Manila, April 21 -- Fifty-four years after its opening to the public, the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine here continues to attract thousands of Catholic devotees, especially during the Holy Week, despite the blazing summer sun.
Situated 30 kilometers northeast of Manila and just beyond the boundary of Bulacan and Novaliches, a former town divided between Quezon City and Caloocan City, the grotto was opened for public veneration on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on Feb. 11, 1965.
Since then, thousands of pilgrims have been flocking to the shrine to pray and offer flowers and candles to the Our Lady of Lourdes, giving thanks for prayers answered and favors received and meditating in front of the Stations of the Cross on the Rosary Hill...