everyone, wherever they are, to feel united with the grace of Lourdes.
Mass every Saturday at 11.15am in the Rosary Basilica, as well as a mass on the 11th of each month (broadcast live by Lourdes +).
On the first Saturday of each month at 3.30pm, the Family of Our Lady prays the rosary live from the Grotto of the Apparitions.
Members are invited to take an active part in the Marian processions on the following feast days:
- 11th February (Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes)
- 18th February
- 25th March
- 15th August (Assumption)
- 22nd August
- 8th December (Immaculate Conception)
AN ACT OF TRUST IN MARY
Blessed are you, God our Father,
For creating Mary so beautiful,
And for giving her to us as Mother
At the foot of the Cross of Jesus.
Blessed are You for having called us, like Bernadette,
To see Mary in your light
And to drink from the spring of your Heart.
Mary, you know the misery and sins
of our lives and the life of the world.
We want to entrust ourselves to you today, totally and unreservedly;
From you we are reborn each day
By the power of the Spirit,
We will live the life of Jesus
As little servants of our brothers and sisters.
Teach us, Mary, to bear the life of the Lord.
Teach us the Yes of your heart
