In 1858,the Lady of Lourdes made a promise to Bernadette Castesterot
“I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next”.
Several years ago, a good friend of mine, a member of the Knights of Malta, spoke about his volunteer work in helping pilgrims visit Lourdes, the most famous modern shrine of Our Lady. He indicated that his visits require a combination of faith and mental strength given the large number of very sick worshipers seeking restoration of health. He did mention that in many ways Lourdes does possess colorful pageantry that is beautiful. The male volunteer’s uniform is a black battle-dress, black beret, and ‘Maltese Cross’ badges. Ladies wear white and rose nurses outfits, with headdresses bearing the Order’s badge. Lourdes today attracts approximately six million visitors annually.
In 1858, in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes in southern France, Mary appeared to an impoverished, emasculated fourteen-year-old girl eighteen times. The first occasion was February 11th, the Lady smiled at Bernadette, and motioned for her to advance and say the Lord’s Prayer and the Gloria. Bernadette experienced eighteen visitations from Mary over a six-month period never knowing who the Lady was until the last apparition. During the apparitions, Mary instructed Bernadette to dig a hole in the ground and drink and bathe in it. The hole later turned into a spring of water, which Mary promised, would be a healing spring for all who came to use its waters. Initially, the local pastor accused Bernadette of lying about the apparitions. On March 25, 1858 Mary revealed to Bernadette (I am the Immaculate Conception). Mary, with these words, confirmed what the pope had declared as official Catholic Church doctrine just four years earlier—a highly unlikely fact to be known by an uneducated fourteen year old in rural France.
The apparitions were declared authentic in 1862 and Lourdes rapidly became one of the world’s major pilgrimage sites. Thousands have been cured from a variety of illnesses, both physical and spiritual, and a clinic to support the millions of pilgrims who come to Lourdes operates to this day. Bernadette became one of the Sisters of Notre Dame and died in 1879 after a long and painful illness. Bernadette was declared a saint in 1933, not because of the apparitions, but because of her dedication to a life of simplicity and service.
Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
