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Essay on Bernadette of Lourdes
Bernadette of Lourdes (1844-1879), a young peasant girl, saw 18 visions of the Virgin Mary, in a grotto in Lourdes, France. These visions, and the curing waters that still flow there, led to the creation of a religious shrine that millions visit each year. Bernadette later became a Roman Catholic nun, and was canonized as a saint in 1933. On January 7, 1844, in Lourdes, France, Marie Bernarde Soubirous was born to Francois and Louise (Casterot) Soubirous. 1 She was the eldest of their six children (three other children died as infants). According to the Catholic Online website, "because of her small stature, she was always referred to by the diminutive form of her name, Bernadette." As a child, she was considered cheerful and pleasant, but was malnourished. She was also sickly, suffering from asthma her entire life.
The saint of Lourdes ... the saint of penance ... the saint of poverty ... Our Lady's child visionary is also to many the saint of family. Born January 7, 1844 at a time of prosperity for her family, her parents and younger siblings lived in an environment of deep love and devotion for each other. However, hard times soon fell on agricultural France, and worse yet, a string of seemingly endless bad luck fell on the Soubirous family. Put to the test time and again, Bernadette and her family discovered the meaning of unconditional commitment. In desperation, illness, and poverty, the oldest of the Soubirous children began having mysterious visions at the age of fourteen.
The combination of sophisticated revelations and Bernadette's simplicity were a certain confirmation of these apparitions. The entire region was soon in an uproar over the events. The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary spanned only six months, but no relief came to the Soubirous family. They came even closer together as they were plagued with continued misfortune through the time of the apparitions and beyond......
