Tell a friend you’re heading to Lourdes on pilgrimage, and you’ll likely hear a quip, anecdote or knowing comment about miracles. Since Bernadette’s apparitions in 1858, however, officially recognised miracles have been remarkably rare, especially when set against the millions who journey each year to the French Pyrenean town.
While many return spiritually renewed – a miracle of its own – the Lourdes Medical Bureau focuses on cases of physical healing. Each year, hundreds of pilgrims report extraordinary improvements in health, but only a fraction meet the stringent criteria for further investigation.
