Devotees flock to Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in Bulacan

Catholic devotees flocked Maundy Thursday to the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in San Jose del Monte town in Bulacan to wash away their sins through spring water which they believed to be miraculous. Some coming from distant provinces, the devotees endured the summer heat and long queues just to kiss the Blessed Virgin Mary. They collected water from the spring, said to cleanse their sins and give them a new life during the Lenten season. Opened to the public in 1963, the shrine is a replica of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in Southern France, the most visited pilgrimage site in the world. The Bulacan shrine features life-sized images depicting the passion and death of Jesus Christ, including the statue of Jesus Christ inside a cave. Local and foreign worshipers walked considerable distances to reach the Stations of the Cross, recalling the last moments of Jesus Christ in the Calvary, the hill outside Jerusalem where he was crucified. Selfa Sarido, a devotee for 10 years, told GMA News that the Blessed Virgin Mary has brought her several miracles in her life. Mass was heard every hour on Thursday for worshipers who continued to gather at the shrine. The Our Lady of Lourdes shrine in southern France is known for the apparent healing properties of waters of the spring which appeared in 18 apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary to a poor 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubiroux, starting February 11 to July 16, 1858.-GMANews.TV