Our Lady of Lourdes

Date: 1858
Place: Lourdes, France
Visionary: Bernadette Soubirous

At age 14, the poverty-stricken, asthmatic

Bernadette Soubirous saw a vision of a
beautiful Lady in a grotto on the banks of
the Gave River near Lourdes, France.
Though Bernadette was despised,
disbelieved, and harrassed by local French
authorities, crowds began to gather when
news spread and when she wouldn't recant
the story of her vision.

On 25 February, Bernadette was told to dig

in in the earth, which she did to much
mockery, but there, the healing waters of
the now-famous Lourdes shrine were
discovered where the Lady had appeared,
and on 25 March, the Lady of the vision
announced that she was the Immaculate
Conception and that a church should be
built at the site. Bernadette became a nun at
Nevers, France and, suffering much from
physical ailments, died young. Her body
remains incorrupt at her convent to this day.
St. Bernadette's story can be seen in the
1943 movie, "The Song of Bernadette,"
starring Jennifer Jones, who won an Oscar
for her portrayal of the Saint.
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 Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes

First Apparition

Thursday 11 February 1858

At half past twelve on a cold February day,

Mary, the Mother of God, descended from
Heaven who met our little shepherdess in a
lonely grotto. The meeting was entirely
unexpected. Who could possibly describe
the following scene better than Bernadette
herself?

"The Thursday before Ash Wednesday it

was cold and the weather was threatening.
After our dinner, our mother told us there
was no more wood in the house and she
was vexed. My sister Toinette and I, to
please her, offered to go and pick up dry
branches at the riverside. My mother said
no, because the weather was bad and we
might be in danger of falling into the Gave.
Jeanne Abadie, our neighbour and friend,
who was looking after her little brother in our
house and who wanted to come with us,
took her brother back to his house and
returned the next moment telling us that she
had leave to come with us. My mother still
hesitated, but seeing that there were three
of us, she let us go. We took first of all the
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road which leads to the cemetary, by the
side of which wood shavings can sometimes
be found. That day we found nothing there.
We came down by the side which leads
near the Gave and having arrived at the
Pont Vieux we wondered if it would be best
to go up or down the river. We decided to go
down and taking the forest road we arrived
at Merlasse. Then we went into Monsieur de
la Fittes field, by the mill of Savy.

"As soon as we had reached the end of this

field, nearly opposite the grotto of
Massabieille, we were stopped by the canal
of the mill we had just passed. The current
of this canal was not strong for the mill was
not working, but the water was cold and I for
my part was afraid to go in. Jeanne Abadie
and my sister, less timid than I, took their
sabots in their hands and crossed the
stream. However, when they were on the
other side they called out that it was cold
and bent down to rub their feet and warm
them. All this increased my fear and I
thought that if I went into the water I should
get an attack of asthma. So I asked Jeanne,
who was bigger and stronger than I, to take
me on her shoulders. 'I should think not!'
she answered - 'If you won't come, stay
where you are!'.

3
"After the others had picked up some pieces
of wood under the grotto, they disappeared
along the Gave. When I was alone, I threw
some stones into the water to give me a
foothold, but it was no use. So I had to
make up my mind to take off my sabots and
cross the canal as Jeanne and my sister
had done.

"I had just begun to take off my first stocking

when suddenly I heard a great noise like the
sound of a storm. I looked to the right and to
the left, under the trees of the river, but
nothing moved; I thought I was mistaken. I
went on taking off my shoes and stockings,
when I heard a fresh noise like the first.
Then I was frightened and stood straight up.
I lost all power of speech and thought when,
turning my head toward the grotto, I saw at
one of the openings of the rock a bush -
only one - moving as if it were very windy.
Almost at the same time, there came out of
the interior of the grotto a golden coloured
cloud, and soon after a Lady, young and
beautiful, exceedingly beautiful, the like of
whom I had never seen before, came and
placed herself at the entrance of the
opening, above the rose bush. She looked
at me immediately, smiled at me and signed

4
to me to advance, as if She had been my
Mother. All fear had left me, but I seemed to
know no longer where I was. I rubbed my
eyes, I shut them, I opened them; but the
Lady was still there continuing to smile at
me and making me understand that I was
not mistaken. Without thinking of what I was
doing I took my Rosary in my hands and
went on my knees. The Lady made with Her
head a sign of approval and Herself took
into Her hands a Rosary which hung on Her
right arm. When I attempted to begin the
Rosary and tried to lift my hand to my
forehead, my arm remained paralysed, and
it was only after the Lady had signed Herself
that I could do the same. The Lady left me
to pray all alone; She passed the beads of
Her Rosary between Her fingers but She
said nothing; only at the end of each decade
did She say the Gloria with me.

"When the recitation of the Rosary was

finished, the Lady returned to the interior of
the rock and the golden coloured cloud
disappeared with Her".

When asked to describe the Lady of the

vision, Bernadette said -

"She has the appearance of a young girl of

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sixteen or seventeen. She is dressed in a
white robe, girdled at the waist with a blue
ribbon which flows down all along Her robe.
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 shining like the two roses on Her feet."

Bernadette then continued with her story -

"As soon as the Lady had disappeared

Jeanne Abadie and my sister returned to the
Grotto and found me on my knees in the
same place where they had left me. They
laughed at me, calling me an imbecile and
asked me if I would go back with them or
not. I now had no difficulty in going into the
stream and I felt the water as warm as the
water used for washing plates and dishes.

'You had no reason to make such an outcry'

I said to Jeanne and my sister Marie, while
drying my feet; 'the water of the canal is not
as cold as you would make me believe'.
They replied, 'You are fortunate not to find it

6
so - we found it very cold'.

"I asked Jeanne and Marie if they had

noticed anything at the Grotto - 'No', they
answered. 'Why do you ask us?'. 'Oh,
nothing' I replied indifferently. But before we
got to the house, I told my sister Marie of
the extraordinary things which had
happened to me at the Grotto, asking her to
keep it a secret.

"Throughout the whole day, the image of the

Lady remained in my mind. In the evening,
at family prayer, I was troubled and began
to cry. My mother asked what was the
matter. Marie hastened to answer for me
and I was obliged to give the account of the
wonder which had come to me that day.

'These are illusions' answered my mother -

'You must drive these ideas out of your
head and especially not go back to
Massabieille'.

"We went to bed but I could not sleep. The

face of the Lady, so good and gracious,
returned incessantly to my memory and it
was useless to recall what my mother had
said to me; I could not believe that I had
been deceived."

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Second Apparition

Sunday 14 February 1858

From that day forward, little Bernadette

could think of only one thing - the beautiful
Lady she had seen. Her normally fun-loving
nature had become grave and serious.

Louise continued to tell her daughter that

she had to be mistaken - Bernadette did not
argue, but she could not believe that she
had been the prey of an illusion. Even her
mothers warning that this may have been a
trick of the devil seemed impossible - how
could Satan carry a Rosary and pray the
Gloria?

On the Friday and the Saturday, Bernadette

intimated her desire to return to Massabieille
- her mother ignored her pleas. On Sunday,
Bernadette heard within her soul a
summons, calling her once more to a
meeting with the beautiful Lady of the rock.

She told Marie of this, who in turn

mentioned it to Madame Soubirous, who
again refused permission. Jeanne Abadie
then pleaded the cause. Finally, Louise
relented and gave permission - after all, if
this was an illusion, it would prove itself to
8
be so.

Bernadette had told no-one outside the

family what had occurred on Thursday.
Marie, on the other hand, had not been so
reserved. Several of the local young girls
knew the secret. These girls were then
summoned by Marie to come to
Massabieille.

Bernadette armed herself with a small phial

of Holy Water and left for the Grotto. As
soon as she arrived at the grotto, she fell to
her knees opposite the niche, and began to
pray. Almost immediately, she exclaimed -
"There She is! There She is!"

One of the girls present told Bernadette to

throw Holy Water on the Lady, in case it
really was Satan. Bernadette did as
requested. "She is not angry", she related,
"On the contrary, She sanctions it with Her
head and is smiling at all of us". The girls
knelt around their little companion and
began to pray.

Bernadette then fell into ecstasy; her face

completely transfigured and radiating
happiness. Her expression was
indescribable.

9
Just then a stone fell from the top of the
Grotto, causing alarm among the girls. It
was Jeanne - having been left behind, this
was her revenge. Bernadette showed no
reaction. The girls called to her, but she was
unaware of their presence, her eyes
remaining fixed on the niche. Thinking she
was dead, the other girls began to cry out;
their cries were heard by two of the Nicolau
women from the Savy mill, who ran to the
Grotto; seeing the ecstatic Bernadette, they
called to her, attempted to move her,
covered her eyes - all to no avail. Madame
Nicolau then ran to get her son, Antoine, a
young man of twenty eight years. Believing
this to be some kind of joke, he came to the
Grotto and could not believe the sight he
found there.

He said later - "Never had I seen a more

marvellous sight. It was useless for me to
argue with myself - I felt I was not worthy to
touch the child".

Urged by his mother, Antoine gently pulled

Bernadette away from the Grotto, leading
her toward the Savy mill. All the way there,
Bernadettes eyes remained fixed a little in
front and above of her. It was only upon her

10
arrival at the mill that she once more
returned to earth, her ecstatic expression
gradually disappearing and her face
becoming once more that of the simple
millers daughter.

The Nicolaus then asked Bernadette what

she had seen and she related what had
occurred at the Grotto; again she had
prayed the Rosary accompanied by the
Lady, who moved Her lips only at each
Gloria, and who had again disappeared at
the conclusion of the prayers.

By now, Louise Soubirous had been

summoned to the Savy Mill. She was crying,
thinking her little child was dead. She was
angered to find Bernadette sitting telling her
story; "So, you want to make us a laughing
stock! I'll give it to you with you hypocritical
airs and graces and stories of the Lady!".

She was prevented from striking the child by

Madame Nicolau, who cried - "What are you
doing? What has your child done to be
treated like this? It is an angel, and an angel
from Heaven that you have in her - do you
hear? I shall never, never forget what she
was at the Grotto!"

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Madame Soubirous burst into tears once
more, worn out with emotion and frustration.
She then led the young girl home. On the
way, Bernadette occasionally glanced
behind her.

Third Apparition

Thursday 18 February 1858

The girls who had been present returned to

Lourdes and began to describe the
extraordinary sight they had witnessed. Few
people believed them.

But not everyone laughed. Antoinette Peyret

was a leading light in the Children of Mary,
in Lourdes. Desperate to know more of what
was happening, she found all sorts of
excuses for visiting the Soubirous family.
Each time she would question the little one
about what she had seen. The answers
never changed.

Upon hearing Bernadette describe the

beautiful Lady, Antoinette was moved to
tears; she believed this was her friend Elisa
Latapie, who had been the president of the
Children of Mary before her untimely death
a few months beforehand.

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Accompanied by her friend Madame Millet,
Antoinette arrived at the Cachot in time to
hear Bernadette pleading with her mother to
be allowed to return once more to the
Grotto. Louise was stern in her replies to
Bernadette. This seemed to be the perfect
opportunity for the pair to ask permission to
be allowed to take the child to the Grotto,
where they promised they would let no harm
come to her. After some soul-searching and
many tears, Louise granted their request.

The following morning, before dawn began

to light the sky, the two ladies called at the
Cachot. After collecting Bernadette, the trio
left to attend Mass in the church. Following
this, they left for the Grotto. Madame Millet
carried with her a blessed candle, which she
used to burn on special feast days.
Antoinette Peyet took with her a pen and
paper, hoping the mysterious Lady would
write some messages for them.

Arriving at the Grotto, Bernadette ran on

ahead. By the time the two older ladies
caught up with her, she was already on her
knees in prayer, her Rosary in her hand.
The candle was lit and the two women knelt
also. After a few minutes, Bernadette
exclaimed "She comes! Here She is!". The

13
two women could see nothing, but
Bernadette was captivated by the sight she
beheld.

Bernadette was happy and smiling,

occasionally bowing her head. However,
she gave no sign of ecstasy on this
occasion. Since the Lady was about to
speak, it was important that the child retain
full use of her faculties. After the completion
of the Rosary, Antoinette handed
Bernadette the pen and paper.

"Please, ask the Lady if She has anything

She wishes to tell us and in that case if She
would be so good as to write it down".

As the child moved toward the opening, the

two ladies also moved forward; without
looking back, Bernadette signaled to them
to remain where they were. Standing on tip
toe, she held up the pen and paper. She
appeared to listen to words addressed to
her, then lowered her arms, made a deep
bow and returned to the place she just left.
Antoinette asked what the Lady had replied.

"When I presented the pen and paper to Her

She began to smile. Then without being

14
angry She said 'There is no need for me to
write down what I have to say to you'. Then
She seemed to be thinking for a moment
and added 'Will you be so kind as to come
here every day for fifteen days?' "

"What did you answer?" asked Madame

Millet.

"I answered 'Yes'" said the child in all

simplicity. Asked why this request had been
made, Bernadette replied, "I do not know -
She did not tell me". Madame Millet asked
why Bernadette had signed to them to stay
where they were. The child said this had
been done in obedience to the Lady.
Somewhat distressed, Madame Millet asked
Bernadette to enquire of the Lady if their
presence was disagreeable to Her.
Bernadette raised her eyes to the niche,
then turned and said - "The Lady answers,
'No, her presence is not disagreeable to Me'
".

Once more the three began to pray.

Bernadette's prayers were frequently
interrupted - she seemed to be having a
conversation with the invisible Lady.

At the end of the vision, Antoinette asked

15
Bernadette if the Lady had told her anything
else. Bernadette replied -

"Yes. She said to me, 'I do not promise to

make you happy in this world, but in the
next'."

"Since the Lady consents to speak to you,"

enquired Antoinette, "why do you not ask
Her for Her name?". Bernadette replied that
she had already done so. Asked what Her
name was, the young girl replied -

"I do not know. She lowered Her head with

a smile, but She did not answer."

Fourth Apparition

Friday 19 February 1858

Hearing Bernadette relate what had

occurred, her parents were distressed - not
least of all by the strange promise made by
the mysterious Lady. Until now, they had
thought this was simply the product of a
child's imagination... But now the Lady had
spoken - and what words! If this was a real
Lady, then who could it be? They
considered that the child's description
matched that of the Queen of Heaven. They
immediately discounted this as a possibility;
16
Bernadette was not worthy of such a grace.
And the Mother of God would surely not
appear in such a lowly place as the Grotto
of Massabieille. Was it perhaps a souls from
Purgatory? Or - most terrifying of all - was it
the evil one? Why would She give no
name? What did this mean?

They sought the advice of the wise Aunt

Bernarde.

"If the vision is of Heavenly nature," said

Bernarde, "we have nothing to fear. If it is
some trickery of the devil, it is not possible
that the Virgin should allow a child who
trusts Her with such innocence of heart to
be deceived. Moreover, we ourselves have
done wrong in not going to Massabieille with
her to see what is really taking place there.
This we must do before anything else and
then we shall be able to form an opinion
based upon the facts themselves and
decide upon a future line of action."

And so, the next morning, Bernadette was

accompanied to the Grotto by both her
parents and by her aunt, again leaving the
house before dawn. Despite the precautions
they took to remain unseen, some
neighbors did see the small group - and

17
began to follow. Eight people arrived at the
Grotto along with the Soubirous.

Bernadette knelt and began her Rosary. All

present noted how impressively this was
made. Moments later her plain face was
transfigured and illuminated; she no longer
belonged to the world.

Louise had already heard how Bernadette's

countenance was changed in the presence
of the Lady - but still she found the change
hard to believe.

The ecstasy lasted thirty minutes, after

which Bernadette rubbed her eyes and
appeared as one waking from a sleep. She
remained happy after the conclusion of the
vision.

On the way home, Bernadette said that the

Lady had expressed Her satisfaction at the
child's fidelity to her promise to return to the
Grotto; She also said that later She would
reveal secrets to the child.

Bernadette also related that during the

vision, she had heard loud, quarreling
voices, which had seemed to rise up out of
the river, telling her to escape. The Lady

18
also heard the commotion; She had simply
raised Her eyes in the direction of the
voices, which were then seized with fear
and began to disperse, finally fading away
altogether.

No one paid much attention to this incidental

detail at the time - only much later did they
recall what Bernadette had told them that
morning.

Fifth Apparition

Saturday 20 February 1858

By now the entire town of Lourdes knew

what was reported to be happening at the
Grotto of Massabieille; only a few people,
however, had actually seen Bernadette in
ecstasy before the vision in the niche. By
the morning of the fifth apparition, the
people present numbered several hundred,
whereas previously there had been only a
few dozen.

Accompanied by her mother Louise,

Bernadette approached the Grotto at half
past six in the morning. She paid no
attention to the crowds gathered there to
witness what was to occur. She knelt upon
the small rock which served her as a prie-
19
dieux, which had become her usual place,
and which was always left for her, no matter
how many were present. She began her
Rosary.

Seconds later, the ecstasy began.

"I must be out of my mind, for I simply can't

recognise my own daughter!", such was the
grace and charm of Bernadette's every
movement.

The crowd was straining for a glimpse of the

little visionary. They shifted their eyes from
the young girl to the niche which so
captivated her gaze. They, however, could
see nothing but the moss at the base of the
niche and the long trailing rose bush.

After the vision had ceased, Lousie

questioned Berndatte about what had
happened during the ecstasy. Bernadette
said the Lady had very kindly taught her a
prayer for her personal use; She had taught
this word by word until Bernadette
remembered it all. Asked to repeat the
prayer, the girl said she did not think herself
at liberty to do so, since the prayer had
been composed by the Lady with the seer's
personal needs in mind. She appeared

20
somewhat embarrassed in relating this.

Until the day she died, Bernadette never

related this personal prayer to any living
soul, although she maintained that she
prayed it every single day without fail.

Sixth Apparition

Sunday 21 February 1858

On this day there occurred an indication of

the purpose of the apparitions.

A cold wind was blowing that morning, as

Bernadette arrived at the Grotto in the
company of her mother and her aunt. The
crowds were greater than they had been so
far. Notably absent were the members of
the clergy.

In Lourdes there was an establishment

called the Saint John's Club. Here, the local
free-thinkers would gather and discuss
issues of the day, often forming conclusions
on events. Of course, one such issue was
the events at Massabieille. The members of
the club had already made a conclusion on
this particular event; the occurrences were
nothing more than the product of a neurotic
imagination in an unstable adolescent.
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Of course, these men had not taken the
time or trouble to witness the events first-
hand. This situation was rectified the
following morning. One of this circle, Dr.
Dozous, had decided to pay a visit to the
Grotto.

Dr. Dozous was not an especially religious

man; in fact, quite the opposite. He was a
man of science, which - he believed - held
all the answers. What need was there for
religion? After the events of that cold
February morning, he changed his opinions
somewhat; he championed the cause of
Bernadette and of the Immaculate
Conception, and wrote books on the
miracles he later encountered at the Grotto.
He died a good death on 15th March 1884,
aged eighty-five.

He himself relates what took place that

morning.

"As soon as she had come before the

grotto, Bernadette knelt down, took her
Rosary out of her pocket and began to pray.
Her face underwent a perfect
transformation, noticed by all who were near
her, and showed that she was in

22
communication with the Apparition. Whilst
she told her beads with her left hand, she
held in her right hand a lighted candle which
was frequently blown out by the strong
draught which was blowing along the Gave;
but each time, she gave it to the person
nearest her to have it re-re-lit.

"I was following with great attention all the

movements of Bernadette, and I wished to
know what was the state of the circulation of
the blood and of the respiration at this
moment. I took one of her arms and placed
my fingers upon the radial artery; the pulse
was tranquil and regular, the respiration
easy, nothing indicated any nervous
excitement in the young girl.

"Bernadette, after I let her arm free, rose

and advanced a little toward the Grotto.
Soon I saw her face, which until then had
expressed the most perfect joy, grow sad;
two tears fell from her eyes and rolled down
her cheeks. This change occuring in her
face during her station surprised me. I
asked her, when she had finished her
prayers and the mysterious Being had
disappeared, what had passed within her
during this long station. She answered :

23
'The Lady, looking away from me for a
moment, directed Her glance afar, above
my head. Then, looking down upon me
again, for I had asked Her what had
saddened Her, she replied - 'Pray for the
sinners'. I was very quickly reassured by the
expression of goodness and sweetness
which I saw return to Her face, and
immediately She disappeared.'

"In leaving this place, where her emotion

had been so great, Bernadette retired as
she always did, in the most simple and
modest attitude."

THE LADY DOES NOT APPEAR

After the last Apparition, Bernadette had

been interrogated by Monsieur Jacomet, the
Police Commissioner; he had sought a
retraction from the child, believing that she
was lying in her account of visions and a
mysterious Lady. He did not succeed. Other
than an account of what she had already
made known, the little one gave nothing
more away. Jacomet tried to trick
Bernadette into contradicting herself and her
story - attempting to mix up the details of the
story and get her to make a mistake. He did
not succeed. Finally, he had sought a

24
promise that she would never again return
to the Grotto. At this point the interrogation
had been interrupted by the arrival of
Francois Soubirous, Bernadette's father,
and the interview was abruptly terminated.
Jacomet had failed at every turn. Bernadette
had retained her simplicity, humility, veracity
and sweet nature throughout.

On Monday 22 February, 1858, the

Soubirous parents ordered Bernadette to go
straight to school and to go nowhere near
the Grotto; they had been terrified of the
Police Commisioner. The child did as
instructed. At lunchtime she returned home
for a small meal and to collect a book.

She left the Cachot, but at the road to the

Hospice (run by the Sister of Charity of
Nevers) she was halted. "An invisible barrier
prevented me from passing" she related
later.

She could not move forward along the road

- she was able only to go in the opposite
direction, toward the Grotto. Then she felt
again the interior call to the Grotto and all
hesitation left her. Her course was set.

This scene was witnessed by some of the

25
local gendarmes, stationed nearby - they
could not understand why Bernadette
appeared unable to move forward. But upon
seeing her change of direction, they
guessed where she was headed. Taking
another road, two of them caught up with
her and asked where she was off to. She
replied simply, "I am going to the Grotto".
They said nothing more, but followed her in
silence until she reached her destination.

A local woman by the name of

Mademoiselle Estrade, had been walking
that day and had gone to see the now-
famous Grotto. She gives the account of this
days events, which she herself witnessed:

"My companions and I noticed a number of

people collecting at a spot where the path
by the fort joins the forest road. All were
looking down the river and soon a cry of
satisfaction was uttered by the group -
'There she is! She is coming!'.

"We asked who was expected and they told

us it was Bernadette. The child was coming
along the path; beside her were two
gendarmes and behind them a crowd of
children. It was then that I saw for the first
time the face of Mary's little protégé. The

26
seer was calm, serene and unpretending.
She passed in front of us as tranquilly as if
she had been alone.

"My companions and I arrived at the Grotto.

Bernadette was on her knees and the
gendarmes were standing a little way off.
They did not disturb the child during her
prayer, which was long. When she rose,
they questioned her and she told them she
had seen nothing. The crowd dispersed and
Bernadette went away also.

"We heard that the seer had gone into the

Savy mill and wishing to see her, we went to
the mill to find her. She was sitting on a seat
and a woman was beside her; I learnt that
this woman was the mother. I asked the
woman if she knew the child. She replied,
'Ah, Mademoiselle, I am her unhappy
mother!'. I asked why she called herself
unhappy. 'If you only knew, Mademoiselle,
what we suffer! Some laugh at us, others
say our daughter is mad. Some even say
that we are receiving money for this!'.

"I asked what she herself thought of the girl

and she said - 'I assure you, Mademoiselle,
that my child is truthful and honest and
incapable of deceiving me. Of that I am

27
certain. People say she is mad. It is true that
she suffers from asthma but apart from that
she is not ill. We forbade her to return to the
Grotto; in anything else I am sure she would
have obeyed us, but in this matter - well,
you see how she escapes our control. She
was just telling me that an invisible barrier
prevented her from going to school and that
an irresistible force dragged her in spite of
herself to Massabieille.' "

Seventh Apparition

Tuesday 23 February 1858

Mademoiselle Estrade was determined that

her brother, Jean Baptiste, should also see
what was happening at Massabieille.
Monsieur Estrade was a writer.

That evening at supper, she told him of her

desire to witness the child in ecstasy, but
said that since it was not fitting for a lady to
walk alone on such a road, would he be kind
enough to accompany her? He replied that
he would not be so kind.

Later that evening, Monsieur Estrade paid a

visit to his friend, Abbe Peyramale, the
parish Priest. During their conversation, the
subject of Mademoiselle Estrades request
28
came up; the priest replied that going to the
Grotto could do no harm, and that had he
not been a member of the clergy he would
have been there already. Monsieur
Peyramale also believed that the visions
were nothing more than the neurosis of a
child who was unstable.

So the next morning, both Monsieur and

Mademoiselle Estrade left home for the
Grotto. He asked his sister had she
remembered to bring her opera glasses.
They arrived at the grotto at six in the
morning, just as dawn was beginning to light
the sky. He later estimated that some two
hundred people were already present, even
before Bernadette appeared.

The child appeared a few minutes later -

soon she was in prayer before the niche.
Close to her stood Monsieur Estrade - he
had made a point of getting as close as
possible, using his elbows to achieve this
goal.

With no sign of awkwardness or self-

consciousness, the child took the Rosary
from her pocket and crossed herself in her
usual profound manner; Monsieur later
commented that if the sign of the Cross is

29
made in Heaven, it must be as Bernadette
made it that morning.

All the while she was praying she kept on

looking up into the niche, like one who was
waiting. Suddenly, her whole appearance
was once more transformed and she began
to smile. Estrade said she "was no longer
Bernadette; she was one of those
priviledged beings, the face all glorious with
the glory of Heaven, whom the Apostle of
the great visions has shown us in ecstasy
before the throne of the Lamb".

All doubt removed, the men present

removed their hats and fell to their knees.
They were in no doubt that the child did
indeed see a heavenly Lady in the hollow of
the rock.

Now the child appeared to be listening; she

seemed grave and serious and would
occasionally bow low. At other moments she
seemed to be asking questions. She
appeared transfused with joy whenever the
Lady answered her. At points, the
conversation was interrupted and the
Rosary would continue, with the young child
never for a moment taking her eyes off the
beautiful sight she beheld.

30
The vision lasted for an hour. At its
conclusion, Bernadette moved on her knees
toward the rose bush and there she kissed
the earth. The radiance of her face slowly
faded, before she rose and left in the
company of her mother.

Afterward, Bernadette was asked what the

Lady had said on this occasion. She replied
that the Lady had entrusted her with three
secrets, but that these concerned no-one
but herself. She also said that she was
allowed to reveal these three secrets to no-
one, not even her confessor; for many years
afterward, people (including priests and
bishops) tried their best to make the seer
give up her secrets.

But Bernadette carried them with her to the

grave.

Eighth Apparition

Wednesday 24 February 1858

By now the newspapers were taking notice

of the events at the Grotto. The local paper,
the Lavedan, took a particular interest;
unfortunately, its reports were neither
accurate nor favourable. It promised to keep
31
its readers informed of the "craze"
concerning the "cataleptic" girl who had
claimed to see "the Mother of the Angels".

Events at the Grotto were about to take a

new turn. Until this point, the visions had
appeared to be more or less personal in
nature; the prayer taught by the Lady and
the three secrets She had revealed all
concerned Bernadette alone. Now,
however, the universal nature of the
Apparitions was about to become apparent.

There were "four hundred to five hundred"

people at the Grotto that day, as reported to
the Lieutenant of Police by Constable Callet
of the local gendarmarie.

Immediately upon her arrival, Bernadette

commenced her Rosary as she always did.
Before a decade had been completed, the
ecstasy began; the child leaned forward and
her face was lit with a heavenly smile and
once more she began to reflect the grace of
She whom she beheld. She smiled and -
without lowering her eyes - made a number
of graceful bows.

After several minutes, the ecstasy was

interrupted; Bernadette turned to face the

32
crowd and, referring to the long trailing rose
bush, asked, "Who has touched the briar?".
The bush had been shaken by a young girl
who was trying to get as close as possible
to the visionary. The Lady had moved from
the niche high in the rock, but had not
disappeared; She had descended into the
larger hollow at the base of the Grotto.
Bernadette heard herself called and the
ecstasy resumed, the child kneeling at the
opening of the larger vault, within which the
Vision was standing.

Again Bernadette listened to the words of

the beautiful Lady. The child's face
appeared sad and her arms fell to her side.
There were tears upon her cheeks. She
turned once more to face the crowd and
three times she repeated,
"Penitence...penitence...penitence!". This
was heard distinctly by those standing close
to her, who quickly spread the words they
had heard. Bernadette had given her first
public message.

The seer returned once more to her former

place and the vision continued, while the
entire crowd remained silent - struck by the
sincerity on the face of the child.

33
One person, however, had not lost the
power of speech; the Lourdes quarter-
master pushed his way toward the girl, and
when he had reached her he asked - "What
are you doing, you little actress?".

Bernadette was not even aware of his

presence, much less intimidated by it. His
only response was his own - "And to think
that such follies can take place in the
nineteenth century!".

Ninth Apparition

Thursday 25 February 1858

The events of this day caused the on-

lookers to re-assess what they believed
about Bernadette and her visions. At the
time, what was happening was unclear -
only later did the true nature of that day's
apparition become clearer. Afterward, the
day would never be forgotten.

The narration of the scene is given by

Mademoiselle Elfrida Lacrampe, whose
parents owned the Hotel des Pyrenees at
that time, and who had the joy of being
present as the marvellous events occurred.
This morning, the vision began even before
dawn.
34
"It was not yet light; we had a lantern to light
us. Bernadette did not keep us waiting
long", she recounts. Bernadette approached
in the company of her aunt, walking rapidly
toward her destination; as she came nearer,
she called to the crowd, "Let me pass, let
me pass!".

Mademoiselle Lacrampe continues -

"At this moment, when nearly all the

sightseers had arrived, there were, I think,
about four hundred people in front of the
Grotto and under the rocks near the Gave.
Approaching her place, Bernadette raised
her dress a little so as not to muddy it, then
knelt down. I was standing on the right, up
against the rock, almost beneath the niche
where the Apparition used to come.

"The child had not recited a decade of her

beads when all of a sudden she set off on
her knees and began to clamber in this way
up the slope that led to the interior of the
Grotto. She passed in front of me, a short
distance away. On reaching the entrance to
the vault, she gently - and without pausing -
pushed aside the branches that hung down
from the rock. From there she went on

35
towards the back of the Grotto. The crowd
was pressing close behind her.

"When she reached the back of the Grotto,

Bernadette turned about and came back,
still on her knees, down the same slope. I
witnessed there a tour de force and I ought
to have marvelled more at the ease and
dignity of this child's movements in such a
posture and on deeply sloping ground that
was very uneven and strewn with stones
which jutted out sharply here and there. At
the time I saw nothing in Bernadettes
movements, apart from the tour de force,
but a ridiculous wriggle, for it seemed to me
purposeless."

Mademoiselle Lacrampe lost sight of the

child at this moment, being surrounded by
the pressing crowd. But Aunt Bernarde was
more fortunate,

"Everyone was astonished. Finding nothing,

the child turned off towards the river" she
stated.

But despite seeing the events occurring

before them, those close by were unable to
explain them. Only Bernadette could supply
this. And she was soon required to do so.

36
It is important to state here that until that
moment, there had been NO water in the
Grotto other than a little stagnant water,
probably collected rainwater. Just at this
moment, Bernadette went towards the wild
rose bush, pushed it aside and kissed the
rock, then fell once more into ecstasy. She
got up and seemed embarrassed - she
walked toward the River Gave, then stopped
and looked back, like one who has been
called, and went in a different direction, into
the opening at the base of the rock, on the
left hand side. Looking once more towards
the niche, she appeared puzzled. She then
began to dig with her hands. Muddy water
surfaced, which she scooped up and three
times threw away. She drank the fourth
scoop. Later, in the convent, she joked to
the Sisters that three times she threw the
water away before drinking - and that this
was why Our Blessed Lady made her ask
three times for Her Name, before revealing
Her identity!!

When the on-lookers saw her mud-covered

face they thought she was insane and
laughed at her. Unaware of all this,
Bernadette continued in her ecstasy until
7:00am, long after the sight-seers had

37
departed.

Leaving the Grotto, a neighbour asked

Bernadette to explain what had occurred.
She replied:

" Whilst I was in prayer, the Lady said to me

in a serious but friendly voice - 'Go, drink
and wash in the fountain'. As I did not know
where this fountain was, and as I did not
think the matter important, I went towards
the Gave. The Lady called me back and
signed to me with Her finger to go under the
Grotto to the left; I obeyed but I did not see
any water. Not knowing where to get it from,
I scratched the earth and the water came. I
let it get a little clear of the mud then I drank
and washed."

Seeing what was happening - but not

understanding - the crowd wondered if
Bernadette was mad after all. Why had she
smeared her angelic little face with muddy
water? What could it mean? Horrified, they
watched in silence. Their distress was
increased as they watched the child eat
some wild herbs growing at the foot of the
rock.

Unknown to the crowd, the Lady had

38
pointed once more to the floor of the Grotto
and told her little one - "Go, eat of the herbs
you will find there". She then made her
impressive Sign of the Cross once more,
before coming away from the vault, kneeling
once more and watching as the vision
faded.

Quickly, Aunt Bernarde took hold of the

child and ushered her away from the Grotto,
fearful of the crowd who were calling out to
the child that she was insane. No one had
bothered to examine the hole where the
child had been digging; all were too
concerned only with their reputations - after
all, it would be embarrassing to have to
admit to being fooled by this imbecile girl.

Later that afternoon, on the spot where

Bernadette had knelt digging, the trickle had
become a ribbon of water which was
hollowing out its own channel in the topsoil.

A twenty-year debate followed about the

origin of this spring, until finally the Abbe
Richard, a famous hydro-geologist at the
time, declared after a long and careful
study, that the spring was miraculous in its
discovery and in its effects, although not in
its existence.

39
Later studies concluded that the rock itself is
the source of the water, perfectly pure other
than minimal deposits of salts, and that it
contains NO therapeutic ingredients.

On 6 May 1858, a chemist by the name of

Latour issued a statement on the water -

"The water .. is very limpid, inodorous and

without any strong taste; .. it contains the
following ingredients - chlorides of soda,
lime and magnesia, bicarbonates of lime
and magnesia, silicates of lime and
aluminium, oxide of iron, sulphate of soda,
phosphate, organic matter.."

He speculated that at some point a 'curative

element' would be found in the water, but
this never happened. A further analysis, by
Monsieur Filhol, of the Toulouse Faculty of
Sciences (in August 1858) declared -

"The extraordinary results which I am

informed have been obtained by the use of
this water cannot, at least in the present
condition of scientific knowledge, be
explained by the nature of the salts whose
existence is revealed by analysis".

40
Analyses since that date have reached
similar conclusions. And yet still the water
from this spring flows - in itself not
miraculous, not therapeutic. But countless
miracles have resulted from its use since
that happy day.

Friday 26 February 1858 - A Second Time,

THE LADY DOES NOT APPEAR

On the following morning, Friday 26th

February 1858, Bernadette went to the
Grotto as usual. Doctor Dozous, who
watched the child that morning, said that
she knelt and prayed her Rosary for "a long
time" that morning, but at the end of her
prayers she was sad and distressed. The
Lady had not appeared.

By that day, however, Bernadette was once

more in favour with the crowd at
Massabieille - their insults and laughter
were forgotten, washed away by the flowing
waters of the spring which Bernadette had
said was there, having been told so by her
Lady.

Tenth Apparition

Saturday 27 February 1858

41
The Lourdes clergy were discussing the
visions at Massabieille. Abbe Peyramale
had always maintained a public silence on
the subject. This morning, he gathered
together his three curates to give them his
opinion. The speech given to them by the
Abbe Peyramale was related on several
occasions to Monsieur Jean Baptiste
Estrade, who retells it here -

"You have heard the reports which are

going about respecting certain appearances
which are supposed to have taken place in
a Grotto near the Gave. I don't know how
much is truth and how much is fancy in the
current legend, but it is our duty as Priests
to maintain the greatest reserve in matters
of this nature. If the appearances are
genuine and of a divine character, God will
let us know it in his own time. If they are
illusions or caused by the spirit of lies, God
has no need of our intervention to reveal the
falsehood.

"It would therefore be rash of us to show

ourselves at present at the Grotto. If the
visions are recognised as genuine later on,
we shall certainly be accused of bringing
about this recognition by our own
machinations. If they are subsequently

42
rejected as without foundation, we shall be
ridiculed for what will be called our
disappointment. So we must not take any
unconsidered step or speak any rash word;
the interests of religion and of our own
dignity are concerned. The present
circumstances demand of us the greatest
circumspection."

Such was the outlook of the Lourdes Clergy

at the time of the Apparitions.

On the morning of Saturday 27th February,

Bernadette was once again at her beloved
Grotto, undaunted by the non-appearance
of the Lady the day before. After all, the
Lady had simply asked Bernadette to come
daily for fifteen days - She had not promised
to appear on each of those days.

She was not disappointed today - the Lady

was there in the niche. Throughout the
vision the child held her blessed candle in
her hand as she prayed and listened. On
several occasions she bowed low, touching
the earth, sometimes smiling and
sometimes weeping. She also approached
the foot of the rock, kissing the ground on
the way. This had been done in deference
to the command of the Lady - "Go, and kiss

43
the ground in penance for sinners".

As the vision approached its end, the Lady

seemed to be lost in Her thoughts for a few
moments. Bernadette patiently waited.
Finally, the Lady smiled on her once more,
then gave her a new command -

"Go and tell the Priests to have a Chapel

built here".

Leaving her state of ecstasy, the child

moved toward the spring - there she drank
some of the water. Leaving the Grotto,
Bernadette informed her Aunt Bernarde of
what the Lady had said.

ABBE PEYRAMALE

"Though he is so good, I am more

frightened of him than of a policeman!" said
Bernadette to Monsieur Estrade. But despite
her fear, the child headed straight for the
presbytery immediately on leaving the
Grotto. The Priest was praying the Divine
Office in the garden as Bernadette
approached. The following conversation
was related by Monsieur Estrade.

The Priest knew the name of the child

44
involved in the apparitions at the Grotto, but
he did not recognise the child standing
before him. In Catechism class he had only
caught a glimpse of her. He asked her
name.

On being told her name, he replied - "Oh,

it's you, is it?"

His reception was cold and austere, his

appearance rugged and stern. The child
was terrified of him. Appearances, however,
are often deceptive; such was the case with
this Priest, who in reality (after the initial
contact) was warm and welcoming, a loyal
supporter of those in need of any kind, a
true shepherd of his flock.

Later, this is how Bernadette would find him.

Leaving the garden, Peyramale went into

the house. Bernadette followed, stopping on
the threshold. Peyramale asked what it was
she wanted.

With her exquisite charm and simplicity, the

girl replied -

"The Lady of the Grotto has ordered me to

45
tell the Priests that She wishes a Chapel to
be built at Massabieille and that is why I
have come."

The Priest remained unmoved. "Who is this

Lady of whom you speak?"

"She is a very beautiful Lady who appeared

to me on the Massabieille rock."

Still Abbe Peyramale gave away nothing of

his feelings.

"But who is She? Is She from Lourdes? Do

you know Her?"

Bernadette replied that she did not.

"And yet you undertake to carry messages

like the one you have just given me, from a
person who you do not know?" he enquired
coldly.

"Oh but Monsieur, the Lady who sends me

is not like other ladies."

Asked to explain, she continued -

"I mean that She is as beautiful as they are

in Heaven, I would think".

46
By now, the Priest was finding it difficult to
control his emotion, touched by the obvious
sincerity of the girl standing before him.

He asked if Bernadette had never enquired

of the Lady Her name.

"Yes, but when I ask Her She bows Her

head slightly, smiles and gives me no
answer."

Peyramale asked if the Lady was, then,

dumb.

"No, because She talks to me every day. If

She were dumb, She would not have been
able to tell me to come to you."

Peyramale asked Bernadette to describe

the events which had taken place so far. He
pointed to a chair and she sat. He sat
opposite her and listened.

Within a few minutes, the Priest lost all his

doubts, although he declined to make the
child aware of this fact.

"You imagine that a Lady who has no name,

who takes up Her abode on a rock and has

47
bare feet, deserves to be taken seriously?
My child, there is one thing I do fear - and
that is that you are the victim of an illusion".

Bernadette hung her head but did not reply.

Then the Priest spoke once more.

"Tell the Lady who has sent you that the

parish priest of Lourdes is not in the habit of
dealing with people whom he does not
know. Say that before anything else, he
demands to know Her name and that -
moreover - She must prove that this name
belongs to Her. If this Lady has the right to a
Chapel She will understand the meaning of
my words to you; if She does not
understand, tell Her that She need not
trouble to send me any more messages."

Bernadette rose, curtsied and left.

Eleventh Apparition

Sunday 28 February 1858

Bernadette arrived at the Grotto just before

seven o'clock, together with her Aunt
Lucille. In one hand she carried her ever-
present Rosary, in the other, her blessed
candle.

48
Monsieur Estrade estimated there to be
approximately two thousand on-lookers at
the Grotto that morning. The crowd was
densely packed, so that during the vision, it
proved difficult for Bernadette to move while
performing her normal penances at the
command of the Lady. Before she could
move under the niche on her knees, the
gendarmes present had to push back the
crowd a little. This was by no means easy.

Several times the little one moved forward

to the rock and back again, each time on
her knees, each time kissing the ground at
intervals. Her face and lips were mud-
stained. But today no-one laughed at her.

The messages she received were of a

personal nature and were not related to the
assembled people. Her privacy in such
instances was respected.

The large numbers present had caused the

ground to become muddy and down-
trodden. Only a few of the wild plants
remained untrodden. Also, the constant
coming and going had caused the water
from the spring to run in several little
streams towards the Gave. On this day,
local workmen decided to dig a trough in

49
which the water could collect.

After the vision, Bernadette and Lucille left

the Grotto and went directly to Mass in the
parish Church.

Twelfth Apparition

Monday 1 March 1858

From the beginning of the Apparitions in the

Grotto of Massabieille, the popular press -
and many individuals, most notably the
'free-thinkers'- had done all possible to put
an end to these curious events; when this
had failed and it was clear that they were
powerless to stop what was happening, they
resorted to the fall-back plan - to
misrepresent, distort and discredit the
occurrences.

This was clearly seen in the lies being told

about Bernadette in the papers - she was
described as mad, a neurotic, a cataleptic,
an epileptic, a psychotic, a fraud, a devious
little liar, a fool who was manipulated by
others... the list was nearly endless.

Particular events at the Grotto were also

played upon and misrepresented, taken out
of context in an attempt to give them
50
meanings which they did not possess.
During the Twelfth Apparition such an event
occurred. And as before, it was only after
the event was explained by Bernadette
herself that it made sense and cleared away
the misrepresentations surrounding it.

Many people believed in the Apparitions,

further, they were also certain of Who was
appearing; they felt sure it was none other
then the Blessed Virgin Mary, although
Bernadette herself had never made this
claim. Instead, the child had always spoken
of 'the Lady' (un damizelo) who appeared,
but who, so far, had declined to name
Herself. But, believing that Bernadette was
indeed in communication with the Queen of
Heaven, the followers often made attempts
of one sort or another to obtain souvenirs of
the Apparitions and of Bernadette herself.

Monday 1st March saw at least 1300 people

at the Grotto - as Jacomet the police
commissioner stated in a report he sent the
next day. But this number was based solely
on those counted by the gendarmes
returning to the town after the Apparition; it
did not include those who left in other
directions and did not pass through
Lourdes. That day, one of those present

51
was a priest from nearby Omex; the priest,
Abbe Dezirat, had been only recently
ordained. He was the first cleric to visit
Massabieille during the Apparitions. He
described what happened after Bernadettes
arrival at 7:00am in the company of both of
her parents -

"From the moment she arrived, I watched

her closely. Her face was calm, her look
unassuming, her walk most natural, neither
slow nor hurried. No sign of exaltation, not a
trace of disease.

"The crowd on the road pressed close

behind the child to get to the scene of the
Apparition. Once there, I did as the rest.
When we arrived in front of the Grotto,
someone said - 'Let the priest through!'.
These words, though spoken softly, were
easily heard, for there was deep silence
over everything. They made way for me and
advancing a few paces I was quite close to
Bernadette, a yard away, not more.

"Between the moment when I got near to

the child and the moment when the vision
began, there was scarcely time to recite a
decade.

52
"By her posture and by the expression on
her face, it was evident that her soul was
enraputred. What profound peace! What
serenity! What lofty contemplation! Her
smile was beyond all description. The child's
gaze, fixed on the Apparition, was no less
captivating. Impossible to imagine anything
so pure, so sweet, so loving.

"I had watched Bernadette with scrupulous

care while she was making her way to the
Grotto. What a difference between what she
was then and what she was as I saw her at
the moment of the Apparition. It was like the
difference between matter and spirit... I felt I
was on the threshold of Paradise."

Here, Monsieur Jean Baptiste Estrade,

present throughout the Apparition, takes up
the story - but it is also here that the
misunderstanding of the day occurred.

"I witnessed that day a great display of

religious enthusiasm. Bernadette had just
returned from her place under the spur of
the rock. Kneeling down again, she took her
beads as usual from her pocket, but as soon
as she lifted her eyes again to the privileged
bush, her face became sad. She held up her
beads with surprise as high as her little arm

53
would allow there was a moments pause,
then suddenly went the beads back into her
pocket. Instantly, she displayed another pair
which she waved and held up as high as the
first. The look of anguish vanished from her
face. She bowed, smiled once more and
recommenced her prayer.

"With a spontaneous movement, everyone

took out their Rosaries and waved them.
Then they shouted 'Vive Marie' and went
down on their knees and prayed with tears
in their eyes. The opponents of religion
spread the rumour that Bernadette had that
day blessed the Rosaries".

One Paris newspaper printed the following

article a few days later -

"That little actress, the millers daughter at

Lourdes, collected round her again on the
morning of the 1st of March, beneath the
Massabieille rock, nearly two thousand five
hundred boobies. It is impossible to
describe the idiocy and moral degeneration
of these persons. The visionary treats them
like a troop of monkeys and makes them
commit absurdities of every kind. This
morning, the pythoness was not inclined to
play the seer, and to make a little variety in

54
the exercises, she thought the best thing
was to play the priestess. Assuming a grand
air of authority, she ordered the fools to
present their Rosaries and then blessed
them all."

Since the day following the discovery of the

Spring, the crowd had often imitated
Bernadettes actions at the Grotto, such as
kissing the ground in penance; today was
no different, although the crowd had
misinterpreted what had happened.

If Bernadette had not blessed the Rosaries,

then what had been the meaning of the
strange event which had just occurred?
Later that day a priest asked the child this
same question; only after her explanation
was the odd happening demystified.

Bernadette explained that while on her way

to the Grotto earlier that morning, a lady
named Pauline Sans (who was the Lourdes
seamstress) had spoken to her; she had
desired to have a memento of the
Apparitions and so had asked the child if
she would be kind enough to use her
(Madame Sans') Rosary that morning while
the Blessed Virgin was praying with her.
Bernadette had agreed to this proposal.

55
As Bernadette was about to make the sign
of the Cross, she took the Rosary from her
pocket but was not able to lift her hand to
her forehead. The Lady asked Bernadette
where her own Rosary was - here, the child
lifted the Rosary high in the air for the Lady
to see. But the Lady saw only too well "You
are wrong" She told Bernadette, "this
Rosary is not yours".

Realizing she had Madame Sans' Rosary in

her hand, she put it back into her pocket
and retrieved her own Rosary of black wood
beads on a knotted cord, bought previously
by her mother. Again she lifted the beads.

"Use those", said the Lady sweetly, smiling

at the child, and Bernadette was able to
begin her prayers.

The priest who asked the child to explain

said to Bernadette "Is it true that you
blessed Rosaries at the Grotto today?".

Bernadette smiled. "Oh but Monsieur,

women do not wear the stole!"

Thirteenth Apparition

Tuesday 2 March 1858

56
The thirteenth Apparition took place
following the normal pattern, Bernadette
arrived at the Grotto early in the morning,
prayed the Rosary in the company of the
Lady who remained silent except for the
Glorias, then made her usual devotions and
acts of penance.

After the vision, the child arose and

appeared tremulous. She had been
accompanied by both aunts - Basille and
Lucile. Wondering what the Lady had said to
make the child appear so anxious, Basille
asked Bernadette what had happened. She
replied -

"Oh I really am in great difficulty! The Lady

has ordered me to tell the priest that She
wishes a Chapel at Massabieille and I am
nervous about having to go to the
Presbytery. If only you knew how grateful I
should be if you would accompany me!"

They left immediately to go and tell Abbe

Peyramale of the Lady's request.

Upon arriving at the presbytery, the priest

enquired -

"Well, what have you come to tell me? Has

57
the Lady spoken to you?". Bernadettes
anxiety increased.

"Yes, monsieur le cure. She has ordered me

to tell you again that She wishes to have a
chapel at Massabieille."

Peyramale - in his reply to the child - left her

in no doubt what the priest thought of
herself, of the Lady of the rock, of the
messages being relayed to him, and (above
all) at the inconvenience of the interruption
she was causing to his normally quiet and
routine life.

"It is high time for me to get out of the

imbroglio in which the Lady and you seek to
entangle me. Tell Her that with the priest of
Lourdes She must speak clearly and
concisely. She wants a chapel. What right
has She to these honours which She
claims? Who is She? Where does She
come from? What has She done to deserve
our homage? Don't let us beat about the
bush - if your Lady is She whom you
suggest, I will show Her a means of
obtaining recognition and giving authority to
Her messages. You tell me She stations
Herself in a niche, above a wild rose bush.
Well, ask Her from me to make the rose

58
bush burst into flower suddenly in the
presence of the assembled multitude. The
morning when you come to tell me that this
prodigy has occurred, I will believe your
word and I will promise to go with you to
Massabieille!".

The tone and volume of his reply terrified

the poor child so much that she forget the
second part of the message and left without
having passed it on to the man shouting at
her.

Afterwards, she realised her error. She

asked her aunt to accompany her once
more to the priests house, but met with a
definite 'no'. She then asked both her
parents - but they were more terrified of
Peyramale than even Bernadette was. Later
in the afternoon, the child spoke to one of
her neighbour, a lady called Dominiquette
Cazenave. She explained her predicament
to this lady, who was more helpful than
those she had already approached.

Madame Cazenave went to the presbytery

in the late afternoon to arrange another
meeting. She accomplished her task and
the meeting was set for seven that evening.

59
At the appointed time, Bernadette and her
neighbour found themselves in the priests
company.

The child spoke -

"The Lady has ordered me to tell you that

She wishes to have a chapel at Massabieille
and now She adds 'I wish people to come
here in procession'."

"My girl" replied Peyramale, "this is a fitting

climax to all your stories! Either you are
lying or the Lady who speaks to you is only
the counterfeit of Her whom She pretends to
be. Why does She want a procession?
Doubtless to make unbelievers laugh and to
turn religion into ridicule. The trap is not very
cleverly laid! You can tell Her from me that
She knows very little about the
responsibilities and powers of the clergy of
Lourdes. If She were really the One whom
She pretends to be, She would know that I
am not qualified to take the initiative in such
a matter. It is to the Bishop of Tarbes, not to
me, that She ought to have sent you!"

Bernadette spoke again. "But sir, the Lady

did not tell me that She wanted a procession
to come to the Grotto immediately - She

60
only said, 'I wish people to come here in
procession'. And if I understand Her rightly,
She was speaking of the future and not of
the present".

"We'll do better than that - we shall give you

a torch and you shall have a procession all
to yourself. You have many followers - you
have no need of priests!" retorted
Peyramale.

"But monsieur le cure, I never say anything

to anyone. I don't ask them to come with me
to the Grotto".

Peyramale was silent for a moment to

collect his thoughts. A moment was all he
needed.

"Ask the Lady Her name once more. When

we know Her name, then She shall have a
chapel - and I promise you, it won't be a
little one either!"

Bernadette left the house. Now she smiled -

despite her fear of the priest, she had
carried out the task given to her by the
Lady. She had given Abbe Peyramale the
full message. Now it was up to him.

Fourteenth Apparition
61
 Wednesday 3 March 1858

That morning there were around three

thousand people present when Bernadette
arrived at the Grotto at seven in the
morning, accompanied by her mother. The
child knelt and began her prayers as usual.
But her face - although sweet - did not take
on the radiance of other mornings. The Lady
had not appeared.

One onlooker, Monsieur Clarens of Lourdes,

wrote to the Prefect of Police at Tarbes two
days later -

"The vision failed the little girl and this

seemed to cause her deep distress. It is
important to note this point, for it might not
perhaps seem to favour the hypothesis of
an hallucination".

The point of that statement was perfectly

clear to many people present that day.
Amongst them was the relative who allowed
the Soubirous family to live rent-free in the
Cachot, Andre Sajous.

Seeing the child's bitter sadness (she

believed the Lady had not appeared
because she had failed in her first visit to
the priest the preceding day), he offered to
62
go back to the Grotto with her. Her face lit
up and she agreed. An hour and a half later
(at nine in the morning) they were in front of
the rock.

It was quieter there at that time, with only a

few believers present. The remainder had
departed once Bernadette had left earlier.

The Apparition took place in the same

manner as before, with the Lady and her
protégé joined in prayer.

After the Apparition, Bernadette went once

more to see Abbe Peyramale. The Lady had
asked once more about a Chapel. But this
time the priest was a little less gruff in his
approach, asking what was the purpose of
the visit. The young girl replied that she had
told the Lady about the priest's request of
the previous day -

"She smiled when I told Her that you were

asking Her to work a miracle. I told Her to
make the rose bush, which She was
standing near, bloom; She smiled once
more. But She wants the Chapel".

Asking if Bernadette had money with which

to build a chapel, the girl replied that she did

63
not.

"No more have I! Ask the Lady to give you

some!" responded the priest.

Later that day, more relatives of Bernadette

arrived; the next day was the last day of the
fifteen days and perhaps some great
miracle would occur. Her cousin, Jeanne
Marie Vedere, said to the child -

"I hear you did not see your Lady this

morning", to which Bernadette replied -

"But I did see Her during the day!". Jeanne

Marie asked her cousin why it had taken two
visits to the Grotto before the Lady arrived;
Bernadette said she had asked the Lady the
same question and had received the
following reply from Her lips -

"You did not see me this morning because

there were some people there who wanted
to see what you looked like in My presence -
they were not worthy of this honour; they
spent the night at the Grotto and they
dishonoured it".

Fifteenth Apparition

Thursday 4 March 1858

64
The whole of France was aware that
Thursday 4th March was to be the last of
the fifteen days during which Bernadette
Soubirous had promised the mysterious
Lady that she would be present at the
Grotto of Massabieille.

What would happen today?

If the visions were a fraud, would all this

nonsense cease? If real, would the Lady
perform a great miracle to prove Her
existence and presence? Who was the
Lady? A soul from Purgatory? The Blessed
Virgin Mary? The evil one in disguise?
Perhaps today all would become clear.

Since early the previous evening, pilgrims

had been arriving from all over France. They
had travelled by horse, in carriages and on
foot. Throughout the night torches had
remained alight in front of the Grotto. Hymns
were sung to the Queen of Heaven - surely
this was the mysterious Lady of the visions?
By morning, there were twenty thousand
pilgrims in and around the Grotto of
Massabieille.

Also present were a large number of

gendarmes. Jacomet had felt the need for a

65
strong police presence to prevent any of the
trouble which always follows a large crowd.
Consequently, he had called in extra police
from the Garrison, all of whom were armed.

The night before, Jacomet - together with

two colleagues - had undertaken a minute
search of the Grotto, the niche and the
entire rock of Massabieille. The niche was
empty - no person, lamp, or any suspicious
item was found within it. The same was true
of the large vault beneath the niche - the
only items found were a few coins, a small
bouquet of flowers and a Rosary.

In the early hours of the morning, the search

was repeated. Again, nothing suspicious
was found.

Bernadette was present in the parish church

for early morning Mass at six o'clock. After
communion, she felt herself impelled to go
to the Grotto - she left immediately. Her
cousin - who had accompanied her to the
Mass - ran after her once she noticed the
little one had slipped quietly out of the
Church, somewhat irritated at not having
been told of the departure. Bernadette said
she had not thought to tell her.

66
She arrived at the Grotto shortly after seven
o'clock. The gendarmes cut a path through
the crowd so that the child could reach the
Grotto which had been the scene of so
many marvels.

Bernadettes cousin, Jeanne Vedere, relates

what happened -

"Holding a candle in one hand and her

Rosary in the other, Bernadette recited her
beads without a pause as far as the third
Hail Mary of the second decade, her eyes
fixed all the time on the niche and the rose
bush. At that moment, a marvellous change
came over her face and everyone cried out -
'Now she can see Her!' and they fell to their
knees. I experienced at that moment such
intense feelings of joy and happiness as I
could never express; I felt the presence of a
supernatural Being, but though I looked
hard, I could see nothing."

Jeanne relates that the Rosary was prayed

three times in succession that morning. At
the end of her Rosary, Bernadette tried to
make the Sign of the Cross. But once more,
she was unable to lift her hand to her
forehead despite three attempts. She later
explained that she had finished her prayers

67
before the Lady had finished Hers, and it
was only once the Lady made the Sign of
the Cross that the child could do the same.

The vision continued after the Rosary was

finished. Not once did Bernadettes eyes
move from the object of her delightful gaze.
Jeanne Vedere counted eighteen smiles on
the childs face during the vision. At one
moment, Bernadette got up and walked
forward into the vault at the base of the
rock; Jeanne followed her. Later Bernadette
said that at this point, the Lady had been so
close that Jeanne could have put out her
hand and touched Her. Bernadette went
back to her usual place, but later went right
into the vault once again and resumed the
conversation.

Throughout the vision, Jacomet was always

close by, scrutinising the child and taking
notes in his little book. Of all those present,
he alone stood throughout the Apparition,
writing furiously.

This was to be the longest of all the visions,

lasting more than an hour. At the end,
Bernadette quietly finished her prayers and
left the Grotto. People close by, as she was
leaving the Grotto, asked the child how the

68
vision had concluded. Bernadette said

"Just as usual. She smiled when She

departed but She did not say goodbye to
me".

"Now that the fortnight is up, you will not

come again to the Grotto?" she was asked.

"Oh yes, I shall", replied the child. "I shall

keep on coming, but I don't know if the Lady
will appear again".

Sixteenth Apparition

Thursday 25 March 1858

For the next twenty one days, Bernadette

did not go to the Grotto in the early morning
as she had been doing until then - she had
not felt the call within herself which was her
summons. But surely the matter had not
reached a satisfactory conclusion - after all,
the Lady had still not identified Herself,
despite the child's repeated requests.

However, the child did go to the Grotto - but

alone. She would go in the late afternoon
and spend long hours in prayer and
contemplation. But unlike the days of the
visions, Bernadette would not kneel in her
69
usual place; instead, she would go deep into
the large rock vault at the base of the
Grotto. There, cloaked in the gloom of the
place, she would pour out her soul to the
Lady of the Apparitions - whom she saw
with the eyes of her soul, if not her body. By
this time, some pious people in Lourdes had
set up a small altar beneath the niche -
upon an old table, they had placed a small
statue of the Blessed Virgin, surrounded
with flowers and candles. In fact, candles
burned all over the Grotto. Whenever
people were gathered at the place, they
would begin to sing hymns to the Queen of
Heaven. Nearly all of the pilgrims there
would leave a small monetary donation,
which would later be used to carry out the
requests of the Lady. Strangely, none of this
money was ever stolen - although it was left
there with no-one to watch over it.

On the evening on March 24th, Bernadette

told her parents of the feeling she had that
she was being called to the Grotto once
more by an interior impulse - she intended
to return there in the morning. It had been a
long time since the Lady had visited her -
more than two weeks! How long that night
was - try as she might, the child was unable
to sleep. As soon as the first light of dawn

70
began to pierce the darkness of night, she
rose and quickly dressed.

There were a number of people present

there at the Grotto already; it seemed they
too felt there may be a fresh occurrence that
day. But why today, after the silence of two
weeks? That was simple to answer - today
was the feast of the Annunciation of the
Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin
Mary - the day he saluted Her as 'Full of
Grace'.
So perhaps ....

Bernadette arrived at the Grotto at five in

the morning, with her blessed candle in her
hand. Her parents were with her. Even
before she reached the rock, she could see
the wondrous light filling the niche, in which
stood her beautiful Lady.

"She was there", said

Bernadette, "tranquil and smiling and
watching the crowd just as a fond mother
watches her children. When I knelt down
before Her, I begged Her pardon for coming
late. Still kindly towards me, She made me a
sign with Her head that I had no need to
apologise. Then I told Her of all my love and
regard for Her and how happy I was to see

71
Her again. And after pouring out my heart to
Her I took up my beads".

At this moment, the Figure bathed in the

heavenly light moved from the niche down
into the larger vault. Rising to her feet,
Bernadette went into the vault to be closer
to the Lady. She remained standing in front
of Her and a conversation followed. Soon
afterward, the oval of light moved back up
into the niche once more and prayers were
resumed.

Bernadette herself describes the

conversation and events which followed this
moment -

"Whilst I was praying, the thought of asking

Her name came to my mind with such
persistence that I could think of nothing
else. I feared to be presumptuous in
repeating a question She had always
refused to answer and yet something
compelled me to speak. At last, under an
irresistible impulsion, the words fell from my
mouth and I begged the Lady to tell me who
She was.

"The Lady did as She had always done

before; She bowed Her head and smiled but

72
She did not reply.

"I cannot say why, but I felt myself bolder

and asked Her again to graciously tell me
Her name; however, She only smiled and
bowed as before, still remaining silent.

"Then once more, for the third time, clasping

my hands and confessing myself to be
unworthy of the great favour I was asking of
Her, I again made my request.

"The Lady was standing above the rose

bush, in a position very similar to that shown
on the Miraculous Medal. At my third
request, Her face became very serious and
She seemed to bow down in an attitude of
humility. Then She joined Her hands and
raised them to Her breast. She looked up to
Heaven.

"Then slowly opening Her hands and

leaning towards me, She said to me in a
voice vibrating with emotion

'I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION'

(Que Soy Era Immaculada Conceptiou)

"She smiled again, spoke no more, and

disappeared smiling".

73
After the vision, Bernadette asked her aunt
Lucille to allow her to keep the blessed
candle which she had used throughout the
Apparitions. Lucile agreed. Having obtained
the necessary permission, Bernadette
placed the candle between some of the
rocks beneath the niche, where it slowly
burned itself out.

Lucile asked why Bernadette had wanted to

do this. She replied -

"The Lady asked me if I would leave the

candle to burn at the Grotto - as it was your
candle, I could not leave it there without
your permission".

Leaving the Grotto, the child was laughing

and smiling and quietly repeating some
words to herself. Some neighbours from
Lourdes came toward her and asked the
cause of her happiness and what it was that
she was saying. The child replied -

"Oh, I'm repeating the name the Lady has

just this moment given me, for fear that I
might forget it. She said to me, 'I am the
Immaculate Conception' ."

74
The child was mispronouncing the word
'Conception' and had to be corrected.

From the Grotto, the little one went directly

to the Presbytery - still smiling, still
repeating the words which already were
spreading so quickly throughout Lourdes.

She was still repeating them when she

entered the garden of the Presbytery, where
Abbe Peyramale was praying his Office. He
asked what she wanted today, but the child
did not hear his question.

"What's that you're saying, you conceited

little thing!"

" 'I am the Immaculate Conception' it's the

Lady who has just said these words to me!"

He asked if she knew what the words

meant. She replied that she did not know
their meaning.

"I see you are still being deceived. How can

you say things you don't understand?" he
asked.

"All the way from the Grotto I have been

repeating the words 'I am the Immaculate

75
Conception' for fear that I would forget
them."

"Good!" added the Priest, "I shall consider

what is to be done" and he entered the
house, leaving the child and her aunt
standing in the garden.

Later that day, the Priest admitted to a

neighbour the effect of the child's words on
him

"I was so amazed by it that I felt myself

stagger and I was on the verge of falling."

Seventeenth Apparition

Wednesday 7 April 1858

The number of people traveling to the Grotto

was steadily increasing, more so now that
the mysterious Lady had finally identified
Herself as the Immaculate Conception. Until
this title had been announced, Bernadette
had always called the Woman 'the Lady' -
the people at the Grotto had also followed
this example set by the little one. But after
the Feast of the Annunciation, they were
able to personalise the name of the Lady -
there was now no doubt about Her identity;
She was Mary, the Mother of God. And
76
subsequently, She was referred to as Our
Lady of Massabieille or Our Lady of the
Grotto.

On Easter Sunday, 4th April 1858, the

parish church in Lourdes was filled with
people all day long. And throughout the day,
people flocked to the Grotto. Commissioner
Jacomet counted "in all, 3,625 visitors to the
Grotto" between five in the morning and
eleven at night.

The next day, Jacomet counted "3,433

strangers and 2,012 Lourdes people; in all
5,445 visitors" at the rock of Massabieille.
Bernadette, however, had not been back to
the Grotto since the day the Lady had
named Herself.

On the Tuesday evening, 6th April, the child

once more felt within herself the summons
from the Lady of the niche - she was called
to a further meeting.

It was the Wednesday of Easter week. At

six in the morning, Bernadette was once
more kneeling in prayer in front of her
beloved Grotto, the place she would later
call "a little piece of Heaven". The Lady was
standing in the niche, bathed in the light of

77
Heaven. Again the vision was a long one,
lasting nearly forty-five minutes. The child
was praying the Rosary as usual.

Doctor Dozous was present throughout the

Apparition. He describes for us the scene as
he watched it take place -

"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.

"She was on her knees saying with fervent

devotion the prayers of her Rosary which
she held in her left hand while in her right
was a large blessed candle, alight. 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.

"Astonished at this strange fact, I forbade

anyone there to interfere - and taking my
watch in my hand, I studied the

78
phenomenon attentively for a quarter of an
hour. At the end of this time Bernadette, still
in her ecstasy, advanced to the upper part
of the Grotto, separating her hands. The
flame thus ceased to touch her left hand.

"Bernadette finished her prayer and the

splendour of the transfiguration left her face.
She rose and was about to quit the Grotto
when I asked her to show me her left hand. I
examined it most carefully, but could not
find the least trace of burning anywhere
upon it. 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 Bernadettes 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."

A neighbour called Julie Garros (who later

joined Bernadette in the convent of Nevers
as Sister Vincent) also witnessed this. She
relates -

"As the Apparition continued, the candle

gradually slipped down so that the flame
was playing on the inside of her hand".

79
Bernadettes younger brother, Jean-Marie,
recalled "seeing this very clearly as it
passed between her fingers". Another
neighbour present, a boy called Bernard
Joanas, remembered that while this was
taking place, Doctor Dozous checked the
child's pulse but could find no irregularity.
And that when someone was about to
remove the candle from her, the woman
was told by Doctor Dozous to "Leave her
alone". "Bernadette, meanwhile, made no
movement", stated the boy, who later
became a curate in Lourdes and the
Chaplain of the Lourdes Hospice run by the
Sisters of Nevers.

Other witnesses later mentioned that this

phenomenon also occurred earlier during
the Apparitions, sometime before the end of
February. At those times, people shouted to
take the candle away from the child as it
would burn her, although in fact she was not
burned - despite the long period of time
during which her hand was in contact with
the flame.

THE THREE MONTHS LEADING TO THE

END OF THE APPARITIONS

80
Toward the end of the Apparitions, the civil
authorities had made all sort of attempts to
put an end to the occurrences at the Grotto
of Massabieille. A number of doctors and
psychiatrists had been called to examine
her - the child submitted to each and every
examination without question. The doctors
concluded that while there still existed the
possibility that the visions were the result of
"some cerebral lesion", still they could not
conclusively decide if this was the case.
Other doctors were unwilling to discount the
possibility that what was occurring was the
result of a supernatural manifestation.

The Bishop of Tarbes, Monseigneur

Lawrence, was also following the unusual
events in Lourdes. As yet, he had not
formally set up a Commission to investigate
the alleged Apparitions.

Between the penultimate and the final

Apparitions, the child was quite ill - as a
result of her asthma she was sent to the
mineral springs in Cauterets for
recuperation (although this was not entirely
effective).

Also, the Grotto itself had undergone some

changes; workmen had widened the path

81
leading to the Grotto and had completed the
stone troughs into which the waters of the
spring were to be redirected and allowed to
collect, so allowing pilgrims to bathe in the
water or to take it away in bottles.

Bernadette also made her First Holy

Communion, on the Feast of the Blessed
Sacrament - Thursday 3rd June 1858. Also
on that day, she was invested by Abbe
Peyramale with the Brown Scapular of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel - this scapular
remained with her until death. Later, in the
convent at Nevers, she would make her own
scapulars as the need arose. Many of them
can still be seen in the museum there.

That afternoon, Jean Baptiste Estrade and

his sister were once again in the company
of the child. Monsieur Estrade asked her -

"Tell me, Bernadette, which made you

happier - receiving Our Lord or conversing
with the Blessed Virgin?".

The child replied without hesitation - "I don't

know. The two things go together and
cannot be compared. All I know is that I was
intensely happy in both cases".

82
That day, there were more than six
thousand people in attendance at the
Grotto, hoping for some heavenly
manifestation; they were not to be
disappointed, despite the fact that no vision
occurred that day.

Among the people present, there were

many who were sick and crippled. A
labourer from the countryside had come
together with his family, including a boy of
six years who was suffering from paralysis
of the spine. Again Doctor Dozous was
present at the scene - and he wrote later
that he had taken quite an interest in the
poor family with the paralysed child.

"Since you have come" he said to the father

of the child, "to obtain from the Blessed
Virgin a cure which you have asked for in
vain from science, take your child, undress
him, and place him under the taps of the
spring". This was duly done and the child
was partially submerged in the cold water
for a few minutes.

"The little invalid" continues the Doctor,

"after he had been well dried and his clothes
put back on, was laid on the ground. But he
immediately got up by himself and made his

83
way - walking with the greatest ease -
toward his father and mother, who
smothered him with vigorous hugs,
shedding tears of joy".

But there were also unhappy events. The

civil authorities were trying their best to have
the Grotto closed to the public, and use of
the water disallowed until it had been
properly checked once more.

Further - and more worrying still - they were

plotting to have the child arrested and
committed on her next visit to Massabieille.
This sad state of affairs was only halted by
the intervention of Abbe Peyramale who -
despite his lingering doubts about the
visions themselves - was in no doubt about
the innocence of the visionary. She might be
deluded, but she was certainly no threat to
the moral order of Lourdes or of France!

At this time, there were also a number of

Satanic manifestations at the Grotto.

From the start of time, God had warned

Satan that there would forever be enmity
between him and the Woman. Lourdes was
to be no exception to this rule.

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The Satanic manifestation had begun during
the fourth Apparition, when Bernadette had
heard the cacophony of dark voices rising
from the waters of the river, until silenced by
the glance from the Virgin.

Now, toward, the end of the Visions, he

would once more commence his assault. A
young lady of Lourdes named Honorine,
had been at the Grotto one day when she
heard voices coming from within the empty
Grotto - she said these voices produced a
strange effect on her senses. This was
repeated the next day, when Honorine again
heard sounds - this time, savage howls and
sounds like wild beasts in combat. The girl
was terrified, and did not return to
Massabieille for a number of weeks. The
People of Lourdes said she was simply
hysterical.

At the same time, a young man from

Lourdes was passing the Grotto one day on
his way to work before dawn. He crossed
himself as he passed the rock, in honour of
She who had been present there. Instantly,
strange globes of light surrounded him and
he felt unable to move. Terrified, he made
the Sign of the Cross once more - as he did
so, each of the globes of light exploded

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loudly around him and he was able to leave
the place. As this was occurring, he could
hear from within the Grotto, maniacal
laughter and blasphemies.

Jean Baptiste Estrade witnessed some of

the assaults of the father of lies. A lady from
the Rue des Bagneres in Lourdes, named
Josephine, was experiencing apparitions in
the niche - this lasted for two days. Estrade
watched what was happening, but said that
while Bernadette was in ecstasy, he felt
"transported" - with Josephine, he merely
felt "surprised". And whereas Bernadette
during her ecstasy was "transfigured",
Josephine was simply beautiful. The girl in
question related to Estrade that she had
indeed seen strange figures within the
niche, but that she had felt suspicious of
them since they appeared to her to be evil in
nature, not Heavenly.

One day a young boy named Alex returned

to his home in Lourdes screaming and
shouting, but so paralysed with fear that he
could not tell his poor mother what was the
matter. After several days, he calmed down
sufficiently to relate the cause of his terror -

"When I left the house I went to walk with

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some other children by the side of
Massabieille. When I reached the Grotto I
prayed for a moment. Then, while waiting
for my companions, I went up to the rock.
Turning toward the hollow of the rock, I saw
coming towards me a beautiful lady. This
lady concealed her hands and the lower part
of her body in an ashen coloured cloud, like
a storm cloud. She fixed on me here great
black eyes and seemed to wish to seize me.
I thought at once that it was the devil and I
fled".

Many other similar events occurred around

this time.

Bernadette also had her own problems.

There was a constant stream of visitors to
the Cachot, all seeking an interview with the
child and wishing to hear her relate a
narrative of the Visions. The child submitted
herself to all of this without hesitation,
question or complaint. She saw it as an
opportunity to fulfill the requests of the Lady
for penance, although she later said that
having to tell the same story from early
morning till late at night each day, was a
greater penance even than the asthma
which was troubling her so much at this
time. The poor child was constantly

87
exhausted. To make matters worse, the
authorities were once more threatening to
imprison the child, claiming that she was
receiving financial rewards for telling her
story. Of course this was untrue; the family
were still living in abject poverty and were
frequently without sufficient money to feed
the children.

On one occasion, Pierre - one of

Bernadettes younger brothers - was found
eating candle wax in the church, such was
his hunger. He had previously accepted the
gift of a small coin for showing a wealthy
couple where the seer lived (although he
neglected to mention that she was in fact his
own sister). When Bernadette found out,
she was very displeased and took him to the
home of the couple in question, where he
was forced to return the coin. Bernadette
remained above any reproach of pecuniary -
or other - gain until the day she died.

After all, the Lady had said that her

happiness lay not in this life, but in the next.

Eighteenth Apparition

Friday 16 July 1858

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July 16th was the Feast of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel - in the parish church there
was an altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
under this title. While praying there in the
early evening, Bernadette - who faithfully
wore the Brown Scapular of Carmel all the
days of her life - once more felt herself
called by her Lady to come to the Grotto.

The Grotto was boarded up now and closed

to the public, access to it forbidden and use
of the water disallowed. But nothing could
stop the child responding to the call of the
Immaculate One.

She left the Church immediately and ran to

the home of her Aunt Basile, to ask her to
accompany her to the Grotto. Since the
Grotto itself was now closed, the two took
another path, across the field known as 'de
la Ribere', leading to the right bank of the
river Gave, opposite the vault and the niche.
On the way to the rock, they met several of
the Lourdes women; these followed the
visionary, since it was obvious she was
going back to the Grotto.

On the far side of the river, the child knelt to

commence her prayers. Almost
immediately, her little face was transfigured

89
with the heavenly light of her beautiful Lady,
who stood once more in the hallowed niche
across the water.

"Yes! Yes! She is there!" exclaimed the little

one. "She welcomes us and is smiling upon
us across the barriers!". Then she began
her intimate discourse with the Woman who
so enraptured her and who was the sole
reality for her at that moment.

It seemed to those present that at intervals

during the dialogue, the child was almost
trying to fly across the water, so far forward
did she lean. But now the moment had
come for the Lady to say farewell to her little
protégé, her own child, who now would have
to await her entry into Heaven before gazing
upon Her beauty once more.

The child later declared that "The Blessed

Virgin is so beautiful that when one has
seen Her once, one would gladly wish to die
so as to see Her again". That feeling was
now to flower within the heart and soul of
the faithful child.

As the sun was beginning to set, the Lady

who called Herself the Immaculate
Conception took Her leave of the child,

90
ending the vision with Bernadette still in the
fullness of her joy. As She disappeared, She
cast one last smile upon Bernadette. Never
again in this life would Bernadette see the
Lady; now she could only wait for Her to
keep the promise She had made at the
second
Apparition - "I do not
promise to make
you happy in
this life, but in the
next".

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