Do you ever wonder if your prayers are being heard, and perhaps even more importantly, will they be answered?
Do you pray with an open mind and heart that will accept whatever answer God has for you? Sometimes God says no for our own good, but sometimes we receive just what we asked for, and the answer comes in the form of a vision or apparition. The apparitions of Lourdes, Guadalupe, and Fatima are familiar to most of us, but there are others not quite so well known. One of these is the remarkable appearance and promise made by Our Lady of Hope in Pontmain, France.
War in France
Let us turn the calendar back to the 17th of January in 1871. The country was at war with the Prussians who were in control of approximately two-thirds of the entire country of France. Paris was under siege and fear was heavy in the air. Previous Prussian victories had left Brittany and Mayrene vulnerable to the advancing Prussian armies. There was little that could be done to protect these areas. The citizenry was, for the most part, untrained for battle, and their small defending forces were outnumbered and ill-prepared for the impending German onslaught. The battle plans were drawn, and the bull’s-eye targets were Brittany and Mayrene. Situated right between these two targeted cities were the villages of Laval and Pontmain. Pontmain was a very small village of perhaps 500 people.
Barbarette family in Pontmain
In Pontmain, the village had been blessed with the presence of three nuns and a very holy priest. For 35 years he had toiled with dedication so effective that one never heard the Lord’s name taken in vain, or from anger. No one worked on Sunday, and children were raised with respect for God, the Church, and their parents.
The Barbarettes family lived in Pontmain. The youngest of their three children was Joseph, a rather frail but energetic boy of ten. His brother Euguene was a very serious but good-natured boy of twelve. The boys could both be described as religious having been well-formed by their parents, and by the three nuns who lived in Portman. The oldest of the Barbarette children was a brother who was away serving in the military.
Houses in Pontmain were built very close together, so the Villagers knew their neighbors. Since the beginning of the war, the residents of Pontmain had grown even closer to each other and had become even more fervent in their prayers. After attending daily Mass and before heading off to school, the children would join in publicly praying the rosary, morning offering, and other devotional prayers for the older soldiers.
The 17th of January in 1871, was a day like any other. Dusk had settled in early. Joseph, Eugene grabbed lighted candles and headed toward the barn with their father. They were going to feed the horses. A neighbor, Madame Jeanette de Tays, stopped by to chat with Mr. Barbarette, so Eugene decided to step outside and take a break while the adults were visiting.
Mary comes to Pontmain
As he stepped outside, his eyes widened in disbelief. Was he imagining this or was it real? There, about 20 feet above the center of the roof, he saw a beautiful lady wearing a robe sprinkled with what looked like stars. Her shoes were the same color as her gown. Her hair and ears were covered with a black veil that also covered the top of her forehead.
Her face was beautiful beyond belief. A golden crown with a little red line around the middle rested on her head. He noted that the crown did not go straight up, but spread out like an upside-down cone turning down around the sides.
Her hands were at her sides and spread out like the statue he had seen of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She looked directly at Eugene and smiled. At first, he thought it might be an apparition telling him that his brother had been killed in action, but then he realized that if that were the case she would not be smiling. He had been looking at the lady for about 10 minutes when Madame de Tijs came out of the barn. Eugene pointed to the area above the barn roof and asked Madame if she saw anything unusual.
The Description of Our Lady
Looking toward where he was pointing, she said that she saw nothing at all. Eugene’s father and brother heard the conversation and wandered out to see what he was talking about. As the father looked blankly at the sky, Eugene asked Joseph if he saw anything. Joseph looked up, he blinked a bit, and then he said, “I see a beautiful lady.”
Eugene immediately asked him to describe how she was dressed, Joseph replied, “She’s wearing a blue dress with golden stars on the dress and blue slippers with golden buckles.” Eugene asked, “Look well and see if she has a crown.” Joseph said, “Indeed, I see a crown which spreads out and a little red thin line in the middle of the crown and there’s a black veil.”
Their father stood for a moment looking at the sky, but he saw nothing. He told the boys that they must be mistaken, and directed them back to their chores. He then asked Madame de Tijs. not to mention these happenings to anyone. She agreed and went on her way.
The boys and their father were finishing their chores but something was definitely bothering their father. He told Eugene to go out and see if the lady he was talking about was still there. Eugene hurried to the door, glanced upward, and then said excitedly, “Yes, it is still the same.” Well, not knowing exactly what he should do, the boy’s father told Eugene to get his mother, but not to say anything about the lady.
A few moments later Eugene returned with his mother. Joseph had also stepped outside again to see the wondrous lady and was excitedly repeating “Oh, how beautiful she is!” Well, somewhat bewildered, their mother tried to shush him. Eugene asked his mother if she could see the beautiful lady and was told that she saw nothing at all.
Both brothers excitedly described her appearance in great detail. This puzzled her because the boys never lied. She and her husband exchanged looks and she remarked that maybe it was the Blessed Virgin. She suggested they should say five Hail Marys and five Our Fathers in her honor.
The Neighbors Get Involved
Now the neighboring houses were situated, as I said, very close together, and the excited sounds of the two boys carried. Soon they had a few neighbors stepping out to see what was happening and what the boys were looking at in the sky. Their father tried to brush off the questions by saying it was nothing at all. Their mother added that the boys were foolish and thought they saw the Blessed Mother. Then she closed the barn door, and the family prayed the five Hail Marys and the five Our Fathers. When they were finished, the boys were told to go out and see if the lady was still there.
The children stepped outside and immediately returned excitedly saying, “She’s still there.”
Their mother adjusted her glasses and, still seeing nothing, told the boys that they were lying and sent them back to feeding the horses. A few minutes later, the boys were back outside, and the beautiful lady was now smiling at them. Their parents had to draw them home for dinner, but as soon as it was finished, they ran back to the barn to check on the apparition. Excitedly they reported that she was still there, and still beautiful.
Sister Vitaline and Other Children
The boys remarked that The Lady was about the same size as Sister Vitaline, one of the local nuns. This gave their mother an idea. She hurried down the street to the convent where she summoned Sister Vitaline to go with her back to the barn area. Eugene pointed to where they had seen the beautiful lady but Sister said that she saw nothing at all.
Sister was returning to the convent when she saw two little girls whom she knew. She asked them to accompany her back to the barn area but did not tell them why. When they arrived, she asked them to look into the sky above the barn and tell her what they saw.
Other Children See Our Lady’s Appearance
The girls ran to where the boys were standing and looked up. Both exclaimed “A beautiful lady! She has a beautiful blue dress with golden stars. They described her exactly as the boys had done. The lovely lady had returned. Someone sought out the pastor and told him that there was an apparition that only the children were seeing. Excitedly he joined the nuns heading back to the barn. Since it seemed that only children could see the lady, Sr. Vitaline suggested that some younger children be brought to the site to see if all children were able to see the apparition.
A number of neighboring families heard the commotion and began heading toward the bard. Sister Vitaline gathered the children together and began praying the rosary with them as they crossed the fields to the barn.
As they approached the barn area, one of the nuns asked if the lady was still there. All the children responded with an excited “YES” and began to describe the lady just as Joseph and Euguene had done.
Our Lady Begins to be Sorrowful
The crowd had grown to about fifty people. Suddenly young Eugene cried out, “She’s starting to look sad!” and all the children agreed. The priest had everyone kneel in prayer, and one of the nuns started the rosary. One of the children remarked that the lady was now twice the size of Sister Vitelline, and the number of stars on her dress appeared to increase. Something else started to happen. There were letters forming beneath the beautiful lady’s feet.
The Prussians
As the letters were slowly forming, one of the townspeople came running with the tragic news that the Prussians were now at the gates of Laval, just a short distance away, and that they must pray. Now, this terrible news about the Prussians approaching should have thrown the group into a panic, but instead, they started to pray quietly, and the letters beneath the lady spelled out the words, “But pray, my children.”
By now it was around 7:30 in the evening, and the size of the group was now about 60 people. The children seemed enraptured by the lady as the crowd began several litanies. One of the children read aloud the words that were now appearing beneath where she stood. “God will hear you in a short time.”
This was followed by a golden period that the children described to be as bright as the sun. The lady was now smiling. The children began jumping up and down joyously, saying, “Look, she’s smiling now!” The group sang several Marian hymns, then more letters appeared, and one of the children pronounced the words as they appeared. “My son permits himself to be moved.”
The Message Becomes Clear
The letters were in glistening gold. The priest had the group sing another hymn to the Blessed Mother, and as the group sang, the Blessed Mother lifted her hands as though she were directing a choir. The entire message now appeared together. “But pray my children, God will hear you in a short time. My son permits himself to be moved.”
The children started jumping up and down with great excitement, saying, “Look, she’s laughing.” And another child’s voice rang out, “Oh, how beautiful she is. How beautiful she is.” Now, the crowd was both laughing and crying. As the hymns the townspeople were singing came to an end, the message of gold faded from view.
A Huge Cross Appears
A huge cross in red appeared in front of the beautiful lady. She took the crucifix and held it toward the children as though she was presenting it to them. At the top of the cross in large red letters was the name Jesus Christ. The crowd was silent as a small cross appeared on each of the lady’s shoulders.
It was now about 8.30 p.m. The priest had everyone kneel again in prayer as the lady’s image slowly began to fade as though covered with a veil until the children announced that she was gone. It was now a quarter till nine. Everyone now believed the children, and people from the surrounding villages and neighboring diocese came to pay homage. Many came out of curiosity, unbelieving, but left believers.
War Going Badly for France
While the children of Pontmain were wrapped in the comforting smile of the beautiful lady, others were not so happy. Things were not going well for France. Eighty thousand French soldiers were in prison and the army was so desperate for soldiers that children were being drafted, On this night of nights, Paris itself was under siege, The very future of France was threatened, and the enemy was at the edge of the neighboring town of Laval.
But Our Lady had made the promise, “God will hear you in a short time.” She kept her word.
Our Lady of Hope’s Message Comes True
Late that night, the general of the Prussian army, about to invade Laval received word from his commander not to attack and take the city. The general is reported to have said, “We cannot go further. There is an invisible Madonna barring the way.” Less than a week later, an armistice was signed. The citizens of Pontmain remembered the words, “God will soon grant your request.”
The pilgrimages started coming to Pontmain, and investigations of the apparition were in-depth. The children all received intense questioning of what they had seen and heard, and finally, in February of the following year, the local bishop issued a pastoral letter giving a canonical judgment on the apparitions and the veneration of Our Lady of Hope at Pontmain, The apparition was given official Church recognition and approval. A final papal honor was given to Our Lady of Hope in July of 1932 by Cardinal Pacelli, who was to become Pope Pius XII.
There is a great lesson to be learned from Our Lady of Hope. When life and our surroundings seem hopeless and we’re faced with despair, we have a friend on high who is waiting for our prayers. She is really only a prayer away.
