With The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes Tomorrow And Valentines Day Around The Corner, How About This For a Fact?
DID YOU KNOW THE VIRGIN MARY HAD A HAND IN CREATING FERRERO ROCHER CHOCOLATES?!
Michele Ferrero, an Italian chocolatier and devout Catholic, was known for his devotion to Our Lady. During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of his company, he said: “The success of Ferrero we owe to Our Lady of Lourdes; without her we can do little.”
When Ferrero introduced the treats in 1982, it is believed that he named them “Rocher” after the craggy rock grotto, called the Rocher de Massabielle, that marks the place where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France. A place that had a special meaning for Ferrero, who died on Valentine’s Day in 2015 at the age of 89.
Ferrero was said to have made an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, taking his top manager. He also organized a visit to the shrine for his employees, and had a statue of the Virgin Mary placed in each of his company’s 14 production facilities around the world, with many still going today!
