The grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, built on the grounds of the Blessed Sacrament Church, was consecrated to Our Blessed Mother Mary on August 14, 1996. It was built as a substitute for people who might not be able to make the pilgrimage to the Shrine in Lourdes, for Lourdes is synonymous with the word ‘miracle’.

Over the years, the grotto has undergone many facelifts, with the final phase just completed recently. To celebrate Our Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, and to bless and dedicate the upgraded Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto as his ‘Retirement Gift to Mother Mary’, Rev Fr Dato Lawrence Chua, together with Rev Fr Felix Au, celebrated Mass at the grotto on the evening of September 7, 2018, to pray for healing.

Instead of a Homily, Fr Chua opted to dedicate a Prayer to Our Blessed Mother. And what a prayer it was! It had a profound effect on the healing session that took place immediately after the Mass, when both Fr Chua and Fr Felix, with the support of the Emmaus Servant Community, ministered to those with needs.

Hundreds of people had turned up, including some who were not Catholics. They had come to seek healing for themselves or for their loved ones. One unbaptised lady shared that a feeling of ‘heaviness’ that had plagued her for quite some time, was finally released, and she felt lighter and at peace.

A pair of young siblings I talked to, confessed that the fear they felt after watching horror movies before bedtime, had gone away. The movies had made them afraid of the dark.

Another lady who earlier had no intention to be prayed over, found her hands getting stiff and numb, but found energy in her palms, instead. The numbness left after being ministered to.

I believe the strongest testimony of the presence of Our Blessed Mother and Our Lord Jesus, came from someone who has been to Our Lady Of Lourdes Grotto in France, more than once.

‘When Fr Chua stood in front of me, I sensed a presence not just within my spirit. A presence that was gentle, Divine and Holy in nature, within close proximity, about to minister to me. A hint of my Healer God, Christ himself! I was quickly but gently slain into an intimacy of Peace and Joy.

As I sat awhile in grateful sublimation before our Lady and God, I continued to experience an overwhelming sense of Fulfilment, Peace and Joy, under a vast canopy of Divine Rapture. For me, it represented a REPLICA of the aura surrounding the original grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, France’.

She had earlier offered a prayer straight from her heart to Mother Mary that said: ‘Jesus, you know I carry as proxy, many people in my heart for your ministering, including myself. Mum, pray for me!’

I found myself resting in the Spirit too. When Fr Chua asked me how I felt, I told him it was just a feeling of pure Peace. This is what he had to say: Jesus said to the frightened disciples on the day of resurrection, ‘Peace with you all. Receive the Holy Spirit’.

So, if you ever feel turmoil in your lives for whatever reason, just remember, Our Mother Mary is just a prayer away. Jesus is just a prayer away. Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at Blessed Sacrament Church is just a stone’s throw away.

O MARY CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN, PRAY FOR US WHO HAVE RECOURSE TO YOU

Photos by: Dominic Bong / Stephanie Chua