Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 1 🙏 + Make the sign of the cross, as Our Lady guided Bernadette; slowly and reverently, with all your heart. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, Grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His Consolations. Holy Spirit, at the Annunciation, you overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus was conceived in her womb. In Lourdes, an American housewife humbled herself in service to the sick and Lourdes Volunteers was conceived in her heart. We now ask for a new outpouring of your Love: send forth your sevenfold gifts to guide and direct us in each moment. Amen. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen. (fb)

Blessed Solemnity of the Ascension! As we celebrate and recall this second glorious mystery of the rosary, Jesus’ words to the apostles is true for each of us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” It was through this power of the Holy Spirit on Ascension Thursday, 2001, that our founding volunteer said “yes” to the holy inspiration that would conceive our apostolate...Waiting in line for four days with two sick women attempting to enter the Piscines (baths) at Lourdes, the housewife forfeited her place to provide another pilgrim the life-changing opportunity she herself had been blessed with the previous year. Begging for entrance, the housewife was requested to “bathe the sick and dying in promise those she loved would come in…” All Piscine volunteers kiss the ground at the beginning of each shift after praying the Rosary in preparation to serve. After the profound privilege of assisting in the baths that day, “the American housewife pulled from the queue” was inspired while kissing the floor to promise Our Lady to return the next year with the 10 volunteers. As promised, almost exactly one year later, the first group of American volunteers arrived in Lourdes to serve the sick and dying: ten lay women, one lay man and a Canadian priest, making the name “North American Volunteers.” (fb)