Lourdes: Located on the northwest shore of the Port au Port Peninsula, this town has the same name as the town of Lourdes in southwestern France where the famous Grotto of Massabielle (Grotto of the Apparitions) that the Virgin Mary, so it was purported, appeared before a local woman.

Formerly named Clam Bank Cove, the town was renamed in the 1930s. Some say it was named by the local parish priest, Fr. Michael O'Reilly who had made a pilgrimage to Lourdes a couple of years before; others have suggested that it was Fr. Pinault, the first parish priest of the town who chose the name.

A must-see beautiful grotto was built in 1987, with an outdoor Stations of the Cross and a Memory Walk to commemorate early parishioners of the area.

According to information included in the ENL, in the 1960s the population peaked with employment opportunities offered at the American base in Stephenville, but when the base closed in 1967 many residents returned to fishing many simply chose to move away.

Even though the government made efforts to attract industry to the area in the 1970s and 1980s, unfortunately such attempts were "met with little success and more people were obliged to seek employment" elsewhere. In 2016 there were 465 residents, a 12.6% decrease from the 532 recorded in 2011.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/Lourdes