Today is the feast day of Saint Bernadette. 

Born in Lourdes, France in 1844, she was the oldest of 9 children. Her father, Francois, was a miller, but he had fallen on hard times, and he and his wife, Louise, were having difficulty making ends meet. 

Bernadette was blessed with a deep and humble faith, but she had asthma, which often caused her to miss school, so she fell behind in her studies. 

On February 11th, 1858 at the age of 14, Bernadette was out looking for firewood with her sister and a friend. When they came to a creek near the grotto at Massabielle, she was told to wait there while the other girls crossed. As she waited, a sudden wind blew, and the only thing that moved was a small white rose, then came a dazzling white light and what she described as a beautiful lady. Bernadette instinctively dropped to her knees and took out her rosary.

When the girls returned, they saw only Bernadette. She continued to go to the grotto to see the beautiful lady. 

4 days later, Bernadette was told to return to the grotto for another 14 days, but it wasn’t easy with challenges coming from her family, the community, and the local government. 

She asked the beautiful lady several times who she was and finally was told, I am the Immaculate Conception. 

This was a remarkable moment because just 4 years earlier in 1854, Pope Pius the 9th had approved the dogma of the Immaculate Conception that Mary had been immaculately conceived in the womb of Saint Anne. 

On February 25, 1858, The Blessed Mother told her to drink from the spring, but there was no spring. She tried anyway and was mocked. But the next day, the spring was there, and it produced clean, flowing water.

Immediately, miracles began to occur, which continued to this day. 

The apparitions lasted through mid-July. 

Afterward, Bernadette went on to join the Sisters of Charity. 

However, she developed tuberculosis and died on this day in 1879 at the age of 35. 

Saint Bernadette, please pray for us.