Our Lady of Lourdes is the title Catholics give to the Virgin Mary as she appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous at the grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France, in 1858. She is especially invoked for the sick. Below is the traditional prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes, a short novena, the story of the grotto, and an honest guide to sending a prayer intention to the Sanctuary of Lourdes itself.
Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes for Healing
O ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comfort of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles and my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you give your favours, and many sufferers have found healing for their illnesses, both spiritual and physical. I come to you with complete confidence to ask your motherly intercession. Obtain for me, most loving Mother, the grant of my request: (name your intention). Through gratitude for your favours, I will try to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory. Amen.
Short Prayers to Our Lady of Lourdes
- Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
- Our Lady of Lourdes, health of the sick, pray for (name).
- O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
A Short Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes
A novena is nine days of prayer for one intention. Many people pray it from 2 to 10 February so that it ends on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on 11 February, which is also the World Day of the Sick. You can begin on any day.
Each day: pray the prayer above, name your intention, then pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be, and finish with “Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.”
The Story of the Grotto of Lourdes
Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old from a poor family, reported 18 appearances of a lady in the rocky grotto of Massabielle beside the river Gave. On 25 March the lady said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” At her direction Bernadette dug in the ground and a spring appeared, the spring pilgrims still wash in today. The Church approved the apparitions in 1862, and Bernadette became a nun and was canonised in 1933.
Millions of pilgrims now visit Lourdes each year, many of them sick. The Church has recognised a small number of healings there as miracles after long medical investigation, and it treats every other favour with care.
How to Send a Prayer Intention to Lourdes
If you want your prayer to go to the grotto of Lourdes itself, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes accepts prayer intentions through its official website, lourdes-france.org, where you can also ask for a candle to be lit or a Mass to be offered. The Sanctuary is supported by donations. You can also ask a friend or a parish group making a pilgrimage to carry your intention.
Holy Land Prayer does not send prayers to Lourdes.
What We Do: Prayers to Jerusalem
Our service carries prayers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the church built over the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose. You can write a prayer asking for Our Lady’s intercession, and we will print it and place it inside one of the chapels of the church, where a priest prays it in English. We light a candle on your behalf and email you photographs of both. The form is at the top of this page.
Questions People Ask
What is the prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes?
The best known begins “O ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick,” and asks for her intercession for a particular need, often healing. It is printed in full above.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes?
11 February, the anniversary of the first apparition. It is also the World Day of the Sick.
Can I send a prayer request to the Lourdes grotto?
Yes, through the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, which accepts intentions on its official website. Holy Land Prayer does not send prayers to Lourdes; we carry prayers to Jerusalem.
Why is Our Lady of Lourdes prayed to for healing?
Because of the spring at the grotto and the many sick pilgrims who have found comfort and, in some recognised cases, healing there. Catholics ask for her prayers, trusting the outcome to God.
Who Writes These Prayers
The Holy Land Prayer team writes the prayers on this page. The traditional prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes is used in Catholic devotion worldwide. Scripture is quoted from the New International Version.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
Related Prayers
Catholic Prayer Request
Send a prayer intention to Jerusalem.
Catholic Prayers for Healing
Traditional prayers for the sick.
How to Pray the Rosary
The mysteries, step by step.
Prayers for the Sick
What to pray, and what to say at a bedside.
Browse the full Prayer Library.
