Shrine to Jesus

A new shrine to honor Jesus as Savior and Risen Lord is rising on Mirador Hill. It replaces an unfinished statue of the seated Virgin Mary. The shrine is being built in keeping with Our Lady's desire that people are lead to her Son. Devotion to Mary does not end with her but brings us to the person of Jesus. The shrine complements the Lourdes Grotto rather than adding to the confusion of two images of the Virgin on Mirador Hill.

The statue of Jesus is being made on the spot by skilled sculptors from the sculpture atelier of Bernie Caber (Black Nazarene Enterprises). The statue is expected to be finished in time for the end of the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes. The shrine marks the Lourdes Grotto's special participation in the 150th anniversary celebration of the first appearance of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes to St. Bernadette.

The statue will be the culmination of a planned outdoor Stations of the Cross that will begin near the parking area at the vehicular entrance of Mirador Hill. The Stations will follow a penitential path through the rock formations of Mirador Hill. Bas reliefs of the stations are also being designed by Bernie Caber.

Donors for the Stations of the Cross and the Shrine to Jesus are welcome.

150th anniversary of the appearance of Virgin Mary at Lourdes

This year 2008 marks a special year of celebration for the Lourdes Grotto at Mirador Hill. This year is the 150th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, France. The first apparition happened on 11 February 1858. Pope Benedict XVI has declared the year from 8 December 2007 to 8 December 2008 as a special year of celebration.

For the past five years, a novena of Masses has been celebrated at the Lourdes Grotto at Mirador. The novena begins on 2 February and goes for nine days. The tenth day, 11 February is the fiesta of our Lady of Lourdes. In 2008, 2 February is a Saturday and 11 February is a Monday.

The novena and fiesta Masses are organized and sponsored by the Parish of St. Vincent on Naguilian Road, under whose jurisdiction the Grotto falls. The youth group of the parish is the lead organization responsible for the celebration. They work in cooperation with the Mirador Jesuit Villa and with the Lourdes Vendors' Association.

The Mass is in the afternoon and is preceded by the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 4:00 P.M.

You are invited to join the celebrations, honoring Mary our Mother and the Mother of Jesus. May she pray for us and our loved ones. Holy Mary, our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.