Lourdes Diary: Seven Days at the Grotto of Massabieille [Paperback]

James Martin SJ (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

“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.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

The sacred grotto at Massabieille, near the town of Lourdes in southern France, appeals to Catholics like no other place. This is the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, the place where Mary appeared to a humble peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 and spoke words of comfort and simple faith. At Mary’s behest, Bernadette dug in the rocky soil of the grotto and struck water. A puddle soon became a spring that gushed forth waters that were recognized to have documented healing properties, baffling physicians and scientific experts. Some six million pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, making it the most popular place of pilgrimage in the world.

One of these recent pilgrims was Fr. James Martin, an American Jesuit who went to Lourdes as chaplain for a group of pilgrims sponsored by the Order of Malta. Fr. Martin’s illuminating account of seven busy and gratifying days at Massabieille—at turns touching, humorous, reverent, and self-effacing—is a vivid description of a place with a special, mysterious spiritual presence.
 

From the Back Cover

A charming and touching story that reminds us, with St. Bernadette, that grace is everywhere.”
—Robert Ellsberg, author, Blessed Among All Women

he 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.

A charming and touching story that reminds us, with St. Bernadette, that grace is everywhere.”
—Robert Ellsberg, author, Blessed Among All Women

he 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.

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Loyola Press; First Edition, First edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829423974
• ISBN-13: 978-0829423976
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, culture editor of America magazine, and author of numerous books, including My Life with the Saints, which Publishers Weekly named one of the best books of 2006. Father Martin is a frequent commentator in the national and international media, having appeared in such diverse outlets as The Colbert Report, Fresh Air, The O'Reilly Factor, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe, and on the History Channel, BBC, and Vatican Radio. Before entering the Jesuits in 1988 he graduated from the Wharton School of Business.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SIMPLE AND TOUCHING STORY AS BEFITS THE PLACE, October 20, 2006

By 

Peter Fennessy (Bloomfield Hills, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lourdes Diary: Seven Days at the Grotto of Massabieille (Paperback)

James Martin, associate editor of America Magazine, manages without any sense of cramming to fit into the 65 brief pages of this small book the story of his first trip to Lourdes and the events of his week there, the history of Lourdes itself and of St. Bernadette Soubirous, and reflections about pilgrims and pilgrimages and the Knights of Malta with whom he traveled. It is a simple story told simply, eloquently, engagingly, with self-depreciating humor and obvious devotion. It is a good refresher if you have been there, a foretaste if you intend to go, and a hint of God's ever-present grace whatever your travel plans. I do believe I shall read his longer work, My Life with the Saints.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and simple story of a visit to Lourdes., February 6, 2008

By 

Monica K. Van Ness (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lourdes Diary: Seven Days at the Grotto of Massabieille (Paperback)

The author gives us the basic story of Bernadette and Lourdes, and how this site has been a place for people to meet God, and been a source of healing of all kinds for so many people in the last 150 years. The story of his first visit to Lourdes offers a more personal story of how a visit to Lourdes can affect people. Very moving!