The anniversary of St. Bernadette

Bernadette died at three o'clock in the afternoon on the first Wednesday after Easter. Sister Nathalie, a Sister of Charity of Nevers gives this account: "Toward three o'clock in the afternoon she seemed in the grip of inexpressible interior anguish. The sisters in the infirmary were alarmed and fetched holy water which they sprinkled over her while suggesting pious invocations to her. She took hold of her crucifix, contemplated it with love, then slowly kissed Christ's wounds, one by one."

In the hour of Christ's death Bernadette raised her arms in a cross and cried out "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, poor sinner, poor sinner ..."

Bernadette had been told at the grotto many years before that she would not be happy in this world but in the other. She had taken this to heart and she never took it for granted. Her life was one of suffering and giving. Bernadette did not always find life easy but she gave herself completely to her vocation and gave up her beloved Lourdes. Her body remains a visible witness to faith in

Nevers.

Prayer to St. Bernadette

Bernadette, you have long sought the Lord where he called you to.

You asked. You listened. You trusted.

You were sure the Lord would guide you.

You surrendered yourself completely in the hands of God.

Like Mary you are confidant

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same confidence, the same generosity and patience.

Lord, enlighten me on my path

And give me strength to say "yes"

when I hear your call.

Bernadette, you intensely desired the Eucharist,

You had done everything to receive communion

in the Body of Christ,

You loved to adore the Blessed Sacrament,

You united your life living in the offering,

that of Christ at the alter.

Like Mary, the Woman of the Eucharist

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same hunger for the Eucharist, the food,

presence and sacrifice.

Lord, you have given us your Son,

the living and eternal Bread.

That the Eucharist transforms my life to be a

perpetual act of thanksgiving.

Bernadette, you always enjoyed serving others,

On 11th of February, the Virgin appeared to you when you

were fetching wood.

Among sisters, you learned to treat the sick and

residents of the hospice

Later, in Nevers, you were an excellent nurse,

offering an attentive and intelligent in charity.

Like Mary, who saw the family's needs, in Cana.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same generosity and the same faith

to see that Christ is present in each one

Lord, you have given us brothers and sisters to love.

That our eyes, our hands and our hearts are open

to all those that you put in our way.

Bernadette, your faith has grown in the Church.

The Church, it was your family, your church,

your religious community.

Bravely, you went to tell the priests to hold a procession

and to build a chapel.

Once your mission was accomplished,

you retreated in silence and humility.

Like Mary, in this day of Pentecost and then silence.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same love of the Church:

I trust that it will support me in my prayer.

Lord, you give everyone a place in your Church.

Let me answer my vocation with the same simplicity

and the same generosity as Bernadette.

Amen!

(Copyright Service Creation- Sanctuaries Notre-Dame de Lourdes)

This time last year I was fortunate enough to be in Lourdes on this day and little mention was made of Bernadette there. Her humility and recognition that she was simply a courier of messages at Lourdes mean that she is rarely the focus there. This, I think, would have pleased her. She is, of course, of great importance to the place but you often have to seek her out if you really want to understand her. So many people do. For me, for countless millions of others whether Catholic or not Bernadette is a powerhouse of strength, love and faith at its best.

Pray for us St. Bernadette!

Looking to the 11th

We all know that tomorrow is the 11th of February and that means its the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. I first went to Lourdes in 2004 and find that with each year my personal relationship with it changes and grows. Looking back, I honestly think that without Lourdes in my life I would have been rather different. I am not even sure how this is the case but I really believe that it is. I have experienced no physical healing at Lourdes, there are no physical manifestations of my experiences there. However, like millions and millions of others I have been touched by the great power of love that exists there.

On the 11th of February a girl went to collect firewood and in that simple action begins the story which is not always joyful, especially for Bernadette who made great sacrifices in her life. Yet it remains a story of triumph, a grotto, a symbol of hope that stood through two world wars and draws more pilgrims to it now, in this secularised Europe than it ever has before. One can only begin to consider the awe Bernadette must have felt when all of this begun. Two years ago I was able to be at the grotto on the 11th and I was able to look up at the space where 'Aquiro' first appeared. That was a privilege enough for me and at the time I might not have fully realised why, yet because of that privilege I have been able to open a dialogue about Lourdes on this blog and people have emailed me and messaged me from as far afield as Africa. Thank you to all of you who have read along and given me a chance to talk about a beauty which language does no justice to. Lourdes belongs to all of us and the grotto is open to our faith and to our hearts. It is a gift.

For pictures of the 11th of Feb 2008 (150th anniversary) click here
For a post on the first apparition click here
For a sermon from Lourdes on Our Lady (2008) click here

Post Script
Last year I was very privileged in taking some petitions to the grotto for people and I was just wondering- if people reflect back- whether they feel any of those prayers were answered. Not that I am asking people to share publicly or I think that Lourdes is some kind of gumball machine where you put in a prayer and get a prize. I was just thinking it might be a nice time to consider those petitions again.

There are so many ways in which prayers can be answered- our ways are not His ways -and Lourdes is as much about the miracles you can't see, those of the soul, as those you can.

I wish you all a blessed feastday tomorrow and remember your intentions in my own prayers.

Our Lady of Lourdes - pray for us!

A word from our sponsor (St Bernadette at Christmas)

On Christmas Eve 1871 Bernadette attended midnight mass and sat with her fellow sister Victoire Cassou, who later gave this account:

With her veil drawn around her, nothing could avert her attention. After holy communion, she was so deep in prayer that she did not even notice that everyone had gone out. However, I remained close to her for I did not like the idea of going to the refectory with the other sisters. I contemplated her for a long time without her noticing me. Her face was radiant and heavenly as during the ecstasy of her apparitions. When the sister responsible for shutting the chapel doors came, she made a lot of noise with the bolts. Then Bernadette came out of what seemed to be an ecstasy.

Bernadette's body (left) and the chapel at Nevers (right).

This week is my blog's birthday and Bernadette has been a big part of its content so that seemed appropriate. Thanks to you all for reading and a very Merry, peaceful Christmas to you all!

Only 31/2 hours to go till midnight mass in the UK!

The Immaculate Conception

The feast of the Immaculate Conception is nearly upon us. One of my favourite feast days of the year (though I say that about an awful lot of feast days). This feast seems perfectly suited to the run up to advent when we come to consider a fusion of divinity and humanity. Okay, and it obviously does link quite nicely to the message of Lourdes (you knew it was coming!). The message of Lourdes was, in a sense, the divine confirmation of a recent doctrine, on the 25th of March 1858 the lady finally revealed her name to St. Bernadette:

It had been 20 days since the last apparition. Bernadette felt internally compelled to go back to the grotto and, as ever, could not resist the call. However, as of today the Lady would no longer be Aquiro; today, on the feast of the annunciation, she revealed her name. Bernadette would later write; "She lifted up her eyes to heaven, joined her hands as though in prayer, that were held out and open towards the ground and said to me: Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou (I am the Immaculate Conception) ."

It is difficult to comprehend how alien this phrase was to Bernadette - there was no thunderbolt moment for her after speaking with the Lady- where she suddenly realised who she had been talking to. Instead, terrified she would forget the name she repeated it to herself aloud all the way back up the hill into the main town of Lourdes. When she reached the house of Peyramale she simply blurted out 'I am the Immaculate Conception' which understandably caused the priest to stop in his tracks and stare at the little peasant girl in front of him.Peyramale had been requesting the name of the Lady for weeks- now here it was.

Of course Bernadette was ignorant of the fact that this theological expression was assigned to the Blessed Virgin. Four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX declared this a truth of the Catholic Faith (a dogma). Of course the priest was not - he questioned Bernadette about how she knew this phrase and discovered fairly quickly that she obviously had no idea what it meant and nor did anyone with whom she had come in to close contact. Now the priest was troubled more than ever- he could see Bernadette was sincere and for the first time he was wondering....could it be?

(from the post The 16th Apparition)

However, Bernadette's connection with the feast day does not end there. Bernadette left for the convent at Nevers in 1867. Five months later on the 8th of December her beloved mother Louise died. It seems to me no coincidence that Louise, who had suffered a great deal in her life and had struggled through the period in which Bernadette had her visions died on this day.

Bernadette herself was appropriately canonised on the 8th of December.

The Immaculate Conception remains a bastion of hope and faith in our world; the woman who is the embodiment of the goodness God intended for us all. Surely one of the most essential aspects of goodness is compassion and for this reason we can be comforted because she is listening and ready to come to our aid. Our struggles in this life are many but we await the next with open hearts.

How can you have October without virtual Lourdes?

A little visit to virtual Lourdes in honour of the Rosary. What better place to celebrate than at the grotto where praying the Rosary was overseen by Our Lady herself? She joined in the Our Father and followed silently as Bernadette prayed the Hail Mary. This was the case from the earliest vision. How many rosaries have been said there since? It must run into trillions! Hooray!

From a personal point of view I think it is where I learnt to fully appreciate this most beautiful and powerful of prayers.

Remember that your prayers went there too and all those thousands of Rosaries surrounded them. I so hope that those prayers are being answered. I believe they are - perhaps already have been?

The Ave Maria being sung in the midst of the Rosary procession

Back to Bernadette

It has been a little while since I have had a chance to talk about St Bernadette and you all know that I love talking about St. Bernadette - a book I have just been given allows the perfect opportunity. Hooray!

It is called "We Saw Her" and its comprised of witness accounts from those who were there in 1858 and saw the events. Before I go to bed I can't help but share this with you:

"It was no longer the same Bernadette - the angels in heaven must be like that. At times she listened with a sad and dejected air; then her lips moved again. Once more I heard that long sigh which made me so happy. Ever since, when I wake at night I try to reawaken the picture of her face and above all that smile and those lovely bows" LOUIS BAUP *

Me too and I wasn't even there! :-)

*We Saw Her, B.G. Sandhurst, Longmans, Green & Co, London, 2003 (first published 1953)

Memories of Nevers

It is now a year since my beautiful visit to Nevers, Bernadette's final resting place, and now a place where earthly souls can rest for a little time bathed in peace before returning to the world. I can't really describe the beauty of being able to stay at the convent at Espace Bernadette and being able to be beside her body in the chapel late at night when nobody else was there. During the day I liked to watch children peep in at her with fascination and kneeling pilgrims tilt their head beside her while in a deep kind of conversation of prayer. Yet I also loved it late at night before they closed the chapel, I could simply kneel before her tiny structure and marvel, I could enter into that deep, deep peace that she emanates.

When I started this blog the first thing I wrote about was that trip to Nevers in the dying days of August - a trip that sustained me for the long winter ahead and sustains me still (You can read that post here). I met many of you through that early post because in this world there is a surge of warmth from many when you talk about Bernadette. She is a true spiritual giant. My journey to her was a privilege and in my darkest moments I cling to her words:

"I shall forget no one" 

I have complete faith that this is true whether one is beside that little body or millions of miles away, across oceans and seas.  For, of course, Bernadette is now on the other side of that veil which separates us from those that have gone before us - amidst the communion of saints. 

St Bernadette - pray for us!

I thought I might share some of the happy snapshots from that trip:

 

Grapes growing in the convent gardens

Beautiful St. Bernadette - awaiting the day when she will wake

The room in which Bernadette died is one where she lived and prayed through the last months of her life, suffering deeply. Her bed, like all the others in the infirmary was covered with a white drape. As she suffered, finally unable to walk she called it her white chapel. The place where her bed stood is now marked by the tabernacle, covered in a symbolic white drape. Words fail the powerful presence of peace in that room. Oh so beautiful! I go there often in prayer.

The spot where Bernadette actually died, sitting up as she struggled to breathe. The floorboards, the fire place, the statue are as they were.  I knelt before them deeply touched by Bernadette's own hidden life of love and prayer.

This is Our Lady of the Waters, a statue which has its place at the back of the convent, hidden behind hedgerow. Bernadette would often steal herself some peace here, away from what was often an extremely difficult life in the convent.  She was not a big fan of statues of Our Lady, she found them beautiful and showed them reverence but was always very aware that they could not reflect the real beauty of what she had seen. Yet she felt that this statue had "something" of the beauty she had seen in the Lady at the grotto.  This is a similar stance to the one the Lady took when she revealed her name to Bernadette: 'The Immaculate Conception"

St Joseph's chapel where Bernadette rested till 1925 is the perfect place to hide away and say your Rosary.  It was here that many early visitors to her burial site were said to have experienced miraculous cures through the intercession of Bernadette.

The front of the convent where Bernadette lived out her vocation, directly through those doors is the main chapel where Bernadette's body now rests.

The actual chair in which Bernadette died.

The clothes Bernadette wore to the convent.

The few possessions Bernadette brought with her from the hospice where she had been living in Lourdes until the age of 22

Link to some great posts on Lourdes

Just wanted to tip you off about some great posts on Lourdes which I have been really enjoying over on Poetry, Prayer, and Praise  - they can be found here.  

18th apparition - A day for Mary

So today is the anniversary of the last of Bernadette's apparitions at Lourdes and of course it is also the feastday of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It seems so long ago that I tried to post on the anniversary of each of the other apparitions- this one feels a little disconnected. This, the eighteenth time Bernadette saw Our Lady, was really just a silent farewell by which time the grotto was already overwhelmed by visitors and Bernadette had her vision on the opposite side of the river bank, transported in her ecstasy so that she felt she was kneeling by the niche in the rock.

"I felt that I was in front of the Grotto, at the same distance as before, I saw only the Blessed Virgin, and she was more beautiful than ever!"

Bernadette had to let go of her grotto, and a few years later of Lourdes (in the physical sense) all together and find her own path to serving God and Our Blessed Mother in her life. As we all do- the fact that she managed to do it with such completeness is a testimony to her sainthood. But hey, the rest of us can but try!

I do know that I believe completely in the phenomenal POWER of Mary's immaculate heart and that she is capable, through her son, of things that we would consider impossible. I believe, as she promised at Fatima, that she will triumph over all the evils of this world. I also know that through her, in spite of all my faults and failings I have received so many graces in my life (one of them has been stumbling on blogging as an outlet and meeting so many people living out their faith and vocations in so many different ways everyday).

To read each of the other apparitions just click on the post labelled marked apparitions

Down here in the dirt

When Bernadette was about to be given the last rights for the fourth time in her short life she shrugged and said 'down here we are in the dirt'. This was not intended to be a criticism or rejection of the great beauties of this life but simply an observation that here we are separated from the great beauty of heaven- from the source of beauty. She knew this better than most because she had seen through to that other world and met the Queen of heaven. It does not lessen the value of the life we live here to say that it is imperfect - every follower of Christ, every human being knows this to be true. We all carry our burdens, of differing weights, but we cannot forget that where there is dirt there must be growth, life and productivity. From down here in the dirt we can fix our eyes on heaven with all the more clarity. Bernadette did not like suffering, she did not want to suffer but through it she found a way to strip everything else away so that only God remained. I often fail to see this when I find myself in a little more dirt than usual (like this week) and I would do well to remember it. 

I wondered if you would be so kind as to remember someone very important to me in your prayers. My Mum, like all mothers, is very stoic and always holds back on how she is feeling, putting others before herself.  I know she is not feeling well at the moment (its my parents' 37th wedding anniversary and I popped home to see them).  She is a strong woman but she still likes to avoid a fuss. Please, if you would be so kind, pray for her and her health. Many thanks to you all. God Bless!

NB Sorry I am not replying to comments again - my blogger ID is on the blink again and thinks I am an impostor.       

CELEBRATION! (It's a May thing)

The other day I wrote a post which looked at a criticism which is often leveled at Lourdes. My objective was not so much to defend Lourdes (which certainly doesn't need me to defend it) but the fact that Lourdes, as well as being a very holy place is a very human place with all the trappings that accompany six million people. I suppose I wanted to covey the reality of it as well as the divinity because in a way I think that is the beauty of the place. However, I don't think I did a great job on that front (the comments left by readers were so much more elegant and well put than my actual post :-) ) So instead I thought I would just share some images from my most recent trip to Lourdes showing you why it is special ( generally special but also special to me) rather than just ranting on in my usual polemic style. I hope you will all forgive me for my lack clarity. I usually come to my computer at the end of the day or when I can grab a few minutes during the day and at the moment my brain is totally fried. Thank you all for your continued kindness

REASONS TO CELEBRATE MARY, MAY AND LOURDES:
1) Reason 1 - because in Lourdes you can paint an image like this on a wall in the middle of a pedestrian street and it is met with affection and love. When I first went to Lourdes I was amazed and overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit shown by pilgrims. I have worked in both kitchens of the hospitals and helping to bathe pilgrims and I have never been so humbled by the love people are filled with here. Perhaps it is not just images it is easier to show. In Lourdes people can be unguarded and free in their faith and expression. All around you are reminders of the best aspects, not just of Catholicism, but humanity, humility and faith - you are constantly absorbing or being exposed to the goodness of others and the simple truth of their faith.

2) Reason2 - Lourdes is a refuge for the people who deserve to be respected but are often overlooked in our secular, material, success driven world. In Lourdes the sick and disabled always go first -no matter what. Here they are treated as the teachers - we follow them. It is the one place where prejudice is turned on its head - the least important in the eyes of the world are the most important. Just as Christ said it should be. We step aside for them and treat them with the respect they deserve. People can wait for hours for to get into the baths for example, or to walk around the grotto because wheelchairs and the disabled will be put before them. If there were no other reason for the existence of this place - this one on its own would be enough.

3) Reason 3 - The miracle of serenity. Being at the grotto brings a peace to the soul that is the real miracle of Lourdes. When I first went there a Canadian chaplain told me that people tend to think of Lourdes as a place of, or even come to Lourdes looking for great physical healing- which is fine but it is about more than that. What they receive is something else - quite different but no less great or magnificent; the miracle of serenity. Bernadette herself believed that the healing springs were not for her. The graces of having seen Our Lady were enough to sustain her.

4) The beauty of Lourdes. Pure and simple.

5) The good example of those who first knelt at the grotto. This year Lourdes is having a special year to bring peoples attention to Bernadette. A good reason for this is that she can be quite easily forgotten in the buzz of the sanctuary. This is of course her aim and achievement - the brush Our Lady used to sweep up with and then put back behind the door - was how she described herself. Bernadette withdrew from Lourdes and sacrificed not only the grotto she loved but being close to the family she loved. Her devotion and love of God is a true example to us all. She wanted to give thanks for graces she believed were given to her because she was the "poorest and most ignorant" child heaven could pick out of obscurity "if she had found someone more stupid she would have chosen her" Bernadette told the commission which declared Lourdes genuine within four years of the vision. One of Bernadette's habits is displayed in a small, out of the way museum in Lourdes.

If you go up into the town you can also visit the grave of Peyramale Bernadette's greatest critic at the beginning of the visions and her staunchest defender by the end. I visited his tomb for the first time this year. I found it very moving. He is buried in the crypt of parish church where he served his community. There is no fuss surrounding him.

6) The love of a mother who brings us with her to the foot of the cross, to the body of her son; sacrificed and risen, to the day of Pentecost and to the grotto where she asks us to pray for sinners and cries "Penance, penance, penance!". To look upon the place where she stood.

Special prayer to St Bernadette to mark the 130th anniversary of her death

This year the theme in Lourdes is THE PATH OF BERNADETTE and to mark this theme there is a prayer to Bernadette being given out in the sanctuaries at Lourdes - I think it is really beautiful and wanted to post it to mark the 130th anniversary of her death which occurred on Thursday the 16th of April. I hope you enjoy it - I have copied it as accurately as possible with bold and italics faithfully reproduced.   Just see below:-

 

Prayer to St. Bernadette

Bernadette, you have long sought the Lord where he called you to.

You asked. You listened. You trusted.

You were sure the Lord would guide you.

You surrendered yourself completely in the hands of God.

Like Mary you are confidant

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same confidence, the same generosity and patience.

Lord, enlighten me on my path

And give me strength to say "yes"

when I hear your call.

Bernadette, you intensely desired the Eucharist,

You had done everything to receive communion

in the Body of Christ,

You loved to adore the Blessed Sacrament,

You united your life living in the offering,

that  of Christ at the alter.

Like Mary, the Woman of the Eucharist

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same hunger for the Eucharist, the food,

presence and sacrifice.

Lord, you have given us your Son,

the living and eternal Bread.

That the Eucharist transforms my life to be a 

perpetual act of thanksgiving.

Bernadette, you always enjoyed serving others,

On 11th of February, the Virgin appeared to you when you

were fetching wood.

Among sisters, you learned to treat the sick and

residents of the hospice

Later, in Nevers, you were an excellent nurse,

offering an attentive and intelligent in charity.

Like Mary, who saw the family's needs, in Cana.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same generosity and the same faith

to see that Christ is present in each one

Lord, you have given us brothers and sisters to love.

That our eyes, our hands and our hearts are open

to all those that you put in our way.

Bernadette, your faith has grown in the Church.

The Church, it was your family, your church,

your religious community.

Bravely, you went to tell the priests to hold a procession

and to build a chapel.

Once your mission was accomplished,

you retreated in silence and humility.

Like Mary, in this day of Pentecost and then silence.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same love of the Church:

I trust that it will support me in my prayer.

Lord, you give everyone a place in your Church.

Let me answer my vocation with the same simplicity

and the same generosity as Bernadette.

Amen!

(Copyright Service Creation- Sanctuaries Notre-Dame de Lourdes)

RELATED POSTS: Third Apparition and Bernadette's Feastday

From Lourdes to Nevers

A last brief post from Lourdes - a prayer

I fly out tomorrow after a blessed few days in Lourdes. Just had a quiet day today soaking up life here. I had forgotten what it is like when there are big pilgrimages out - so busy!  I have been used to being here in February or working in the baths in the summer when you never get to see anything because you are inside all day.

I will put a few little posts out on little things I have picked up on that I think you will enjoy over the next few days. I had a wonderful day celebrating the anniversary of Bernadette's death yesterday- when she was finally reunited with Our Lady after a long wait- so I didn't manage to post. The fact I was celebrating here meant I neglected my little blog celebrations but there is a prayer to Bernadette which is being given out in Lourdes this year to mark her special anniversary and I really want to share it with you but I will have to type it out so I will try and do that upon my return.

I will remember you all when I say farewell to the grotto tomorrow morning.

God Bless one last time from Lourdes!

Your prayers reaching the grotto

I just wanted to let you all know that your prayers were placed in the intentions box at the grotto, just in front of the source of the spring Bernadette dug today. I also remembered you all at the baths.

Look out for photographic evidence of your petitions at the grotto- coming soon!

Tomorrow is the 130th anniversary of Bernadette's death and I hope to be at the grotto where she first experienced the love of Our Blessed Mother. I continue to pray for you all and all your intentions.

A prayer I found in Lourdes today

O Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes,

may your beauty and your smile warm our hearts

That in your call for repentance you find us available and generous!

That our communities rely on the faith of Peter and commit to follow Christ!

By your Immaculate conception do we hope to rediscover

innocence and holiness!

May the light of Easter rekindle in us the flame of charity!

Mary, Queen of Peace:

look to the people who are victims of war!

Mary, "salus infirmorum"

give to the sick, strength and hope!

Mary, you who have experienced poverty:

come to aid, to help the poorest!

Mary, mother of the Church:

like you that everyone says "yes" to the call of God!

Mary, mother of God:

Help us to sing the Magnificat

since the Kingdom of God is open

Our Lady of Lourdes pray for us!

Saint Bernadette, pray for us!

O Mary, conceived without sin,

pray for us who have recourse to you!

17th Apparition - 'the miracle of the candle'

The 17th apparition is often described as 'the miracle of the candle' which is best recounted by Dr.  Dozous, the town physician who had known Bernadette for most of her life. He was initially unsure about events surrounding the apparitions but as time went by he observed Bernadette's ecstasies,  as well as the inexplicable healing of many of his own patients. This skeptic, rationalist was increasingly convinced that the little asthmatic Soubirous girl was experiencing something beyond the realms of rationalist understanding and science. Dozous wrote of April 7th 1858:

"Bernadette seemed to be even more absorbed than usual in the Appearance upon which her gaze was riveted. I witnessed, as did also every one else there present, the fact which I am about to narrate. (...) The child was just beginning to make the usual ascent on her knees when suddenly she stopped and, her right hand joining her left, the flame of the big candle passed between the fingers of the latter. Though fanned by a fairly strong breeze, the flame produced no effect upon the skin which it was touching. (...) I then asked the person who was holding the candle to light it again and give it to me. I put it several times in succession under Bernadette's left hand but she drew it away quickly, saying 'You are burning me!'. I record this fact just as I have seen it without attempting to explain it. Many persons who were present at the time can confirm what I have said."

TAKING YOUR PETITIONS TO LOURDES - a simple offer

THE 16th APPARITION - THE LADY REVEALS HER NAME

It had been 20 days since the last apparition. Bernadette felt internally compelled to go back to the grotto and, as ever, could not resist the call. However, as of today the Lady would no longer be Aquiro; today, on the feast of the annunciation, she revealed her name. Bernadette would later write; "She lifted up her eyes to heaven, joined her hands as though in prayer, that were held out and open towards the ground and said to me: Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou (I am the Immaculate Conception) ."


It is difficult to comprehend how alien this phrase was to Bernadette - there was no thunderbolt moment for her after speaking with the Lady- where she suddenly realised who she had been talking to. Instead, terrified she would forget the name she repeated it to herself aloud all the way back up the hill into the main town of Lourdes. When she reached the house of Peyramale she simply blurted out 'I am the Immaculate Conception' which understandably caused the priest to stop in his tracks and stare at the little peasant girl in front of him. Peyramale had been requesting the name of the Lady for weeks- now here it was.

Of course Bernadette was ignorant of the fact that this theological expression was assigned to the Blessed Virgin. Four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX declared this a truth of the Catholic Faith (a dogma). Of course the priest was not - he questioned Bernadette about how she knew this phrase and discovered fairly quickly that she obviously had no idea what it meant and nor did anyone with whom she had come in to close contact. Now the priest was troubled more than ever- he could see Bernadette was sincere and for the first time he was wondering....could it be?

Feeling under the weather - what would the saints say?

I woke up this morning with the feeling that today was going to be an effort. I am so exhausted and drained and I'm finding it hard to keep my patience as we roll steadily towards the end of term. It helps to be reminded that God is much closer than we might think and that is the great thing about having the saints so close to us; one is always faced with a good example- even when you feel like a good example is the last thing you want to be faced with. The Church in her wisdom gives us people - other human beings like us- who overcame their own trials and flaws in order to triumph over struggles of every kind - you name it there is bound to be a saint who has been there, done that, got over it, gone past it to that place we are all so desperate to reach (and sometimes feel so far from)

I guess most of us have saints that we feel a particular affection for even though we know that all are equally great and teach us lessons of equal value. There are a couple of people in particular who help me snap out of it when I get self indulgent. I thought that today, while I was sitting at my desk feeling like I've been trampled by a herd of large, clumsy elephants I would share the person who is getting me through the day (or one of them at least) I found the following video on YOUTUBE and I think it sums things up pretty nicely. May God bless you all today!:

Bernadette and Jospeh

Bernadette said "when you find it difficult to pray go to Saint Joseph because who else knows as well as he does how to speak to Jesus and Mary?"

When St. Bernadette was originally buried it was in the chapel of St Joseph (seen left, her original grave and the statue of St. Joseph which overlooks it can be seen below). A very small and humble but equally beautiful building surrounded by the gardens in the convent at Nevers. She rested there till 1925 when her own small and humble but equally beautiful intact body was moved to its glass casket in the main convent chapel within the convent buildings which could accommodate pilgrims a little better. (the statue of St. Joseph, below, overlooks the spot where she used to be buried)

My eldest brother was almost born on the feast of St. Joseph and thus it was almost his first name but when he turned out to be taking his time about things (he was born on the 20th) he was given Joseph as his middle name instead.

15th Apparition- the end of the fourteen days

Thursday 4th of March

And so the main 14 days of apparitions come to an end. Again, Bernadette returned to the grotto with her Rosary and asked the Lady's name as she had been told to by the priest. In her own words:

"The third time I went to see M. le Curé, to tell him that a Lady had ordered me to go and say to the priests that they were to have a chapel built there, he looked at me for a moment, and then he said to me in a rather gruff tone, 'Who is this lady?' I answered that I did not know. Then he commissioned me to ask her name and to come and tell him. The next day when I arrived at the grotto I recited my rosary and then asked her, from M. le Curé what her name was, but all she did was to smile. When I got back I went to M. le Curé to tell him that I discharged his commission, and her only response was her smile; then he said she was laughing at me and that I would do well not to go to her again. But, I could not help going."

The Lady smiled once more but the vision was silent. The crowd was now far too large to put an exact number on but a conservative estimate is 8000 people. Bernadette's focus remained compete. The crowd was waiting for the miracle that would prove the Lady's divinity. It did not come and Peyramale, along with many others were unimpressed and took this as proof of their suspicions.

The grotto stood for the next twenty days with no visits from Bernadette or her Aquiro. The Lady would only appear another three times. However, the next apparition would cause the greatest commotion of all. On Thursday the 25th of March the Lady would reveal her name.