What do you think?
Rate this book
Lourdes Diary: Seven Days at the Grotto of Massabieille
“A charming and touching story that reminds us, with St. Bernadette, that grace is everywhere.”
—Robert Ellsberg, author, Blessed Among All Women
The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France appeals to Catholics as few other places do. The famous grotto is a place of healing that attracts some six million pilgrims to Lourdes each year.
One of these recent pilgrims was James Martin, an American Jesuit. Fr. Martin went to Lourdes to serve as chaplain for a group of pilgrims sponsored by the Order of Malta, an international Catholic association devoted to charitable works. During his stay, Martin kept an illuminating diary of his trip. His touching and humorous account of the busy and gratifying days that he spent at Lourdes is a vivid description of a place filled with a powerful spiritual presence. “Lourdes is now one of those places where I have met God in a special way,” Martin writes. Through this diary, we are able to share in his journey and feel the presence of God that he encountered there.
—Robert Ellsberg, author, Blessed Among All Women
The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France appeals to Catholics as few other places do. The famous grotto is a place of healing that attracts some six million pilgrims to Lourdes each year.
One of these recent pilgrims was James Martin, an American Jesuit. Fr. Martin went to Lourdes to serve as chaplain for a group of pilgrims sponsored by the Order of Malta, an international Catholic association devoted to charitable works. During his stay, Martin kept an illuminating diary of his trip. His touching and humorous account of the busy and gratifying days that he spent at Lourdes is a vivid description of a place filled with a powerful spiritual presence. “Lourdes is now one of those places where I have met God in a special way,” Martin writes. Through this diary, we are able to share in his journey and feel the presence of God that he encountered there.
- GenresNonfiction
80 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
11 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
James Martin
51 books1,032 followersJames Martin, SJ is a Jesuit priest, writer, editor at large of the Jesuit magazine America, and consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.
Fr. Martin grew up in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, and attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1982 and worked in corporate finance at General Electric for six years. Dissatisfied with the corporate world, he entered the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits) in 1988, and after completing his Jesuit training (which included studies in philosophy and theology, as well as full time-ministry) was ordained a priest in 1999. He received his Master's in Divinity (M.Div.) and Master's in Theology (Th.M.) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now part of Boston College).
During his Jesuit training, Martin worked in a hospital for the seriously ill and a homeless shelter in Boston, with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Jamaica, with street-gang members in Chicago, in a prison in Boston, and for two years with East African refugees in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Jesuit Refugee Service. In addition to his work at America magazine, Fr. Martin has written or edited more than 15 books, most of which are about spirituality and religion. He is a frequent commentator on religion and spirituality and has appeared on all the major networks, served as an expert commentator for ABC for the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis, and has written for many outlets, including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Father Martin's best known books The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything (2010) and Jesus: A Pilgrimage were both New York Times bestsellers; My Life with the Saints was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book; and all three were winners of the Christopher Award.
He has received over 15 honorary degrees from Catholic colleges and universities, and in 2017 Pope Francis appointed him as consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.
Fr. Martin grew up in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, and attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1982 and worked in corporate finance at General Electric for six years. Dissatisfied with the corporate world, he entered the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits) in 1988, and after completing his Jesuit training (which included studies in philosophy and theology, as well as full time-ministry) was ordained a priest in 1999. He received his Master's in Divinity (M.Div.) and Master's in Theology (Th.M.) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now part of Boston College).
During his Jesuit training, Martin worked in a hospital for the seriously ill and a homeless shelter in Boston, with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Jamaica, with street-gang members in Chicago, in a prison in Boston, and for two years with East African refugees in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Jesuit Refugee Service. In addition to his work at America magazine, Fr. Martin has written or edited more than 15 books, most of which are about spirituality and religion. He is a frequent commentator on religion and spirituality and has appeared on all the major networks, served as an expert commentator for ABC for the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis, and has written for many outlets, including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Father Martin's best known books The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything (2010) and Jesus: A Pilgrimage were both New York Times bestsellers; My Life with the Saints was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book; and all three were winners of the Christopher Award.
He has received over 15 honorary degrees from Catholic colleges and universities, and in 2017 Pope Francis appointed him as consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 28, 2023
Wonderful book. I am preparing for a trip to Lourdes and this is the perfect preview.
I hope others of faith will allow it to touch them like it touched me!
I hope others of faith will allow it to touch them like it touched me!
December 29, 2007
yes, this book is short. but after reading it, i really understood better the compulsion some catholics feel to travel to lourdes and now even have a desire to visit myself. martin's writing is always accessible and its the addition of his personality that make this book a pleasure to read.
November 21, 2013
I loved it and it made me recall so much why and how I fell in love with Fr. James and his writing. The only thing that kept it from five stars is that , as I slowly realized, this was an expanded version of a chapter of My Life with the Saints.
February 10, 2023
I like this author’s books, even though I am not Catholic. I watched the movie The Song of Bernadette years ago on television, so I knew a tiny bit about Lourdes. The book is very short and could be read in one sitting.
June 16, 2013
Perfect book to read before going to Lourdes, France!
December 20, 2014
I really like Fr. James, so it's no doubt that I liked this book. It's got some great nuggets of brilliance!
Read
September 23, 2024A PERSONAL ACCOUNT BY ONE WHO HAS USED THE WATERS
Jesuit James Martin is also the author/editor of books such as 'Jesus: A Pilgrimage,' 'The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life,' 'My Life with the Saints,' 'Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints,' 'Together on Retreat: Meeting Jesus in Prayer,' etc.
He tells the story of how the local Abbé Peyramale told Bernadette [after she told him of the vision], "'Ask her for a name... And, as an added test, ask her to make the grotto's wild rosebush flower.' During the next apparition, Bernadette did just that, but the vision merely smiled. No rosebushes bloomed and no name was given... On March 25, the rosebush was still not in bloom, but a name was given. According to Bernadette, the vision clasped her hands and said... 'I am the Immaculate Conception.'" (Pg. 18)
He notes, "We land after a long flight... Seemingly all the hotels and shops at Lourdes have religious names, and it is startling to see a shop selling tacky souvenirs that is named after Charles de Foucauld, who lived in extreme poverty in the desert, or, worse, a knickknack shop under a sign proclaiming L’Immaculeé Conception." (Pg. 27-28)
He says, "After Mass in the ornate basilica, someone suggests a visit to the grotto, which I had assumed was far-off. But the church is built directly atop the rocky outcropping, and when I go around the corner and pass huge racks of tall white candies for sale, I am shocked to come upon it... as I approach I am drawn to the obvious peace of the place... Hundreds of people are gathered before the space... Many stand in line to walk through the grotto. Joining them, I run my hand over the smooth wet rock and am astonished to spy the spring uncovered by Bernadette. I am filled with wonder at being here." (Pg. 29-30)
Two days later, he recalls, "I am waiting for a turn at the baths. On long wooden benches under a stone portico sit the 'malades,' along with their companions and other pilgrims. Flanking me are two men from our pilgrimage with the Order of Malta... Carved in the stone wall are the Virgin's words to Bernadette: 'Go drink of the waters and bathe yourself there.' Every few minutes an 'Ave Maria' is sung in another language. After an hour, the three of us are called into a small room surrounded by blue and white striped curtains.
"Once inside we strip to our undershorts and wait patiently on plastic chairs... Inside a small chamber three men stand around a sunken stone bath... One volunteer points to a wooden peg, and after I hang my undershorts, he quickly wraps a cold wet towel around my waist. ('I think they kept it in the freezer for us!' says one of the malades at lunch.) Another volunteer carefully guides me to the lip of the bath and asks me to pray for the healing I need...
"Two of them gently take my arms and lead me down the steps into the bath, where the water was cold, but no colder than a swimming pool... Here, praying in this dimly lit room, in this spring water, held by two kind people, I feel entirely separated from the rest of my life. It's a kind of mini-retreat... And then---whoosh---they stand me up and point to a small statue of Mary, whose feet I kiss. Then I'm handed a quick drink of water from a pitcher... After the bath, I rush over to the Grotto of Massabielle, where our group is celebrating Mass. And, yes, the water dries from my skin immediately." (Pg. 41-43)
This book is an excellent, yet brief, account of a modern pilgrimage to the site. For those who can't/won't travel there themselves, the book does an excellent job of capturing the "atmosphere."
Jesuit James Martin is also the author/editor of books such as 'Jesus: A Pilgrimage,' 'The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life,' 'My Life with the Saints,' 'Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints,' 'Together on Retreat: Meeting Jesus in Prayer,' etc.
He tells the story of how the local Abbé Peyramale told Bernadette [after she told him of the vision], "'Ask her for a name... And, as an added test, ask her to make the grotto's wild rosebush flower.' During the next apparition, Bernadette did just that, but the vision merely smiled. No rosebushes bloomed and no name was given... On March 25, the rosebush was still not in bloom, but a name was given. According to Bernadette, the vision clasped her hands and said... 'I am the Immaculate Conception.'" (Pg. 18)
He notes, "We land after a long flight... Seemingly all the hotels and shops at Lourdes have religious names, and it is startling to see a shop selling tacky souvenirs that is named after Charles de Foucauld, who lived in extreme poverty in the desert, or, worse, a knickknack shop under a sign proclaiming L’Immaculeé Conception." (Pg. 27-28)
He says, "After Mass in the ornate basilica, someone suggests a visit to the grotto, which I had assumed was far-off. But the church is built directly atop the rocky outcropping, and when I go around the corner and pass huge racks of tall white candies for sale, I am shocked to come upon it... as I approach I am drawn to the obvious peace of the place... Hundreds of people are gathered before the space... Many stand in line to walk through the grotto. Joining them, I run my hand over the smooth wet rock and am astonished to spy the spring uncovered by Bernadette. I am filled with wonder at being here." (Pg. 29-30)
Two days later, he recalls, "I am waiting for a turn at the baths. On long wooden benches under a stone portico sit the 'malades,' along with their companions and other pilgrims. Flanking me are two men from our pilgrimage with the Order of Malta... Carved in the stone wall are the Virgin's words to Bernadette: 'Go drink of the waters and bathe yourself there.' Every few minutes an 'Ave Maria' is sung in another language. After an hour, the three of us are called into a small room surrounded by blue and white striped curtains.
"Once inside we strip to our undershorts and wait patiently on plastic chairs... Inside a small chamber three men stand around a sunken stone bath... One volunteer points to a wooden peg, and after I hang my undershorts, he quickly wraps a cold wet towel around my waist. ('I think they kept it in the freezer for us!' says one of the malades at lunch.) Another volunteer carefully guides me to the lip of the bath and asks me to pray for the healing I need...
"Two of them gently take my arms and lead me down the steps into the bath, where the water was cold, but no colder than a swimming pool... Here, praying in this dimly lit room, in this spring water, held by two kind people, I feel entirely separated from the rest of my life. It's a kind of mini-retreat... And then---whoosh---they stand me up and point to a small statue of Mary, whose feet I kiss. Then I'm handed a quick drink of water from a pitcher... After the bath, I rush over to the Grotto of Massabielle, where our group is celebrating Mass. And, yes, the water dries from my skin immediately." (Pg. 41-43)
This book is an excellent, yet brief, account of a modern pilgrimage to the site. For those who can't/won't travel there themselves, the book does an excellent job of capturing the "atmosphere."
November 2, 2022
A quick read. It really makes me want to visit Lourdes, God willing, someday.
June 9, 2024
Lourdes by Fr James Marin- from Nancy Drew of Ridgewood NY
This book is a fascinating read. For anyone who believes or wishes to believe that there is life after death.
This book is a fascinating read. For anyone who believes or wishes to believe that there is life after death.
June 19, 2024
Compact and entertaining set of journal entries from the author’s perspective while a chaplaining for the first time at Lourdes. It also provides some background information on the site.
January 14, 2015
If you read My Life With the Saints
Then don't buy this book as well. It was good to read again but it was just an extended version of the chapter on Saint Bernadette. It has good suggested reading though.
Then don't buy this book as well. It was good to read again but it was just an extended version of the chapter on Saint Bernadette. It has good suggested reading though.
August 19, 2016
Great overview, wonderful thoughtful insight and a good text on what to expect if you are travelling to Lourdes. As a first time pilgrim (coming up), this was a wonderful preparation for a visit to Portugal and this holy site.
March 17, 2015
If if were longer it would have merited a fifth star. This is a lovely little book, and it is a perfect contemplative read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews