Catholic faithful singing Ave Maria at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. #SWNews #lourdes #Assumption | Shalom World News

In Lourdes, France, thousands are gathering to sing "Ave Maria" in anticipation of Our Lady's Feast, commemorating the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous on February 11, 1858. Mary instructed Bernadette to dig at the grotto from which a spring of healing waters gushed forth and continued to flow ever since. Pope John Paul II established World Day of the Sick in 1992, and each year, the Sanctuary of Lourdes invites the world to pray to Our Lady of Lourdes. #lo