The Compass

For such a short month, with just 28 days, you'd think that the month of February would probably be pretty quiet. Not so!

Feb. 11, for example, marks the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, who appeared for the first time in 1858 to a poor, 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubiroux in southern France. That shrine is the most visited pilgrimage site in the world, mainly because of the apparent healing properties of the spring water that appeared during Mary's appearances.

It is also interesting to note that there is a complete one-tenth size replica of that Shrine on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Thousands come on weekends to offer prayers for good health and healing.