Novena to Our Lady Of Lourdes

The novena to Our Lady of Lourdes is a nine-day prayer to the Blessed Virgin under the title she gave herself at Lourdes in 1858 — "I am the Immaculate Conception" — asking her intercession most often for healing of body and soul. It is prayed above all in the nine days leading to her feast on 11 February, the anniversary of the first apparition to St Bernadette Soubirous, and it is the classic recourse of the sick, for whom Lourdes has been a place of miraculous cure for well over a century. Below we give the full authentic novena: the daily prayer, a distinct prayer and meditation for each of the nine days drawn from the apparitions, the Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the shorter and healing forms the devotion has taken. If you are new to this kind of prayer, see first our guide to what is a novena.

The daily prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

This is the prayer traditionally said on each of the nine days, before the proper prayer of the day. Name your intention as you begin.

Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest yourself shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings; deign to cast upon us a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favours; and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our requests. (Here name your intention.) Through gratitude for your favours, we will endeavour to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share in your glory. Amen.

The full nine-day novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

The devotion follows the Blessed Virgin through her eighteen apparitions to Bernadette at the Grotto of Massabielle, between 11 February and 16 July 1858. Each day carries a brief meditation on what happened, and its own prayer. Pray the daily prayer above first, then the prayer for the day, then the Litany (given below), closing with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 1

The Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous at the grotto of Massabielle, calling for penance, prayer, and the conversion of sinners, and confirming the dogma of the Immaculate Conception that Pope Pius IX had defined four years before.

Our Lady of Lourdes, light in the crevice of the rock, you came to confirm your Immaculate Conception, to teach us to purify ourselves, to do penance, and to pray for sinners. You see our unending search for happiness, our wanderings, our pains and sufferings. Give us hope and joy. In the cold and grey of winter, you brought the warmth, light and beauty of your presence. Mother all pure and full of goodness, help us with your love, your prayer and your example. Teach us to open ourselves to the love of the Father who never leaves His children alone, especially in pain and despair. Lead us on the path of trust in Jesus, your Son, our gentle and merciful Saviour. Draw us closer to Him, that He may bring us hope and healing, and guide us to eternal life. Amen.

Day 2

On 11 February 1858, gathering firewood by the Gave stream, Bernadette first saw "a Lady dressed in white" and prayed the Rosary with her. Two days later she returned and sprinkled holy water; the Lady smiled.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Immaculate Virgin, I kneel before you to beg your grace. You know the hopes within my heart; carry them to your Divine Son. You who came down to earth to bring the graces of this same Son, bless me with the grace to merit them. My confidence in your power is unshakable. Mother most pure, you revealed yourself to a simple child, ignorant of the ways of this world; yet through this child you reveal yourself to me. And for all the graces you bestowed on Bernadette, she remained innocent and humble, satisfied with the promise of happiness, not in this world but in the next. Grant me, too, a humble heart and a spirit of innocence, that I may be worthy of the graces I seek. Amen.

Day 3

In the days that followed, the Lady taught Bernadette a prayer known only to her, and Bernadette, questioned by the police commissioner, could name the vision only as "Aquero" — "That one."

Our Lady of Lourdes, Comforter of the afflicted, I kneel before you with a heavy heart. The burden of my sins oppresses me; the knowledge of my weakness discourages me. O Blessed Mary, Mother of my Saviour, you see my sorrows and my pains. Stay with me always. And when my eyes are closed at last to this world, at the hour of my death, present me to your Divine Son. Blessed Mother, keep me always with you, and hold me close to your heart. Here in the shadow of the cross of your Son, I too have become your child. O Mother Mary, through the merits of your Son, obtain for me, from our Heavenly Father, the graces I seek in faith. Amen.

Day 4

On 24 February the Lady gave her great message: "Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners."

Our Lady of Lourdes, Mirror of Justice, we your erring children join our unworthy prayers of praise and thanksgiving to those of the angels and saints, that the One, Holy and Undivided Trinity may be glorified in heaven and on earth. Immaculate Queen of Heaven, you looked down with love and mercy upon the pure and simple Bernadette. Look upon us today, we beseech you, that your love and mercy may be our comfort, hope, strength and consolation. Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, you chose to appear in the Grotto of Massabielle, calling the world to prayer and penitence. Listen today to my supplications. Grant the graces I seek, that by coming to fruition they may glorify your Divine Son and lead to the salvation of my soul. Amen.

Day 5

On 25 February the Lady bade Bernadette drink and wash at a spring; digging with her hands, the child uncovered the water that flows to this day. "It is for sinners," she said.

Our Lady of Lourdes, fountain of grace, you give us a path to holiness: "Go, drink of the spring and be washed there." Mother most pure, take me by the hand and lead me to the spring, that there I may discover, may hear, may understand, in all clarity, purity and truth, the Word of the Kingdom of God, such as Jesus Himself revealed. Loving Mother, I ask you to pray for my needs. You are the handmaid of the Lord; intercede for me, that the Lord might give me your willing spirit, and help me to follow Jesus more nearly. And may our Heavenly Father, through the merits of your Son, be pleased to grant me the graces I seek. Amen.

Day 6

On 1 March came the first recorded cure: Catherine Latapie dipped her paralysed arm in the spring and its strength returned — the first of the healings for which Lourdes is famed.

Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious Mother of God, to you we raise our hearts and hands. We implore your powerful intercession, through the gracious Heart of your Son, to grant what is necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare. O Lady of Massabielle, from the heights of your dignity look down upon us today, as you did so long ago on Bernadette, and grant us the graces we so earnestly seek. O Mary Immaculate, health of the infirm, you who heal bodies the better to heal souls, open your heart to the healing I seek. Merciful Virgin, whose name alone evokes miraculous cures, show me the strength of your power. Intercede for me and for all who trust in you, especially those dearest to me, whom I commend to your care. May you always be our comfort, hope, strength and consolation. Amen.

Day 7

In her thirteenth apparition the Lady asked that a chapel be built and the people come in procession. Bernadette carried the request to her parish priest, Fr Peyramale.

Our Lady of Lourdes, support of the Church, protect our Holy Father the Pope. Always fill him with the light of the Holy Spirit, and assure him of my faithful love. May I always listen to his voice, and may he bring those who have strayed back to the heart of the Church. Almighty God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary did prepare a worthy dwelling place for your Son, I humbly beseech you to bless me with health of mind and body. O Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, smile upon me as you did that day on Bernadette, and intercede for me, in the name of your Son, that the graces I now seek may be granted. Amen.

Day 8

On 25 March, the feast of the Annunciation, the Lady at last spoke her name: "I am the Immaculate Conception" — confirming from heaven the dogma Pope Pius IX had defined in 1854.

O Immaculate Mother of God, you came from heaven to reveal yourself to the lowly Bernadette in the barren Grotto of Massabielle. As she knelt at your feet, a miraculous spring burst forth, and millions have travelled there ever since — to kneel, to be consoled, to be refreshed, by the power of your grace. Our Lady of Lourdes, Ever-Virgin Mother, in your maternal tenderness you disclosed your name to the simple Saint Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." Your sweet name invites me to trust and brings me comfort. Mary, my sweet Mother, I have complete confidence in your powerful intercession with the Lord. Always be my help, O Immaculate Conception, and through the merits of your Son let me obtain the graces I seek from our Heavenly Father. Amen.

Day 9

In the last apparitions the candle in Bernadette's hand burned without harming her, and on 16 July the Lady appeared for the last time, more beautiful than ever. This day we make our petition and give thanks.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Light of the morning, the power of your love fills the Heart of your Son. To you I raise my heart and hands, imploring your powerful intercession to obtain the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal well-being. Command, O Queen of Heaven, and you will be heard. See my poverty, my miseries, my fears, and have pity on me. Mother of goodness, draw with both hands from the fountain of heavenly blessings, and pour them over me and over all those who pray to you in faith. Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, your deepest desire is to bring us to your Son. When you appeared to the innocent Bernadette in the Grotto at Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where all people might receive God's healing gifts in body and spirit. O glorious Mother of God, as we conclude this novena for the graces we seek, we are filled with hope that your prayers on our behalf will be lovingly heard, and that we may one day share the union you enjoy with God in heaven. Amen.

The Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes

Many join to each day of the novena the Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes, closing with its collect.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mother of our Saviour, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, help of Christians, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, mother of the poor, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, mother of all children, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, mother of the Church, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, comforter of those who mourn, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, strength of the weak, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, comforter of the suffering, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, help of the dying, pray for us.
Queen of heaven, pray for us.
Queen of peace, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St Bernadette, pray for us.

Let us pray. Grant us, your servants, we pray, O Lord God, to enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; and, by the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy everlasting happiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for healing

Lourdes is, before all else, a place of healing, and the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for healing is the same nine-day prayer offered for the sick — for oneself, or for one whom you love. Mary appeared here as Health of the Sick, and from the spring she uncovered thousands of cures have been claimed, a number rigorously examined and confirmed by the Church and by physicians. When praying for physical healing, keep the prayers above and name the illness plainly, joining to them the petition of Day 6: O Mary Immaculate, health of the infirm, you who heal bodies the better to heal souls, open your heart to the healing I seek. Ask boldly for the cure — and ask, more deeply still, for the grace to bear the cross if God wills it should remain, for the healing of the soul is the greater miracle. This is the same confidence with which the sick have long turned to Our Lady under her kindred title, Our Lady of Good Health.

A short novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

When the full form cannot be kept, the short novena may be prayed: on each of the nine days say the daily prayer Be blessed, O most pure Virgin above, name your intention, and add one Hail Mary, ending Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St Bernadette, pray for us. It is the same devotion in briefer compass, and loses nothing of its worth: a novena is measured by the trust of the soul, not the length of the words.

The novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for the gift of a child

Because Lourdes is a shrine of healing, mothers and fathers have long brought there their longing for a child, and the novena is fittingly prayed for the healing of infertility and the grace to conceive. Commend the desire to the Mother of God with confidence and submission to His will, naming the longing to conceive as your one intention through all nine days.

How to pray the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

A novena is nine days of prayer for a single intention — novena is simply the Latin for "nine." To pray this one:

• Choose your nine days. The most fitting time is the nine days before the feast on 11 February. To finish on the eve of the feast, begin on 2 February (the feast of the Purification), praying through 10 February; some instead begin on 3 February to end on the feast day itself. But the novena may be prayed at any time of year that you have need.
• Each day, pray the daily prayer Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, then the proper prayer of the day, then the Litany, closing with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. Where you can, add a decade of the Rosary — it was the Rosary that Bernadette prayed with the Lady at the Grotto (how to pray the Rosary).
• Name one intention and keep it through all nine days.
• Pray at a fixed hour, and if you can, join the novena to Holy Mass and Communion. Above all, ask in the disposition Bernadette learned: Thy will be done.

Who is Our Lady of Lourdes? The story of the apparitions

On 11 February 1858, in the poor town of Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrenees, a fourteen-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous was gathering firewood by the river Gave when she saw, in a rocky hollow called the Grotto of Massabielle, "a Lady dressed in white" with a blue sash and a golden rose on each bare foot. Over the next five months the Lady appeared to her eighteen times. She asked for penance and prayer for sinners; she bade Bernadette drink at a spring that did not yet exist until the child scratched the mud away with her hands and the water came; she asked that a chapel be built and processions made. And on 25 March 1858, when Bernadette pressed her for a name, the Lady joined her hands, raised her eyes to heaven, and said in the local tongue: "Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou" — "I am the Immaculate Conception."

The words were the crown of the whole event. Only four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX had solemnly defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first instant of her conception, preserved free from original sin — the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Bernadette, an unlettered peasant child, did not understand the phrase; she repeated it all the way to the priest so as not to forget it. That heaven should confirm the Church's teaching in the very title Mary gave herself was, to Catholics, the clearest of signs. The Church investigated the apparitions with care, and in 1862 the Bishop of Tarbes declared them worthy of belief. A basilica rose above the Grotto; the spring became a place of pilgrimage for the sick from every nation; and the cures worked there — examined by a standing medical bureau and confirmed only after the strictest scrutiny — made Lourdes the great shrine of healing it remains. This is why Our Lady of Lourdes is invoked as health of the sick, and why her image so often appears with the Miraculous Medal and Our Lady of Fatima, her later apparitions in the same century.

St Bernadette herself sought no fame. She entered the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, where she lived hidden, humble and often gravely ill, saying of herself that Our Lady had used her as one uses a broom, and then set it back behind the door. She died on 16 April 1879, at the age of thirty-five, the Rosary in her hands. When her body was exhumed years later it was found incorrupt, and it rests today in a glass reliquary at Nevers. Pope Pius XI beatified her in 1925 and canonized her on 8 December 1933 — fittingly, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Her feast is kept on 16 April (18 February in some places); the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, extended to the universal Church by Pope St Pius X in 1907, is kept on 11 February, now also observed as the World Day of the Sick. For her own novena, see the novena to St Bernadette.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pray the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes?

Choose nine consecutive days and one intention. Each day, pray the daily prayer Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, name your intention, then say the proper prayer for that day (given in full above), the Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes, and an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. Adding a decade of the Rosary is a fitting touch, since Bernadette prayed the Rosary with Our Lady at the Grotto. Keep the same intention through all nine days, and pray in submission to God's will.

When does the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes start?

The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes falls on 11 February. To complete the novena on the eve of the feast, begin on 2 February; some begin on 3 February so as to end on the feast day itself. Both are traditional. The novena may also be prayed at any other time of year when you have a particular need.

What is the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes prayed for?

Most often for healing — of body and of soul — because Lourdes is the Church's great shrine of miraculous cures, and Mary appeared there as Health of the Sick. It is also prayed for the conversion of sinners (which the Lady herself asked for), for the grace of a happy death, for the needs of the Church and the Pope, and for any grave intention placed in Our Lady's hands.

Is the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes for healing of the body or the soul?

Both. The prayers ask openly for physical healing — and the cures at Lourdes are real, examined and confirmed — but the Church has always taught that the healing of the soul is the greater gift. Pray boldly for the cure you seek, and pray still more for the grace to accept God's will, whether He grants the cure or asks you to carry the cross. Many are healed at Lourdes in body; all who go in faith are healed in some deeper way.

What did Our Lady say at Lourdes?

She called for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners, asked that a chapel be built and the people come in procession, and revealed the healing spring. Her most famous words, spoken on 25 March 1858, were her own name: "I am the Immaculate Conception" — confirming the dogma Pope Pius IX had defined four years earlier, in 1854.

Who was St Bernadette?

Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (1844–1879) was the poor, sickly miller's daughter of Lourdes to whom Our Lady appeared eighteen times in 1858. She later became a Sister of Charity at Nevers, where she lived hidden and suffering until her death at thirty-five. Her body was found incorrupt and rests in a glass shrine at Nevers. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 8 December 1933.

Is there a printable PDF of the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes?

The complete text is on this page — the daily prayer, all nine days' prayers and meditations, and the Litany — and you may copy it to keep beside you through the nine days. The Iter Fidei app carries the whole novena with day-by-day reminders and audio, so it can be prayed from your phone without a printed sheet.

Pray this novena to Our Lady of Lourdes with day-by-day reminders and audio in the Iter Fidei app. Download it here.

Sources. The apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes and the words of the Blessed Virgin to St Bernadette Soubirous, 1858; the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854); the daily novena prayer Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, the proper prayers of the nine days, and the Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes, as carried in traditional prayer-books; the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February), extended to the universal Church by Pope St Pius X, 1907; the beatification (1925) and canonization (8 December 1933) of St Bernadette by Pope Pius XI; Holy Scripture, Luke 1 and Apocalypse 12.