A bit of Lourdes in the United States. At the initiative of the local St. Bernadette Catholic Church, a replica of the Grotto of Massabielle, in which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous in the nineteenth century, is being built in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For Father Don Kline, head of the American parish, the construction of this replica is motivated by the fact of "thanking the Virgin" for having manifested herself to Saint Bernadette: "As a parish baptized in homage to Saint Bernadette, we thought it would be good to honor the Virgin Mary, he explains to Le Parisien. We hope that by coming here to pray, people will find the peace, joy and comfort of Our Lady. »
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The cave will be reproduced on a 1/7th scale. The imposing construction, which began in September, still costs a whopping $ 300,000 (about 277,000 euros) and is entirely financed by donations from local faithful, says Father Kline, who claims "never to ask for donations". The grotto is to be completed and opened to the public in June, located on land belonging to the parish and adjacent to the church. But a preview of the final rendering is already available online.
A 3D animation put online to help the faithful to project themselves
"A lot of people want to know what the project will look like, so we put a 3D animation online, so they can imagine the rendering," says Father Kline. Once the grotto is finished and accessible, it must be filled with 150 candles that the faithful can light to invoke the Virgin Mary.
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"Pews and a prie-Dieu will also be installed so that the faithful can gather and pray," said the clergyman. As he also told La Dépêche du Midi, a stone from the sanctuary of Lourdes will be placed in the cave, as well as a fountain with water from the city.
The priest keeps a very strong link with the city of the Hautes-Pyrénées. His three visits to Lourdes were particularly moving: "Each time, the pilgrimage brought me peace and healing. I hope that by seeing our cave, many people will be encouraged to visit Lourdes," he said.
Masses for the sick organized
As in Lourdes, Eucharistic processions and Marian processions, that is to say nocturnal, will also take place "to help nourish the faith of the faithful". They will not be the only ones to benefit from this replica, since the parish of Sainte Bernadette also has an adjoining elementary school. Thus, the "640 students will be able to see this beautiful cave every day," says Don Kline.
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In line with what is done in Lourdes every year, Father Don Kline plans that this replica of the grotto of Massabielle also hosts "healing masses" for the sick. He hopes that "many will find hope and healing on these sacred lands."
