It is not just devotion, but a living and daily bond that unites the faithful to the Madonna of Lourdes in the sanctuary on Viale Regina Margherita. A relationship made of silences, lit candles and whispered prayers, which is renewed every day between those seeking grace and those who, more simply, wish to find authentic consolation in faith. On the occasion of the 168th anniversary of the apparitions in the Massabielle cave to little Bernadette Soubirous, the community once again rallied around the Virgin.

An anniversary which, since 1992, coincides with the World Day of the Sick, established by Saint John Paul II precisely to underline the profound message of hope that Lourdes delivers to the world of suffering. The history of this sanctuary has its roots in 1875, when the Friars Minor spread Marian spirituality among the people of Messina. Over the years, significant stages have marked the community’s journey: the crowning of the statue of the Madonna by Archbishop Paino, the blessing of the cave next to the church by Msgr. Fasola and, finally, the elevation to a sanctuary desired by Msgr. Cannavò. The celebrations saw numerous and intense participation. The simulacrum of the Virgin was accompanied in procession through the surrounding streets, between songs and meditation, up to the evocative evening procession “aux flambeaux”, illuminated by torches and punctuated by the notes of the Bordonaro band; then the mass presided over by the provincial minister of the Friars Minor of Sicily Antonino Catalfamo, while in the morning it was the auxiliary bishop Cesare Di Pietro who celebrated. The stop in front of the Villa Salus nursing home was particularly touching: a moment of sharing with the sick and healthcare workers, to reiterate the profound meaning of the day and the importance of always putting the person at the center of treatment paths.