What did Our Lady told Bernadette on February 18 1858?
On the feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on March 25th, the Lady at last proclaimed her identity. Speaking to Bernadette in the local Lourdes patois, she said ‘I am the Immaculate Conception’.
What was Mary’s message to Bernadette?
Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, at the age of 14, she had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in the nearby Massabielle grotto. Mary revealed her identity with the words “I am the Immaculate Conception” and, among other messages and affirmations, told Bernadette that a chapel should be built there.
When Bernadette returned to the grotto the lady asked her to return for 15 days she told Bernadette she did not promise happiness in this world but what?
On her third visit, she said that the “beautiful lady” asked her to return to the grotto every day for 15 days. At first her mother had forbidden her to go, but Soubirous persuaded her mother to allow her. Soubirous said that the lady told her that she did not promise to make her happy in this world, but in the next.
What is St Bernadette the patron saint of?
Saint Bernadette is the patron of the ill, poor, sheep tenders and those ridiculed for their piety. Her feast day is February 18.
How many times did the Virgin Mary appear to Bernadette?
The story of Lourdes is well known. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in that small town located in the foothills of the Pyrenee mountains of southern France.
Why is Mary in a grotto?
Mary was such a figure or sign of Catholic identity. The Lourdes grotto became a very popular feature of this custom and spread wherever Catholic missionaries went, in particular the Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Missionary Priests of Paris.
How many holy virgins are there?
There are at least 4,000 consecrated virgins in the world, according to a 2015 survey, and the Vatican says there has been an upsurge of vocations “in very diverse geographic areas and cultural contexts”.
Why do people go to the grotto?
They are often used as shrines in which to place statues of saints, particularly the Virgin Mary, in outdoor gardens. Many Roman Catholics visit a grotto where Bernadette Soubirous saw apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.
When was Saint Bernadette canonized as a saint?
Saint Bernadette is often depicted in prayer with a rosary or appealing to the Holy Virgin. She was beatified in 1925 and canonized by Pope Piuis XI in December 1933. Saint Bernadette is the patroness of illness, people ridiculed for their piety, poverty, shepherds, shepherdesses, and Lourdes, France.
What did st.bernadette do for the sick?
The Lourdes Commission that initially examined Bernadette, ran an analysis on the water but were only able to determine it contained a high mineral content. Bernadette believed it was faith and prayer that was responsible for curing the sick.
When did st.bernadette Soubirous of Nevers die?
St. Bernadette died in 1879 after spending 13 years in the convent of St. Gildard. In 1925 her body was exhumed and was found to be incorrupt. It is now in a crystal coffin in the convent chapel. More on the Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes HERE
Where was st.bernadette of Lourdes born?
St. Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France on January 7, 1844. Her parents were very poor and she was the first of nine children. She was baptized at St. Pierre’s, the local parish church, on January 9. As a toddler, Bernadette contracted cholera and suffered extreme asthma.