In this episode, I'm joined by the Marlene Watkins, founder of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, to talk about Lourdes: the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a poor French peasant girl, the miracles that followed, and, incredibly, the mind-blowing miracles that science and medicine cannot prove which are still happening today! This episode is truly one of my favourites. Marlene shares her experience with leading over 200 pilgrimages, bringing thousands of pilgrims to this incredible holy site, and some of the amazing miracles experienced there. On my own personal journey into Catholicism, miracles surrounding the Virgin Mary left me confused. After all, if Mary was just a simple girl, just a means for Jesus to be born on Earth, then how could she possibly "perform miracles"? It never made sense to me as an Evangelical. Stories like these, of incredible miracles as a result of the prayers of Mary, shook my faith!If that's you, on the journey, maybe they'll shake yours too! For more from Marlene Watkins check out her book Everyday Miracles of Lourdes and visit Lourdes Volunteers to find out more about how you can get involved.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!Church Potluck: A Smorgasbord of Christian CuriosityA variety of topics. A variety of academic disciplines. A variety of Christian traditions.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifyThis podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Susanne, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, and Stephen.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic