When she was 14, on February 11, 1858, Bernadette went … At the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw “a small lady in white” who asked her to return each day, to receive a series of 18 visions. St. Bernadette Soubirous was a poor, uneducated, peasant girl, who lived in the small milling town of Lourdes, France. Bernadette herself wryly commented. On this occasion, Bernadette reported later, the apparition said to her: "You will pray to God for sinners." On this occasion the same little figure appeared to Bernadette, smiled warmly, and spoke, asking Bernadette to come every day for fifteen days. In Lourdes, France, in 1844 a baby girl named Bernadette Soubirous was born. It’s also a place of miraculous healings, receiving between four and six million visitors annually. Her strength was ebbing away, but even when she was confined to wheel chair or bed, she went on with the fine needlework. Her father was a miller, but having fallen on hard times, the family lost their mill and t… This tiny spring continued to well up and by the next day was flowing steadily down into the river: to this day it has never ceased to gush forth from the grotto. Her parents were very poor and she was the first of nine children. Once a visitor stopped her as she was passing down a corridor and asked where she could get a glimpse of Sister Bernadette. Bernadette's body was placed in a casket which was sealed, then buried near the chapel of St. Joseph in the convent grounds. At the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw “a small lady in white” who asked her to return each day, to receive a series of 18 visions. The authorities continued to try to discredit her. As soon as the news spread, people came streaming towards the convent, chanting, "The saint is dead! He was a good-natured, easy-going man, with little ability for carrying on a business, and before many years the mill had been forfeited for debt. In the words of the attending doctor in 1919: “The body is practically mummified, covered with patches of mildew and quite a notable layer of salts, which appear to be calcium salts… The skin has disappeared in some places, but it is still present on most parts of the body.”. When Bernadette went back to Lourdes, it made her very happy to be admitted to the day school conducted by the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction. Standing alone beside the river, she had started to remove her stockings when she heard a noise like a sudden rush of wind. Bernadette died in 1879. Saint Bernadette, also known as Bernadette Soubirous, was a simple Christian girl who was posthumously venerated and later canonized a Saint of Catholic Church by Pope Pius X and XI respectively. The accounts of what she had seen and heard, which she was obliged to repeat so often, never varied in any significant detail. Top Answer. At baptism she was given the name Marie-Bernard, but since early childhood everyone called her “Bernadette.” Her father, Francisco was an honest man, but not very capable in business. She was only two days old when she was baptized. Bernarde Casterot was her godmother. It was thought that the empress herself had had a voice in this decision. Dean Peyramale and his superior, the bishop of Pau, who at first had scoffed, came to believe most ardently; it was the aged dean who found the money for raising the great basilica to Our Lady, which was completed in 1876. Not only did nuns and priests come to Nevers but celebrities from Paris and other parts of France came to see for themselves the now famous Bernadette. From Her life as a Nun. But during these years, Bernadette was suffering from the chronic disease which was slowly draining her life away. Tying up their twigs and branches into faggots, they started for home. Even there, intrusions upon her privacy were allowed; these she bore as patiently as she could. The Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction at Nevers are not secretive about the body of St. Bernadette. She was baptized at St. Pierre's, the local parish church, on January 9. French Time Capsule-19th Century home revealed to the public. Bernadette now showed the independence of spirit-some were to characterize it as obstinacy-that became one of her outstanding traits. She was the sister of her mother, Louise. It was rumored that she had a miraculous, healing touch. Bernadette herself moved away from Lourdes and joined a nunnery in Nevers, where she lived the rest of her life. The Healing Waters of Lourdes. “THE SONG OF BERNADETTE” A variety of authors wrote about St. Bernadette and the apparitions at … But Toinette told Madame Soubirous that same evening, and soon the news spread further. In this scholarly biography, Thérèse Taylor places Bernadette in the context of her time. In February 1858 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old girl called Bernadette Soubirous (now St. Bernadette) in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. When she was 14, on February 11, 1858, Bernadette went to gather firewood with her younger siblings. St. Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France on January 7, 1844. Such was the prestige her presence gave to the order that many young women now joined it. She was also learning a little French, for up to this time she spoke only the local dialect. And now she had more time for prayer and meditation. Then she died at 3:15 PM. Synopsis. Sadly, Bernadette finally succumbed to her ill health and died at the young age of 35. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. If the people of Lourdes had been told that the Queen of Heaven would visit one of them, they certainly would have never guessed that it would be little Bernadette Soubirous. They chided her, thinking she had passed the time praying to escape the task of gathering fuel. Lourdes and St. Bernardette Soubirous. Louise, whose family was of somewhat better economic status than her husband's, was a hard worker, a warm-hearted neighbor, and exemplary in her observance of Catholic rites. The date was April 16, 1879. The police were not content to threaten the Soubirous family; they must take Bernadette to the local police office for questioning and try to make her admit that it was all an elaborate hoax. St. Bernadette eventually entered a religious house where she continued to suffer physically, uniting her suffering to Christ, and died at an early age. She has remained undisturbed and on view in this chapel since August 3, 1925. She suffered excruciating pain. 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