Who's That Girl?

Many people are named after towns like those we have visited (Fatima, Javier, and Montserrat). Two of my aunts are named Lourdes. I never knew their names meant something. I just thought it was a pretty name.

Lourdes is a town in France. It is also a place of pilgrimage for Catholics as well as a center for those in search of physical and spiritual healing.

Like the children of Fatima in Portugal, Bernadette was a young girl from a very poor family. Her father was a miller who slowly he lost his wealth, home and status in society.

Luckily, Bernadette’s father had a cousin who offered her family a place to live even though it was not equipped for living. Originally, the structure had been a prison for the Moors and her father’s cousin was using this space as a shelter for his livestock.

Bernadette’s family slept with the animals. Considering how chilly it was in June, the winters here must be terribly cold. Since any roof was better than no roof, Bernadette’s father accepted his cousin’s offer.

Like the children of Fatima, the young Bernadette had to work to help her family. One day, she was gathering firewood with two other young girls, one of which was her sister. They walked a long distance to a place where they could get free sticks from a public property. Here, they could take the wood without paying for it. However, it was also here where the prostitutes worked.

The Blessed Mother appeared only to Bernadette inside a grotto. The other two girls did not witness the apparition. Upon her sister’s instance, Bernadette told her sister about what she saw but asked her to keep it secret. But her sister told their mother about Bernadette’s experience as soon as they got home.

Bernadette’s mother scolded and prohibited her from returning to the grotto. But Bernadette wanted to see that woman again, so she returned. In one year, the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette eighteen times.

Already marginalized from society due to her family’s excessive poverty, Bernadette was further ostracized for her behavior in response to these apparitions. Everyone thought she had gone mad, but when she transmitted one message in particular, the town priest was convinced that Bernadette was not lying.

The vision of the Virgin Mary said to Bernadette in her local language (Patois): “Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou.” These complicated words were difficult for her to remember as she ran home to relay the message to the town priest.

She was very scared she would forget these words. She repeated them over and over again until she reached her parish priest. With this message, Bernadette changed the history of this little town in France forever.