Common Questions
Questions & Answers
Answers to the questions we get most often.
Questions & Answers
The Lourdes Center receives a variety of questions regarding Lourdes water and some other aspects of our ministry. These are some of the recurring questions and our responses:
Is the water that you provide really from the Shrine in Lourdes?
Yes, we receive the water directly from Lourdes in large containers. It is then put into small bottles, boxed, and made available by mail or in person here at the Lourdes Center.
Can you drink Lourdes water?
People who go on pilgrimage to Lourdes drink the water from the spring there. We receive the same water, but we also have to handle it, put it into bottles, and then cap the bottles. We therefore are a couple of steps away from the original source, but we try to take care in our preparation of the water before we make it available. Many people do take a small amount of water by mouth; many also use it without drinking it.
Is the Lourdes water like holy water that is blessed by a priest?
In Lourdes, the water from the spring there is not blessed by a priest there and neither is the Lourdes water that we provide. But it was Our Lady herself who directed Bernadette to drink the small amount of water that she pointed out; that small source soon became a large spring that has provided water for over 155 years. We can say that the Virgin Mary "blessed" the water herself (and blesses it still).
Is Lourdes water miraculous?
In reality, the water is simply water from the Lourdes spring. It is not miraculous or curative in and of itself. But used in faith and with trust in God's mercy and the intercession of Our Lady, its use has been the source of many miracles, great and small.
What do you charge for Lourdes water?
We don't charge for the water; there is no price tag on it as there is when made available by others online or in religious goods stores. We don't seek profit from providing Lourdes water, but we suggest an offering of $3.00 per bottle; we've determined that this helps us to cover all the costs of providing the water to others, including getting it from Lourdes and shipping it.
Are there special prayers that need to be prayed while using Lourdes water?
No, there are no prayers that must be used. We offer a couple of common prayers some people use elsewhere on this website and we provide more prayers and some litanies in every box of Lourdes water bottles that we make available. We also encourage you to offer your own prayers from the heart as you pray for your intentions.