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“I came back towards the grotto and started taking off my shoes and socks. I had hardly taken off the first shoe when I heard a sound like a gust of wind. Then I turned my head towards the meadow. I saw the trees quite still: I went on taking off my shoes and socks. I heard the same sound again. As I raised my head to look at the grotto, I saw a lady dressed in white, wearing a white dress, a blue girdle and a yellow rose on each foot, the same color as the chain of her rosary; the beads of the rosary were white….From the niche, or rather the dark alcove behind it, came a dazzling light. I tried to make the sign of the Cross but could not, because my hands were trembling. The lady smiled, and invited me to pray the rosary with her”

1858, nearly 160 years ago, Lourdes in southern France was a small town of about 4,000 people. So that’s the same amount of people who go to St Joseph’s BTG, Virgo Fidelis and the Norwood school.

     Marie Bernarde’ Soubirous , known as Bernadette was the eldest of six children. She suffered from poor health, she missed a lot of school and was not a clever child. In these modern times she would be identified as having learning difficulties.

One day she had gone to the local rubbish tip to collect fire wood with her sister and a friend. At one point she heard a rush of wind, although it was a still day. She looked around, the trees were not moving, so why was there the sound of the wind? A few seconds later she heard the same sound, this time she looked up into an alcove in the rocks surrounding the rubbish tip, and there she saw the lady we heard about in our reading.

Her sister, who was called Toinette, saw her looking at the lady and praying her rosary, buts she could not see the lady herself. When they went home Toinette told their mum and dad what had happened. They were cross with Bernadette (because they were a little afraid) and told her not to go back.

Bernadette felt compelled to go back. Remember, she was not bright, she was not likely to make things up. She could not read or right, she did not speak French, she spoke a local language called Occitan, most Occitan speakers would also learn French or Spanish, depending where they lived. Bernadette was not that bright.

Word of Bernadette’s visions got around. The local parish priest came to see her, he was very dismissive at first but slowly, visit by visit, he began to understand that Bernadette must be seeing something; and her description was leading him to believe it was The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

This news spread nationally, it became a big story. The police even took Bernadette into custody and told her not to go to the grotto as so many people were following her, the police had to be involved as a matter of crowd control. But Bernadette continued to go.

She told the parish priest that ‘the lady’ (Bernadette did not know who she was) said a church should be built at the grotto and people should come in procession. The parish priest laughed, he said this could not possibly happen.

When Bernadette was at the grotto people would come to watch her pray. Many would pray too, but some would just laugh. On one occasion Our Lady told Bernadette to eat the grass nearby, then dig into the ground. The people watching this thought she had gone mad. Our Lady told her to dig until she found water. Very soon she found water coming out from an underground spring.

The local bishop also came to see Bernadette and pressed her to ask the lady who she was, whenever Bernadette did, the lady would just smile. Until eventually one day she replied to Bernadette ‘oue soy era Immaculada Concepciou’ which is Occitan for ‘I am the Immaculate Conception’. Bernadette did not know what this meant. Most people didn’t. But the Bishops and priests throughout the world knew this meant the lady was the Mother of Jesus.

People started flocking to the site and bathing in the water. They come in procession, and they come and pray the rosary. We will be praying the rosary on Thursday and Friday lunch time.

But for now, we will say a Hail Mary together.