Bernadette Soubirous (Bernadeta Sobirons in Gascon), whose
real name is Marie-Bernarde Soubiroux (Maria Bernarda Sobeirons), born January
7, 1844 in Lourdes, and died April 16, 1879 in Nevers, is a Catholic saint,
famous for seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary in a cave in his hometown. His
parents, François Soubirous (1807-1871) and Louise Casterot (1825-1866),
exploit the Boly Mill, where she was born, until 1854. The Soubirous who, they
say, is a love, had a total of nine children, five of whom died in infancy.
Bernadette is the eldest. At that time, the family business is ruined (too
traditional for this time of industrialization, and arguably mismanaged).
Bernadette knows hunger and disease, she can barely read and write. Fragile (it
is especially asthma) health, it seems less than his age. It is also beautiful
girl, according to testimony at the time and as evidenced by the photographs
that were taken of her. His religious sentiment is already very strong, even if
she does not know about all of the catechism ("[...] if the Blessed Virgin
chose me am because I was the most ignorant!" Will say it later),
Bernadette's parents sent him to his godmother and aunt, Bernarda Casterot
(1823-1907), who uses the house as a servant and counter his cabaret. Soubirous
the move to a cell of former prison High Street, nicknamed the dungeon (which
can be visited today) and where they stay in six 3.77 x 4.40 m. In 1857,
François Soubirous is accused (apparently wrongly) theft of two bags of flour.
He was sent to prison. The Soubirous family is in a period of distress black.
Bernadette shows apparitions of the Virgin from 1858. At its ninth appearance,
she follows the directions of the Virgin and discovers a water source at the
foot of the Massabielle grotto at Lourdes. Between February 11 and July 16,
1858, the Virgin appeared to him eighteen times. Appearances: 1. Thursday,
February 11, 1858. With her sister Mary (1846-1892), known as Toinette and
Jeanne Abadie, a friend, Bernadette went along they Gave to collect bones and
dead wood. Because of his poor health, she hesitates to cross the Game, jelly,
as his sister and her friend. It is then surprised by a noise and looked up to
the grotto of Massabielle: "I saw a lady dressed in white: she wore a
white dress, a white veil also a blue sash and a yellow rose on each
foot." Bernadette says a prayer, the woman disappears. 2. Sunday, February
1858 14. Her parents forbid Bernadette to return to the cave. She insists they
give. There, she recites the rosary and sees the lady appear. She throws the
holy water. The lady smiled, nods and disappears. 3. Thursday, February 18,
1858. Bernadette, under pressure from a lady lourdaise bourgeoisie, asks the
lady to write her name. The latter replied: "That is not necessary."
Then she adds, "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in
the other. Do you have to come here for a fortnight?" 4. Friday, February
1858 19. Bernadette came to the cave and blessed with a lighted candle (which
has since become a tradition). The lady appears briefly. 5 . Saturday, February
20, 1858. The lady tells a personal prayer to Bernadette who, at the end of his
vision, has received a great sadness. 6. Sunday, February 1858 21. A hundred
people accompanied Bernadette. The woman came (to Bernadette only) and the
police commissioner Jacomet asked about what she saw. Bernadette simply repeats
"Aquero" (that) 7. Tuesday, February 23, 1858. Accompanied by one
hundred and fifty people, Bernadette went to the grotto where the apparition
reveals a secret "just for her." 8. Wednesday, February 24, 1858. The
lady sends a message to Bernadette: "Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to
God for sinners! Kiss the ground in penance for sinners!" 9. Thursday,
February 1858 25. Three hundred people were present. Bernadette explains that
the lady asked to drink from the source: "Go drink at the fountain and
wash yourself. You eat this grass growing there.” Bernadette said later:
"I found a little muddy water. In the fourth test I could drink.” The
crowd accused of being crazy and she replied: "It is for sinners." 10.
Saturday, February 27, 1858. Eight hundred people accompanied Bernadette. The
Apparition is silent, Bernadette drinks water. 11. Sunday, February 1858 28.
Two thousand people attended the ecstasy of Bernadette praying, kissed the
ground, crawling on his knees. Judge Ribes threat of prison. 12. Monday 1 March
1858. Fifteen hundred people accompanied Bernadette, which, for the first time,
a priest. The same night, Catherine Latapie, a friend of Bernadette went to the
Grotto and dips his dislocated arm in the water source: his arm and hand regain
their flexibility. 13. Tuesday, March 2, 1858. The crowd is very important. The
lady asked Bernadette: "Go and tell the priests to come here in procession
and to build a chapel." Father Peyramale, pastor of Lourdes wants to know
the name of the lady and in addition requires specific evidence: he wants to see
the roses bloom / hips of the Grotto in winter. 14. Wednesday, March 3, 1858.
Three thousand people accompanied Bernadette. The vision does not come. Later,
Bernadette feels called and returns to the cave where she asks his name to the
lady who replied with a smile. The priest Peyramale insists: "If the lady
really wants a chapel, she says her name and make the rose bush bloom of the
Cave" 15. Thursday, March 4, 1858. About eight thousand people waiting for
a miracle to the cave. The vision is silent. For twenty days Bernadette no
longer feels the invitation to visit the cave. 16. Thursday, March 25, 1858.
The apparition to Bernadette shows and said Gascon bigourdan - the language
spoken by Bernadette - lifting eyes and clasping her hands: "Que soy era
immaculada Councepciou." Bernadette holds these words, she does not
understand, and tell the court the priest, who is troubled, four years earlier,
Pope Pius ix made the "Immaculate Conception" dogma and Bernadette
said that ignore it refers to the Virgin. The rose has not bloomed. 17. Wednesday,
April 7, 1858. Dr. Douzous finds that the flame of the candle held by
Bernadette during the apparitions around his hand without burning. 18. Thursday,
July 16, 1858. This is the last appearance. A fence prevents access to the
cave. Bernadette crossed the Game and sees the blank exactly as if it was in
front of the cave. On July 28, 1858, twelve days after the last appearance, Mgr
Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, meets an inquiry designed to establish credit that
the Church must make claims to Bernadette Soubirous. This committee is
responsible for verifying the validity of the "miracles" announced by
collecting various testimonies and opinions of scientists and churchmen. It is
also responsible for questioning the sincerity of which seem Bernadette
"incontestable" (according) to the bishop: "Who does not admire,
by approaching, simplicity, candor, modesty of this child? She speaks only when
asked, so she tells all without affectation, with touching naivety, and the many
questions put to him, it is without hesitation, full clear, precise answers,
about, imbued with a strong conviction. "The fact that the girl repeats
told by the Virgin that she could not (do you think so) words not know with
regard to his lack of education, will be a decisive argument. Meanwhile, the
crowd of pilgrims coming to see the cave and ask for help to Mary continues to
grow, it has people from all over Europe and further evidence of miracles
accumulate. "If we must judge the tree by its fruits, we can say that the
appearance told by the girl is supernatural and divine, because it produced
supernatural and divine effects" Four years later, January 18, 1862 the
Bishop makes his opinion - favorable: "We believe that the Immaculate
Mary, Mother of God, really appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on 11 February
1858 and the following days, the number of eighteen times in the cave
Massabielle, near the town of Lourdes apparition that takes all the characters
from the truth , and the faithful are based on some believe. We humbly submit
our judgment to the judgment of the Supreme Pontiff, who is responsible to
govern the universal Church. "So Lourdes, modest capital of the Pyrenees,
carefully avoided by the spa tourism then exploding - its water n had not the
healing properties attributed to those of Luchon, Cauterets or
Bagneres-de-Bigorre - quickly became the most popular tourist destination in
the region. A commonly forgotten fact: in Garaison (now Monleon-Magnoac, 70 km
from Lourdes), a young girl named Angleze of Sagasan claimed to have heard the
Virgin asked him to build a chapel near the source. That was around 1520. The
chapel has been built and the town was a place of worship and religious tourism
in the following centuries. Bernadette wanted to make her communion and for
that she had to learn to read and write in French. She is admitted to the
"school of the poor", at the Hospice of Lourdes, held since 1836 by
the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. There, she learns, learns to read and learn
the catechism and a craft. Observers at the time noted that his recollection in
prayer is impressive, but it is also gay, cheerful, playful and rather
authoritarian with his companions - who nonetheless appreciate a lot. Upon
reflection she chose the Sisters of Charity of Nevers his desire to live a
religious life. Mother House of the congregation is to Nevers. With its
superior, it is obedience to any test, as evidenced by an anecdote: Bernadette
was forbidden to return to the cave and asked him: "If you ordered the
Virgin to go, what would you?". Bernadette said: "I would ask
permission from the parish priest." Outside, we begin to make a worrying
worship young Bigorre. Picture when buying the newspapers talk about it, we
want to see. The wisest course is away from Lourdes. Some people like the
British essayist Ruth Harris (Lourdes. The big story of the apparitions,
pilgrimages and healings, Jean-Claude Lattes, 2001), do not hesitate to say
that Bernadette was somehow "disappear" from his life so that the
Church can fully control the capitalization of miracles Lourdais. For a girl
without a dowry, life sister was hard to imagine, but Bernadette is now famous
and various convents are ready to welcome him. So she leaves the Pyrenees never
see it again. She joined July 7, 1866, the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. She is
thirteen years during which it will be treated without special consideration.
She held the positions of assistant nurse in charge of the infirmary and
sacristan. The last four years, it is especially sick. Reaching bone tuberculosis,
and suffering from his chronic asthma contracted at the age of 11 years, during
the great cholera epidemic in the Hautes-Pyrenees, she died April 16 Nevers
1879 at the age of thirty-five years. For the purposes of canonization, his
body must be recognized. His coffin will be open three times and found intact
body. Since 1925 She sits in a glass shrine and bronze in the chapel of the
Espace Bernadette in Nevers. During the exhumation, his body was washed and
contact with "detergents" had blackened his skin: the body of the
Venerable Bernadette is intact, the complete skeleton, muscles atrophied but
well preserved, and the leathery skin appears to have been only the moisture
coffin . She took a grayish color and is covered with some mold and a certain amount
of crystals of calcium salts (...) (Dr. Talon and Dr. Earl, who examine the
body after 1923), cited by Dominique Lormier in Bernadette Soubirous, ed. CMD,
1999. In the same book we learn that a few years later, Bernadette skin
blackened. Bernadette's face and his hands were thus covered with a very thin
wax mask for the public presentation. Bernadette Soubirous was beatified and
canonized June 14, 1925 December 8, 1933.
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