The theme for 2002 was "my soul is thirsting for the living God". This was the first of a series on "the great signs of Lourdes".
On the day of the 9th apparition, 25th February 1858, Our Lady asked Bernadette to uncover an unknown spring, to drink from it while it was still muddy and to wash there. The spring gradually increased in volume and has become the source of the water in the baths at Lourdes as well as at the line of taps near the Grotto.
Like Bernadette, we are invited to ‘wash’ in this water. In 2002, as an alternative to the baths, pilgrims will be able to wash their faces from the new fountains of the "Water Way" placed opposite the Grotto. The water from the spring can be drunk on the spot or taken away in a container. It is freely given and often we are asked by people at home to bring Lourdes water for them.
For Christians, water has a baptismal connotation. It is the origin of the Holy Water stoups at the entrance to our churches which remind those who enter of the dignity of their Baptism. When we make the Sign of the Cross we declare our faith in the Trinity into which we were baptised. We enter the Church through Baptism to become its ‘living stones’.