Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes
Introduction
Lourdes is a village in France where Our Blessed Mother
appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Her messages to Bernadette are ageless and apply to all
of us today.
Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844. She
was the first child of Francois Soubirous and Louise
Soubirous (Casterot). Her father was a miller who
provided a comfortable living for his family. Bernadette
had six brothers and two sisters. Only three of her
siblings lived beyond the age of ten. These loses bonded
the family together in strength and love. Bernadette
once said that she had never heard her parents quarrel.
The family was always at peace. This solid family
foundation left Bernadette emotionally balanced in times
of trouble and when faced with poverty and illnesses
which were to come.
A series of events which began in 1854 changed their
lives. Bernadette's father was falsely accused of
stealing two sacks of flour and was imprisoned for many
days. There was a drought which lasted for two years and
drastically affected the wheat harvest and work at the
mill. And finally, the steam mills that resulted from
the Industrial Revolution put Francois' mill out of
business, and he was out of work. The family was reduced
to living in a one-room dwelling called the Cachot,
which was formerly used as a jail. During this same
period Bernadette contracted cholera. The high fevers
caused her to suffer physically the rest of her life.
She suffered emotionally also. She felt the heart ache
of being excluded as people pointed to her family as the
ones who live in the Cachot. Her physical illnesses
prevented her from going to school. At age 14 she spoke
only the dialect of Lourdes. She was unable to read or
write or speak French, and the Catechism was taught in
French only. She went to Mass, but she was not allowed
to receive Holy Communion with her friends. Sometimes
Bernadette's only comfort was her mother's love. Later,
Fr. Pomian prepared Bernadette for First Holy Communion.
There was something about Bernadette that moved the
Hosts of Heavenly Hearts. She was blessed with eighteen
divine apparitions, and the world is forever changed and
will never forget Bernadette.
The First Apparition - Thursday, February 11, 1858:
After dinner on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday,
Bernadette's mother told her children that there was no
more wood in the house. Bernadette and her sister,
Toinette, and a neighbor friend, Jeanne Abadie, went to
the river Gave to gather wood. They had to cross a canal
of cold water. Fearing that she would have an asthma
attack, Bernadette stayed on the bank, and the other two
girls crossed the stream and picked up wood under the
grotto until they disappeared along the Gave.
Bernadette heard a great noise like the sound of a
storm, but nothing was moving. She was frightened and
stood straight up, loosing all power of speech and
thought. She turned her head towards the Grotto of
Massabieille and saw in the opening of the rock a
rosebush, one only, moving as if it were very windy.
Almost at the same time, there came out of the interior
of the grotto a golden-colored cloud, and soon
afterwards, a Lady, young and beautiful --exceedingly
beautiful -- the likes of whom she had never seen, came
and placed herself at the entrance of the opening above
the rosebush. She looked at Bernadette and immediately
smiled and signaled her to advance, in a way that a
mother motions her child to come near. Bernadette took
out her rosary and knelt before the Lady, who also had a
rosary on her right arm. When Bernadette tried to begin
saying the rosary by making the sign of the cross, her
arm was paralyzed. It was only after the Lady had made
the sign of the cross herself that Bernadette was able
to do the same. As Bernadette prayed the rosary, the
Lady passed the beads of her rosary between her fingers,
but remained silent. She did recite the Gloria's with
her, however. When the recitation of the rosary was
finished, the Lady returned to the interior of the rock
and the golden cloud disappeared with her.
Bernadette told her sister of the extraordinary things
that had happened to her at the grotto, asking her to
keep it a secret. Throughout the day the image of the
Lady remained in her mind. In the evening at the family
prayer Bernadette was troubled and began to cry. When
her mother asked what was the matter, her sister told
her everything. Bernadette's mother told her that these
were illusions, and forbid her to return to
Massabieille.
Bernadette could not sleep that night. The face of the
Lady, so good and so gracious, returned incessantly to
her memory. It was useless to recall what her mother had
said because she did not believe that she had been
deceived. Her conviction of this was unshakable. She
went on to describe the Beautiful Lady in detail:
"She has the appearance of a young girl of sixteen or
seventeen. She is dressed in a white robe, girdled at
the waist with a blue ribbon which flows down all around
it. A yoke closes it in graceful pleats at the base of
the neck. The sleeves are long and tight-fitting. She
wears upon her head a veil which is also white. This
veil gives just a glimpse of her hair and then falls
down at the back below her waist. Her feet are bare but
covered by the last folds of her robe except at the
point where a yellow rose shines upon each of them. She
holds on her right arm a rosary of white beads with a
chain of gold shinning like the two roses on her feet."
On Sunday, Bernadette's mother allowed her to return to
the grotto.
The Second Apparition - Sunday, February 14, 1858:
The three little girls started out, armed with a vial of
holy water. If what their elders said was true, they
might need this to ward off malign influences. Instead
of throwing the water at the Lady, Bernadette poured the
water quietly on the ground. Then she turned and told
her companion that, judging by the Beautiful Lady's
smile, She was pleased by this action. Before Jeanne
Abadie, who was just arriving, could explain that she
had thrown a stone for fun, the others had scattered in
every direction, screaming for help as they ran. When
Toinette reached the cachot (home) and poured out her
story, her mother seized a switch and headed for the
site. By now the whole town was talking. Fortunately for
the unhappy little Bernadette, one local woman of
considerable prominence interpreted the apparitions in a
different light from most of the townspeople. She got
Louise's permission to let her daughter Bernadette
accompany her and a friend to the grotto.
The Third Apparition - Thursday, February 18, 1858:
All three went first to early Mass. Then they set out
for the grotto. Madame Millet carried a blessed candle;
Antoinette Peyret a pen, paper and ink to record
anything that might be said. The Beautiful Lady said to
Bernadette: "There is no need for me to write down what
I have to say to you. Will you be so kind as to come
here every day for fifteen days?" No explicit reason was
given for this request, but a definite pledge
accompanied it: though she did not promise that
Bernadette would be happy in the world, the Beautiful
Lady gave her word that happiness would be waiting in
heaven.
The Fourth Apparition - Friday, February 19, 1858:
Bernadette's parents and her aunt accompanied her to the
Grotto along with some neighbors. Shortly after
Bernadette began to pray the Rosary, everyone present
noticed that her face was transfigured and illuminated.
The Fifth Apparition - Saturday, February 20, 1858:
On Her fifth visit, the Beautiful Lady taught Bernadette
a prayer, which she recited daily for the rest of her
life. She never revealed the prayer to anyone, but she
did say that she was told to always bring a blessed
candle with her. Candles now burn perpetually at the
Shrine.
The Sixth Apparition - Sunday, February 21, 1858:
The Beautiful Lady told Bernadette on this occasion to
"pray for sinners", which she never failed to do.
Several hundred people were present on that day,
including Dr. Dozous, a prominent physician in Lourdes.
He told the crowd that he could find nothing abnormal
about Bernadette's physical condition, even when her
mental state was trancelike: "Her pulse was regular, her
respiration easy, and nothing indicated nervous
excitement."
A meeting was called by the citizens of the town, and
sharp differences of opinion were expressed regarding
the apparitions. They expressed concern for the dangers
that could accompany gatherings of such large crowds.
They persuaded the Procurer Imperial, M. Dutour, to
officially forbid Bernadette to return to the Grotto.
Bernadette responded that she could not give her word to
refrain from going to the Grotto because she had
promised the Beautiful Lady she would do so. Dutour
dismissed her, and discussed this matter with two local
officials: M. Jacomet, the Chief of Police; and M.
Estrade, who was to become Bernadette's and Dutour's
friend and who was also to perform an invaluable service
by listening in at future conversations and scrupulously
recording them word for word.
Estrade recorded a conversation between the Chief of
Police and Bernadette. During that meeting, M.Jacomet
deliberately tried to confuse Bernadette to change her
account of the apparitions. When that attempt failed,
the Chief of Police released Bernadette to the custody
of her father with an admonition that he take her home
and guarantee that there would be no further
disturbances. But the interior call which was urging her
on was stronger than any earthly admonition.
On Monday, February 22, 1858, Bernadette returned to the
Grotto after school. Two policemen saw her and followed
her, and so did the usual crowd. The policemen stood at
respectful attention as she knelt down in her accustomed
place. But as she arose, they sprang forward and asked
her if she still insisted that she had seen a Beautiful
Lady. "No, this time I saw nothing at all," she
answered. She was allowed to go home, but she was
taunted and threatened. People said mockingly that the
Beautiful Lady was afraid of the police and had found
some safer place to go.
The Seventh Apparition - Tuesday, February 23, 1858:
Approximately two hundred people were present at this
apparition. When Bernadette's appearance was once more
transformed, the men present removed their hats and fell
to their knees. Bernadette appeared to be gravely
serious and listening, and then joyful, and she would
occasionally bow low. At the conclusion of the vision,
which lasted an hour, Bernadette moved on her knees
toward the rose bush and kissed the ground. When asked
what the Lady had said, Bernadette replied that the Lady
had entrusted her with three secrets, which she never
revealed.
The Eighth Apparition - Wednesday, February 24, 1858:
During the eighth apparition, Bernadette turned and
faced the crowd of more than four hundred people, and
three times she repeated, "penitence, penitence,
penitence!"
The Ninth Apparition - Thursday, February 25, 1858:
During this apparition, the Beautiful Lady told
Bernadette to, "drink from the fountain and bathe in
it." Bernadette was puzzled; there had never been a
fountain at Massabieille, or any kind of a natural
spring. She began to scratch the loose gravel off the
ground which encircled her. As she did so, she noticed
that the ground beneath her was moist, and that a little
pool was forming and bubbles were rising from it. She
cupped her hands together and drank, and then washed her
face. The next day, the pool was overflowing and water
was dripping down over the rock. The following day, the
trickle had become a real stream. Of course, it was
immediately said -- and has been said by skeptics ever
since -- that the spring was there all the time. The
fact remains that Bernadette did find the spring as the
result of a direct command.
The Tenth Apparition - Saturday, February 27, 1858:
On this occasion, the Beautiful Lady told Bernadette to
"kiss the ground on behalf of sinners." She immediately
did so, and the crowd followed her example.
The Eleventh Apparition - Sunday, February 28, 1858:
There were approximately two thousand spectators at the
Grotto that morning. The Lady asked Bernadette to tell
the clergy to build a chapel on the site of the Grotto.
The Twelfth Apparition - Monday, March 1, 1858:
During this apparition, the Lady commented to Bernadette
that she was not using her own Rosary, which was an
accurate statement. Bernadette had been asked by Pauline
Sans to use Pauline's Rosary at the Grotto that day.
The Thirteenth Apparition - Tuesday, March 2, 1858:
Bernadette arrived at the Grotto early in the morning,
prayed the Rosary in the presence of the Lady, who
remained silent except for the Gloria's.
The Fourteenth Apparition - Wednesday, March 3, 1858:
During this apparition, the Lady repeated that She
wanted a chapel built by the clergy and, additionally,
that She wanted people to come to this chapel in
processional form. Bernadette was terribly afraid of the
parish priest, Abbe Peyramale. It had been difficult for
her to go to him the first time about building a chapel,
but it took a great deal of courage for her to present
herself to him a second time about processions. He
dismissed her curtly, ordering her to tell the Beautiful
Lady that the Cure of Lourdes was not in the habit of
dealing with mysterious strangers; that if She wanted a
chapel -- if She had a right to one -- She must reveal
Her identity.
The Fifteenth Apparition - Thursday, March 4, 1858:
By now, most everyone in France knew that March 4th was
the last of the fifteen days that Bernadette had
promised the Lady that she would be present at the
Grotto. Twenty thousand people were present that day,
including an entire military garrison in full-dress
uniform. As Bernadette approached the apparition site, a
path was cleared for her, and the soldiers who
accompanied her did so with respect. After the
apparition, Bernadette told the crowd that she would
continue coming to the Grotto because the Beautiful Lady
had said nothing in the form of a farewell. The crowd
was disappointed and disillusioned. They had seen
Bernadette transfigured with a strange radiance, but
they had hoped to also share her vision, to hear the
same voice that she did, and they expected that, at the
very least, the rosebush would burst into a sudden
miraculous bloom.
The Sixteenth Apparition - Thursday, March 25, 1858:
During the sixteenth apparition, which occurred on the
Feast of the Annunciation, the Beautiful Lady revealed
her identity to Bernadette: "Que soy era Immaculado
Conception", I am the Immaculate Conception. Bernadette
was not sure what this name meant, but people who needed
no explanation flocked to Lourdes in greater numbers
than ever before. Baron Massy, a local official, ordered
Bernadette to be examined by three more physicians. They
found her to be physically and mentally sound.
The Seventeenth Apparition - Wednesday, April 7, 1858:
Bernadette had never failed to bring a lighted candle to
the Grotto since the first time she had been instructed
to do so by the Beautiful Lady. During this apparition,
she unconsciously placed one of her hands over the flame
of the candle. People witnessed the flame burning
through her fingers. Bernadette did not even hear the
cries of horror which arose from the crowd. She
continued to pray for at least fifteen minutes while the
flame burned through her hand. She emerged quietly from
prayer unscathed. Then Dr. Dozous took another candle
and, without warning, touched the flame to her hand.
Bernadette immediately cried out in pain. Shortly after
this apparition, the Prefect took matters into his own
hands and ordered the Grotto closed, and the rustic
altar was dismantled.
The Eighteenth Apparition - Friday, July 16, 1858:
Bernadette seemed relieved that she was becoming less of
a public figure. Several months had passed, and after
receiving communion on the feast of Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel, Bernadette felt an irresistible urge to return
to the Grotto. Since the barricade was still in place,
she and her aunt could not get as close to the sacred
spot as they wanted, so they knelt in the grass, and the
Beautiful Lady appeared to her one last time.
Bernadette joined the order of the Sisters of Charity.
Throughout her life she remained sickly, but attended
patiently to her duties as infirmarian and sacristan.
She died a holy death on April 16, 1879. She was 34
years old. Bernadette was buried on the convent grounds
in Nevers, France. Her body was exhumed thirty years
later on September 22, 1909, in the presence of two
doctors, several appointed officials, and nuns from the
local convent. When Bernadette's coffin was opened,
there was no odor, and her body was completely untouched
by the laws of nature.
A second exhumation took place on April 3, 1919. The
body of the then declared Venerable was found in the
same state of preservation as ten years earlier, except
that the face was slightly discolored, due to the
washing it had undergone during the first exhumation. A
worker in wax was entrusted with the task of coating the
face of the Saint who had been dead forty years. The
sacred relic (Bernadette's body) was placed in a coffin
of gold and glass and can be viewed to this very day in
the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the motherhouse in
Nevers, France.
Note: In a book by
Ruth Cranston, originally published by Doubleday in 1955
there are testimonies and accounts of thousands who have
claimed healing due to the miraculous waters of the
Grotto of Massabieille, in Lourdes France. Hundreds of
cases have been reviewed by the Medical Bureau of
Lourdes and deemed to be of a supernatural nature. The
water from the Grotto still flows today, and people
continue to attest to the healing powers of this
God-given grace.
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