Lourdes, Newfoundland and Labrador

Lourdes
Doors
Town
Lourdes is located in Newfoundland
Lourdes
Lourdes
Location of Lourdes in Newfoundland
Coordinates: 48°38′54″N 58°59′50.3″W / 48.64833°N 58.997306°W / 48.64833; -58.997306
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
Government
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total502
Time zoneUTC-3:30 (Newfoundland Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-2:30 (Newfoundland Daylight)
Area code709
Highways Route 463

Lourdes is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 465 in the Canada 2016 Census. The current mayor of Lourdes is Henry Gaudon.[2][3]

The earliest settlers in the area came from Brittany in France. Originally, they came to fish around the western shores of Newfoundland and would return to France. However, eventually many started settling around the shores of the Port au Port Peninsula. Many took local Mi’kmaq women as wives.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, a Catholic church, contains a grotto which was built in 1987. A local stonemason, Michael Flavin, offered to carve a grotto into a natural outcrop of rock near the parish church. Flavin was reportedly inspired by the famous site in Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary had appeared to a young girl, he built a series of terraces and niches, creating a place for reflection and devotion. The Catholic Women's League of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish began raising funds, adding life-size statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus the Redeemer. Later came a walkway, benches, and delicately carved Stations of the Cross. A rosary made of donated fishing buoys provides a nautical link between the parish and the sea.[4][5] The site is a tourist attraction.

In 2015, a Chase the Ace lottery at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish received national attention due to the large jackpot.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2021census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Newfoundland and Labrador Municipalities Directory". 26 July 2016. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  3. ^ "Lourdes Mayor Henry Gaudon resigns; deputy mayor Anne Bullen shocked". SaltWire Network. Oct 10, 2017. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  4. ^ "Our Lady of Lourdes Parish celebrates 100 years | SaltWire".
  5. ^ "Lourdes Land Settlement Site Municipal Heritage Site". HistoricPlaces.ca. 2007-06-19. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  6. ^ "Lourdes man takes home $329,460 in Chase the Ace | SaltWire".
  7. ^ "Lourdes' Sheldon Greene takes $329K prize at Chase the Ace". CBC News. August 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Fundraiser gone wild: thousands flock to Lourdes for Chase the Ace lottery". CBC News. August 11, 2015.