Posted on 01/02/2003 4:50:58 PM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
Church dedicates Lourdes center
St. Vincent site is 2nd in U.S. to distribute water from shrine
By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News
January 2, 2003
The miracle is in the faith.
But maybe there's something in the water, too.
More than 500 people packed the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, still festooned with pine garlands graced by delicate white Christmas lights, on the first day of the new year for a Mass and dedication of its Lourdes Marian Center.
A phalanx formed by the Knights of Columbus, their hats topped by feathered crests in purple, green, yellow and white and ceremonial swords held aloft, heightened the Mass' sense of celebration and drama.
Harp, horns, organ and a small choir of children and adults in holiday colors provided the music, as incense billowing from censers filled the expansive church adjacent to the new Marian center.
That site, at 1155 S. Josephine St., is now the second place outside Lourdes, France, approved by the Catholic Church to distribute water from the shrine, where 144 years ago the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant. The first, sanctioned by the church 50 years ago, is in Boston.
This spiritual disclaimer was offered to the congregation Wednesday by an honored guest, the Most Reverend Jacques Perrier, Bishop of Tarbes-Lourdes, the French diocese that is home to the original shrine: "St. Bernadette has said it many times - the water of the source is not miraculous.
"Only God, in whom we have faith and invoke in prayer, is the source of life and of savior. But water is the sign of this life. By receiving with faith and in prayer the water of the well, you put yourself in touch with Lourdes, from whence Mary obtained so many graces since 1858."
Five million visitors each year now make the pilgrimage to Lourdes, and the shrine maintains records of those who claim to have been healed from water coming from its well.
Many Coloradans might find it hard to go to Lourdes - but now a trip to the Lourdes Marian Center in Denver can provide Catholics a tangible connection to one of the most revered spots on the church map.
For a $2.50 donation to cover the cost of shipping the water here - or for free to those for whom $2.50 is too steep a price - they can walk away with 2.5-ounce bottles of Lourdes water, now stored in five large barrels in the basement of the Lourdes Marian Center.
Wednesday's 90-minute Mass was followed by a brief dedication and blessing of the Marian center by Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput.
Then, it was right back into the church gymnasium, where parishioners enjoyed a reception and snatched up bottles of Lourdes water faster than church staff could put them out.
Among them were Virginia Kain and her grown daughter, Elizabeth Kain, both of Littleton.
"I'm going to be giving some to my family members for the New Year," said Elizabeth Kain. She said she has already been cured of severe digestive problems by the healing powers of the Rev. Michael Walsh, pastor of St. Vincent's.
She and her mother have already been using Lourdes water - but admit they can't yet swear to any healing powers it might have.
They're ready, however, to believe.
"It's not in the water. It's God, working through the water," said Virginia Kain, who suffers from vision problems. "My eyes haven't gotten better, but I have more peace in my life.
"I might be more resigned to what it is that's happening to me."
brennanc@RockyMountainNews.com or (303) 892-2742.
Copyright 2003, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.