Weebosch is a village that is part of the municipality of Bergeijk and is located in the southeast of the province of North Brabant. In the centre of the village stands a large church dedicated to the Italian saint Gerardus Majella (Gerardo Maiella 1726-1755). Weebosch is a pilgrimage site for Gerardus Majella. Behind the church and the presbytery, a procession park has been laid out, where the Lourdes grotto is located. Behind the Lourdes grotto is a cemetery.
The Lourdes grotto stands on the site of a former Marian chapel and was built in 1935. The grotto is a gift from the parishioners to Johannes Antonius Maria Panken (1876-1946), priest in Weebosch, to mark his 12.5-year jubilee as priest. The grotto was built by local bricklayer Gerardus Beenen (1868-1961). On the right side of the grotto is a plaque with the text “Stones from the grotto of Lourdes” with a hole underneath, as the stones have disappeared. Candles can be lit in the large niche of the grotto. The statue of Mary stands at approximately 2 metres high in a narrow niche. The effigy of young Bernadette Soubirous, seer of Lourdes in 1858, stands a few metres in front of the grotto. The well-maintained Lourdes grotto can be closed off by a low fence.
The preparations for the plans to establish a procession park were carried out by W.C. van de Wiel, pastor in Weebosch (1946-1949). In 1949, the procession park was constructed, beginning with a chapel which was consecrated in that year. The chapel's design was by Tilburg architect Cornelis Josephus Franciscus (Cor) Wortel (1921-1944), who died during the Second World War (1939-1945) due to his work in the resistance. The design for the chapel was found in the effects of the young architect. Cor Wortel's father, Gerrit Wortel, provided the materials free of charge and built the chapel between 1946 and 1949.
The processional park is completed on the initiative of Franciscus C.J. Verbunt (1902-1964), parish priest in Weebosch (1949-1963). In 1957, 14 Stations of the Cross are added to the park.
In the church, there is a special chapel dedicated to Gerardus Majella, where many ex-votos can be seen. The church is a design by architect Jan Stuyt (1868-1934) and was built in 1907.
Address: Weebosch 75, 5571LW Weebosch (municipality of Bergeijk).
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