a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God,

heralded joy to all the world.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.


Destroying the curse, He gave blessing;
and damning death, He bestowed on us
life everlasting.


Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Today, September 8, we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Blessed Mother is one of only three people the Church celebrates on the day of their birth (the other two being Christ on Christmas, born without sin, and Saint John the Baptist, free from sin at birth after being cleansed of his sins by Christ during the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth). The remainder of the saints are celebrated on their date of death—their birth into everlasting life with Christ. The Blessed Virgin, however, was conceived without sin because the Lord, in His wisdom, had chosen her to become the Mother of God. Nine months after our celebration of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate the Nativity of our hope and light of salvation!

As the Liturgy proclaims: "Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Virgin Mary, of whom was born the Sun of Justice.... Her birth constitutes the hope and the light of salvation for the whole world.... Her image is light for the whole Christian people"

No reference is made to the birth of Mary in Scripture, but the names of her parents, Joachim and Anna, are recorded in the Protoevangelium of James (excerpted below), an apocryphal writing from the 2nd century. We learn from this text that Our Mother’s parents were both beyond the years of conceiving and bearing children, but due to their faith—manifested through prayer and fasting—the Lord granted their request for a child with an extraordinary gift!

We remember today the dawn of our hope—that after the world struggled under the weight of sin, with the birth of the Mother of God, the Theotokos, the sun rises on a new salvation for mankind. She is the New Eve, leading us to her son, leading us to redemption. Through her fiat --her obedience to the will of God-- she opened the doors of redemption and salvation to all her children which had been closed by Eve in her disobedience. As Saint Jerome wrote: "Death through Eve, life through Mary."

Mary draws us to Jesus, into God’s eternal plan for our salvation. As Saint Louis de Montfort said, "She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If you say "Mary" she says "God.” There is a bond of love between Mary and God like no other."

As the Mother of God, Mary is radiantly beautifully. She is totally pure, modest, chaste, humble, obedient. Her soul is immaculate -- free from the stain of original sin. On Our Lady's birthday, the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary, and anticipates through her the Incarnation of Jesus. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy,” one of the most beautiful titles in her litany.

"Rejoice, O earth, because from the womb of Anna, as from a fertile vine, has sprung a sweet ripe cluster. To the harvesting of this vineyard all are invited, none are excluded - it is the joy of all." (Saint John Damascene)



Father of mercy,
give your people help and strength from heaven.
The birth of the Virgin Mary's Son
was the dawn of our salvation.
May this celebration of her birthday
bring us closer to lasting peace.
Grant this though our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

From the Protoevangelium of James


The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ.


1. In the records of the twelve tribes of Israel was Joachim, a man rich exceedingly; and he brought his offerings double, saying: There shall be of my superabundance to all the people, and there shall be the offering for my forgiveness to the Lord for a propitiation for me. For the great day of the Lord was at hand, and the sons of Israel were bringing their offerings. And there stood over against him Rubim, saying: It is not meet for you first to bring your offerings, because you have not made seed in Israel. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and went away to the registers of the twelve tribes of the people, saying: I shall see the registers of the twelve tribes of Israel, as to whether I alone have not made seed in Israel. And he searched, and found that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel. And he called to mind the patriarch Abraham, that in the last day God gave him a son Isaac. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and did not come into the presence of his wife; but he retired to the desert, and there pitched his tent, and fasted forty days and forty nights, saying in himself: I will not go down either for food or for drink until the Lord my God shall look upon me, and prayer shall be my food and drink.


2. And his wife Anna mourned in two mournings, and lamented in two lamentations, saying: I shall bewail my widowhood; I shall bewail my childlessness. And the great day of the Lord was at hand; and Judith her maid-servant said: How long do you humiliate your soul? Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand, and it is unlawful for you to mourn. But take this head-band, which the woman that made it gave to me; for it is not proper that I should wear it, because I am a maid-servant, and it has a royal appearance. And Anna said: Depart from me; for I have not done such things, and the Lord has brought me very low. I fear that some wicked person has given it to you, and you have come to make me a sharer in your sin. And Judith said: Why should I curse you, seeing that the Lord has shut your womb, so as not to give you fruit in Israel? And Anna was grieved exceedingly, and put off her garments of mourning, and cleaned her head, and put on her wedding garments, and about the ninth hour went down to the garden to walk. And she saw a laurel, and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord, saying: O God of our fathers, bless me and hear my prayer, as You blessed the womb of Sarah, and gave her a son Isaac.


3. And gazing towards the heaven, she saw a sparrow's nest in the laurel, Tobit 2:10 and made a lamentation in herself, saying: Alas! Who begot me? And what womb produced me? Because I have become a curse in the presence of the sons of Israel, and I have been reproached, and they have driven me in derision out of the temple of the Lord. Alas! To what have I been likened? I am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the fowls of the heaven are productive before You, O Lord. Alas! To what have I been likened? I am not like the beasts of the earth, because even the beasts of the earth are productive before You, O Lord. Alas! To what have I been likened? I am not like these waters, because even these waters are productive before You, O Lord. Alas! To what have I been likened? I am not like this earth, because even the earth brings forth its fruits in season, and blesses You, O Lord.


4. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God lives, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life. 1 Samuel 1:11 And, behold, two angels came, saying to her: Behold, Joachim your husband is coming with his flocks. For an angel of the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God has heard your prayer. Go down hence; for, behold, your wife Anna shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his shepherds, saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders; and a hundred goats for all the people. And, behold, Joachim came with his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God has blessed me exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow, and I the childless shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first day in his house.


5. And on the following day he brought his offerings, saying in himself: If the Lord God has been rendered gracious to me, the plate on the priest's forehead will make it manifest to me. And Joachim brought his offerings, and observed attentively the priest's plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw no sin in himself. And Joachim said: Now I know that the Lord has been gracious unto me, and has remitted all my sins. And he went down from the temple of the Lord justified, and departed to his own house. And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth. And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? And she said: A girl. And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down. And the days having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called her name Mary.


6. And the child grew strong day by day; and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to try whether she could stand, and she walked seven steps and came into her bosom; and she snatched her up, saying: As the Lord my God lives, you shall not walk on this earth until I bring you into the temple of the Lord. And she made a sanctuary in her bed-chamber, and allowed nothing common or unclean to pass through her. And she called the undefiled daughters of the Hebrews, and they led her astray. And when she was a year old, Joachim made a great feast, and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel. And Joachim brought the child to the priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations. And all the people said: So be it, so be it, amen. And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever. And her mother snatched her up, and took her into the sanctuary of her bed-chamber, and gave her the breast. And Anna made a song to the Lord God, saying: I will sing a song to the Lord my God, for He has looked upon me, and has taken away the reproach of mine enemies; and the Lord has given the fruit of His righteousness, singular in its kind, and richly endowed before Him. Who will tell the sons of Rubim that Anna gives suck? Hear, hear, you twelve tribes of Israel, that Anna gives suck. And she laid her to rest in the bed-chamber of her sanctuary, and went out and ministered unto them. And when the supper was ended, they went down rejoicing, and glorifying the God of Israel.


7. And her months were added to the child. And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.


And I James that wrote this history in Jerusalem, a commotion having arisen when Herod died, withdrew myself to the wilderness until the commotion in Jerusalem ceased, glorifying the Lord God, who had given me the gift and the wisdom to write this history. And grace shall be with them that fear our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory to ages of ages. Amen.



Additional Holy Writings regarding the Nativity of Our Blessed Mother

Saint Andrew of Crete: "The Nativity of Our Lady, the Theotokos"

Saint Anselm: "Prayer in Honor of Our Lady's Nativity"

Saint John Damascene: "On the Dormition of Mary"

Today, April 26, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel ("Madonna del Buon Consiglio")-- the miraculous love and grace that the Blessed Virgin revealed to the faithful through an iconic fresco of Holy Mother and Child.

In Genazzano, Italy—a small town about 25 miles outside of Rome-- the Church of the Virgin Mother of Good Counsel had fallen into disrepair. In the fifteenth century, a pious widow and tertiary of the Augustinian Order, Petruccia Noteria, undertook the monumental task of restoring the church following a vision from the Blessed Virgin. She implored her neighbors to help her with the task, but instead, they scoffed and jeered, accusing her of madness at her advanced age, and mocking her alleged holiness. Petruccia was not to be deterred, however, and committed all of her resources to the repairs of the church. She was not deterred by the derision of her friends and neighbors, instead saying to them, “My dear children, do not put too much importance on this apparent misfortune. I assure you that before my death the Blessed Virgin and our holy father Augustine will finish the church begun by me.”

On April 25, 1467, the entire town would have their eyes opened. It was traditional to celebrate the feast of Saint Mark, the patron saint of the city, with a fair in the city’s town center—where the partially restored Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel stood. During the festival, a luminous white cloud drifted over the village, with heavenly music seeming to emanate from within it. The cloud, which drew quite a bit of attention, drifted over the church, enveloping it. The church bells began to ring of their own accord, echoed by the bells of every other church in town. When the cloud lifted, a fresco of the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus appeared, miraculously hanging in the air. The townspeople were moved by the miracle, crying out to their Mother of Good Counsel.

Following the miraculous apparition, the people rallied around Petruccia, and the church was finished quite quickly. A chapel was built to house the fresco, which continues—to this day—to hang suspended in the air, approximately 1 inch from the wall of the church. So many miracles were recorded—including healings—that Rome dispatched a registrar to record them. Nearly 175 miracles were recorded in the first 5 months. Pope Paul II immediately ordered an investigation, and the results have been preserved. The same fresco was discovered to have miraculously appeared in a church dedicated to the Annunciation in Scutari, Albania centuries before, but due to Petruccia’s faith, was miraculously transported to Italy.

The fresco—painted on a thin sheet of porcelain approximately the thickness of an eggshell—became known as Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano. To this day, pilgrims flock to see the image, which despite the church being bombed during the second world war (and the chapel within which it was housed destroyed) miraculously escaped unscathed.

Our Lady of Good Counsel has been approved by the Vatican, and many popes throughout history have been especially devoted to her. She is the patron saint of those seeking enlightenment. Her feast day is celebrated April 26.  Her miraculous intercession reminds us that the love of Our Blessed Mother is perfect, her virtue knows no bounds, and her constant heavenly intercession for each of us is a gift not to be taking for granted.  Pray for us, Our Lady of Good Counsel!  Intercede for us with Jesus, Our Lord!


Prayer of Our Lady of Good Counsel:


O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are lead by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking thee by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech Thee to come to our assistance, when, along the road of this life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray.


Do Thou, O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good; render them steadfast in the race of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin. O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from Thy Divine Son a great love of virtue, and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation.


If Thy hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus our Redeemer, and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world's strife, the Sun of Truth and Justice under Thy maternal star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with Thee in the haven of salvation. Amen.

We continue our re-publishing of previous posts chronicling the miraculous unfolding of events that took place at Lourdes in 1858. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!



On March 4, 1858, Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to Saint Bernadette for the fifteenth time, marking the end of the original promise Bernadette made to return to the grotto every day for a fortnight. Throughout the first fifteen visitations, the Blessed Virgin brought a message of prayer, penance, poverty, and participation to all people, through the most unlikely of messengers, Bernadette Soubirous. Through these posts, we continue our journey with Saint Bernadette as we encounter Our Blessed Mother through her eyes, memories, and words. The first fourteen visitations occurred in February and March 1858 (February 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, and March 1, 2, and 3). Our Lady of Lourdes implored us all, saying, “Penance, Penance, Penance. Pray to God for sinners.” Our Blessed Mother further invited Bernadette to drink and bathe in the muddy water of the grotto, after which a clear flowing spring came forth where none had existed before. Our Lady of Lourdes commanded, “Go drink in the spring and wash yourself there,” something that faithful pilgrims continue to do each day. (For personal reflections on my experience at Lourdes, see here, here, and here).


Bernadette’s local priest, Father Payramale, had instructed Bernadette to inquire as to the name of the lady appearing to her in the grotto. He had grown impatient with Bernadette’s tale of the visitations, especially after she recounted that aquero had requested that the people come to the grotto in procession, and that a small chapel be built. Upon request, the beautiful lady smiled at Bernadette, but did not reveal her name. Father Payramale insisted that a miracle be performed to authenticate the visions, specifically that the lady make a wild rosebush bloom in the midst of winter.

Bernadette returned to the grotto on March 4, the last day of the fortnight she had promised to aquero, and was surprised to find a crowd of 7,000 people waiting to see what would happen. As she knelt in the grotto praying her Rosary, lit blessed candle burning in her hand, the Blessed Mother appeared. Bernadette finished her Rosary, kissed the ground as penance for sinner, drank and washed in the spring, and only then dared asked the beautiful lady for her name. Again, the Blessed Mother simply smiled in return, a lovely, peaceful smile. Bernadette requested that the rosebush be made to bloom, receiving a similar smile. And then the lady disappeared, without a miracle, without a great sign, without the proof requested by Father Payramale.

Bernadette left the grotto, returning home. The crowd dispersed as well, disappointed and angry that there had been no confirmation of the apparitions. And by all accounts, life returned somewhat to normal for the now-14 year old Bernadette. Having fulfilled her promise to aquero, she reported not feeling the urge and longing to return to the grotto. Instead, she focused her attention on preparing for her First Communion, struggling to learn the Catechism. Father Payramale, believing that her childish foolishness was behind her, gratefully instructed her.

It would not be until the 25th of March, on the feast of the Annunciation, that Bernadette would be drawn back to the grotto. On that day, Our Blessed Mother revealed her true identity to Bernadette, removing any doubt of the miraculous occurrences at Lourdes.



With you, Bernadette

With you, Bernadette, we will go to our rendez-vous at Massabielle to contemplate Mary “full of grace,” and to hear her say to us, “Do what He tell you!”
With you, Bernadette, we will reply, “I promise to do so.”


With you, Bernadette, we wish to hear again the call to penance, take the road to conversion, and live in evangelical poverty.
With you, Bernadette, we wish to live in humility.
Saint Bernadette, teach us the way of penance.


With you, Bernadette, “crushed like a grain of wheat” we will take up our cross.
We unite our hearts to Jesus’ Passion as we say, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, poor sinners.”
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Saint Bernadette, pray for us!

(Father Michel Baute, Chaplin, Our Lady of Lourdes)

We continue our re-publishing of previous posts chronicling the miraculous unfolding of events that took place at Lourdes in 1858. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!



March 3 marks the anniversary of the fourteenth apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette Soubirous. In 1858, Our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Bernadette at the grotto in Lourdes eighteen times, each time bringing a message of prayer, penance, poverty, and participation. Through these posts, we continue our journey with Saint Bernadette as we encounter Our Blessed Mother through her eyes, memories, and words. The first thirteen visitations occurred in February and March 1858 (February 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, and March 1 and 2). The Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Lourdes, communicated the message of Lourdes to all mankind, through Saint Bernadette. She implored us, saying, “Penance, Penance, Penance. Pray to God for sinners.” Our Blessed Mother further invited Bernadette to drink and bathe in the muddy water of the grotto, after which a clear flowing spring came forth where none had existed before. Our Lady of Lourdes commanded, “Go drink in the spring and wash yourself there,” something that faithful pilgrims continue to do each day. (For personal reflections on my experience at Lourdes, see here, here, and here).


Following the thirteenth apparition, during which the Blessed Virgin requested that the people come to the grotto at Massabielle in a procession, as well as a small chapel be built, Bernadette had bravely approached her local priest, Father Peyramale, and conveyed the request. He had not believed her tale, and had insisted that she ask the beautiful lady, when next she appeared, what her name was. Bernadette had agreed to this task, and returned to the grotto on the morning of March 3, 1858. As was now common, a large crowd of people followed her, numbering more than 2,000. However, despite praying the Rosary and kneeling in the grotto, the beautiful lady did not appear.

Bernadette returned home, but later that evening felt the strong urge drawing her back to the grotto. She returned and was graced by the appearance of the Blessed Virgin. Afters she finished praying the Rosary and her acts of penance, Bernadette asked aquero her name. In her own words: “The next day when I arrived at the Grotto, after having recited the Rosary, I told her that Monsieur le Cure would like to know her name, but she only smiled. When I went back to town, I went to see Monsieur le Cure and I told him that I had done what he had asked me to do, but that her only response was a smile. He said that she was making fun of me and I would do well not to go back again; however, I could not keep myself from going back. I returned for fifteen days, and each time I asked her who she was, which always made her smile.”

Father Payramale, somewhat irritated by Bernadette’s inability to get the lady to reveal her name asked for a further sign. He insisted that this lady make the wild rosebush in the grotto bloom, despite it being the height of winter. He told Bernadette that without this miraculous sign, there would be no procession and no chapel.

Bernadette would return the next day, March 4, the final day of the original 15-day promise she made to aquero. She would be accompanied by more that 7,000 people, the news of the apparitions having spread even further. Despite the number of people present, few believed her story. Bernadette withstood this doubt with confidence and grace beyond her years, gifts bestowed upon her by the Lord.


O Brilliant star of purity,

Mary Immaculate,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
glorious assumption,
triumphant in your coronation,
show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God.

Virgin Mary,
Queen and Mother,
be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.


Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

We continue our re-publishing of previous posts chronicling the miraculous unfolding of events that took place at Lourdes in 1858. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!



In 1858, Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous at the grotto in Lourdes eighteen times, each time bringing a message of prayer, penance, poverty, and participation. Through these posts, we continue our journey with Saint Bernadette as we encounter Our Blessed Mother through her eyes, memories, and words. The first twelve visitations occurred in February (February 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, and March 1). The Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Lourdes, communicated the message of Lourdes to all mankind, through Saint Bernadette. She implored us, saying, “Penance, Penance, Penance. Pray to God for sinners.” Our Blessed Mother further invited Bernadette to drink and bathe in the muddy water of the grotto, after which a clear flowing spring came forth where none had existed before. Our Lady of Lourdes commanded, “Go drink in the spring and wash yourself there,” something that faithful pilgrims continue to do each day. (For personal reflections on my experience at Lourdes, see here, here, and here).


During the eight to twelfth visitations, Our Blessed Mother had repeated her instructions to pray for sinners, and to offer acts of penance to God for their salvation. During these times, Bernadette engaged in bizarre behaviors, at least in the opinion of the curious onlookers who now numbered close to 2,000 each day. Bernadette’s actions, kneeling, moving on her knees, kissing the ground in penance for sinners, eating bitter grasses, and washing and drinking the spring water were reflective and representative of the Passion of Our Lord, made manifest through the message of Lourdes.

Prior to the thirteenth apparition, on March 2, the local church had remained at a distance, although a priest was present for the first time the day before. Also, following the twelfth apparition, the first miraculous cure of a local woman’s arm paralysis occurred after she plunged her arm into the spring at Massabielle.

On March 2, Bernadette, accompanied by her aunts, returned to the grotto, now having to force her way through the crowds. As was her custom, she knelt with a lit blessed candle, prayed the Rosary, and engaged in acts of penance for sinners. The Blessed Mother appeared and gave Bernadette two commands. First, Bernadette was to go to the local priests and tell them that people should come to the grotto in procession. Second, the beautiful lady requested that a small chapel be built on the site.

Bernadette thanked Our Blessed Mother, and with her aunts accompanying her, went to the local priest to relay the request. Bernadette was quite frightened, more so than when she spoke with the police, but nonetheless presented herself to Father Peyramale (whom she called “Monsieur le Cure”). Upon telling him that the beautiful lady had requested the people come in procession to the grotto, Father Peyramale inquired as to the lady’s name (as Bernadette continued to refer to her as aquero.) Bernadette did not claim to know her name. Father Peyramale, doubting the truth of the story based upon Bernadette’s level of education and failure to yet make her First Holy Communion, sent her away. She returned several hours later, undeterred, to mention that aquero had also requested a chapel be built. He demanded that the next time she saw the beautiful lady that she ask her name.

In Saint Bernadette’s own words: “I went to see Monsieur le Cure to tell him that the Lady had asked me to go tell the priests to have a chapel built at the Grotto and that people should come there in procession. He looked at me for a moment and then he said to me in a rather stern tone: ‘Who is this Lady?’ I answered that I did not know. Then he instructed me to ask her name and to come back and tell him.”

Bernadette agreed to do as the priest requested, and returned home knowing that she had promised to go to the grotto every day for fifteen days, and that in two days, those fifteen days would be over. But the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Lourdes, would appear five more times to Saint Bernadette over the coming months.

“I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them… Why must we suffer? Because here below pure Love cannot exist with suffering. O Jesus, Jesus, I no longer feel my cross when I think of yours.”
(from the Private Notes of Saint Bernadette)

We continue our re-publishing of previous posts chronicling the miraculous unfolding of events that took place at Lourdes in 1858.  Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!




On February 25, we remember the ninth apparition of Our Blessed Mother to Saint Bernadette Soubirous at the grotto in Lourdes. Beginning on February 11, 1858, The Blessed Virgin appeared to Bernadette Soubirous a total of 18 times bringing a message of prayer, penance, poverty, and participation. Through these posts, we continue our journey with Saint Bernadette as we encounter Our Blessed Mother through her eyes, memories, and words. The previous seven visitations (February 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 23) were preludes to what was to begin during the eighth (2/24) blessed message of Mary—during which she told Saint Bernadette to offer “Penance, penance, penance,” and to “Pray to God for sinners.” During that visit, the Blessed Virgin also asked Bernadette to kiss the ground in penance for the sins of the world.


On February 25, 1858, Bernadette returned to the grotto, accompanied by her mother and a crowd of over 300 people. Following the message of Mary given on the previous day, Bernadette offered herself and her prayers as penance for sinners. She knelt outside the grotto, and moved to her customary place on her knees, rather than by walking. As was her custom, blessed candle burning, she knelt and prayed the Rosary, and was graced again by the appearance of aquero, the beautiful lady in the recess on the rock face. At the conclusion of the Rosary, the Blessed Mother spoke to Bernadette. She asked, “Would you kiss the ground for sinners?” Bernadette did not audibly answer, but instead, to the surprise of those gathered, began to kiss the ground in front of her. The Blessed Mother continued, “Would you eat the grass for sinners?” Again, to the shock of the crowds gathered, Bernadette moved on her knees further into the grotto, eating the sparse grass that grew like the wild pigs who foraged there.

In a miraculous turn, the Blessed Mother then told Saint Bernadette, “Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” Bernadette was confused, as there was no spring in the grotto, and turned to move to the Gave River, which was only yards away—the same river she had refused to cross with her sister and friend on the date of the first apparition. The Blessed Mother corrected her, gesturing for Bernadette to come into the grotto further, finding herself in front of a small pool of muddy water. She scratched the earth a few times to get enough water to drink, and then both drank it and washed herself with it, smearing mud across her face. The onlookers took this as final proof that the simple miller’s daughter was mad. The authorities, however, were outraged.

In her personal journal, Saint Bernadette recounts the events of the ninth apparition. In her own words: “She also asked me to go drink from the spring and wash there; since I did not see a spring, I started toward the Gave. She said that that was not the right place and she pointed to another place, showing me the spring under the Grotto. I went to the place she showed me, but all I saw was a tiny bit of muddy water. There was so little of it that I was hardly able to get any of it in my hands. Nevertheless, I obeyed and started digging with my hands. I tried to drink it, but it was so dirty that the first three times, it came back up. On the fourth try, I was able to drink a little of it.”

During four visitations from Mary (9-12), Saint Bernadette carried out the same actions—drinking from the spring, washing herself, eating grass, walking on her knees, and kissing the ground. Those around her do not understand, but as we reflect on her actions, we see they are biblical in nature. Because Our Lady of Lourdes asked her, Bernadette acts out the Incarnation, the Passion and the death of Christ.

Moving on her knees at the back of the Grotto recalls the Incarnation, God lowering himself to become human. Bernadette kisses the ground showing us that this act of humility is an action of the love God has for his people.

When Bernadette stoops and eats the dirty, bitter grasses growing in the recesses of the grotto, she re-enacts the Jewish Old Testament tradition of slaughtering a lamb, cleaning it, and filling it with bitter herbs. For the Jews, this showed that the Lamb of God had taken away the sins of the world, washed it clean, and taken on all bitterness unto himself.

Bernadette smeared her face with mud, suffering much as Isaiah had prophesied about Christ. "Because he carried on himself all our sins his face no longer appeared human." And, “He was" Isaiah continues, "like a lamb led to the slaughter, and on his way the crowd mocked him.” At the grotto, Bernadette “disfigures” her face with the mud of the spring, and the crowd mocks her and questions her sanity. She suffers the humiliation, in those moments, of Christ on the way to his cross.

Bernadette’s actions free the grotto—free it from the bitter grasses growing and hiding it’s beauty, free the holy spring beneath it. In a manner of speaking, she also frees us, the people who the message of Lourdes is intended. By her actions, the mysteries of the heart of Jesus are revealed: "The water that I shall give you will become, in you, a spring welling up to eternal life.” Our hearts are like the grass and mud of the grotto, wounded and soiled by sin. But we are freed by the message of Lourdes, remembering that at the bottom of each of our hearts, there is the life of God. “Penance, Penance, Penance!” calls us each to daily conversion.

We continue our re-publishing of previous posts chronicling the miraculous unfolding of events that took place at Lourdes in 1858.  Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!




The Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Lourdes, appeared to Saint Bernadette eighteen times at the grotto of Massabielle, bringing a message of prayer, penance, poverty, and participation. Through these posts, we continue our journey with Saint Bernadette as we encounter Our Blessed Mother through her eyes, memories, and words. While the first three visitations, on February 11, February 14, February 18, were marked by the Blessed Mother establishing a deep and heart-felt connection with Saint Bernadette, the fourth and fifth visitations on February 19 and February 20 were marked by quiet prayer and confidences which Bernadette would not reveal.


The sixth time the Blessed Virgin, described by Bernadette as a beautiful young lady clothed in a white robe and blue sash, with golden roses on her feet, appeared in the grotto as Massabielle, Bernadette’s now radiant face was marked by unease and unhappiness. Those observing watched as she spoke, and paused as if listening, weeping throughout. Bernadette would later recall that the Blessed Mother had told her to pray for sinners, and described things to horrible to repeat. She kept the confidences of the Blessed Mother until her death.

This sixth apparition, on February 21, occurred very early in the morning, and following the departure of the Blessed Mother, the local police commissioner, Dominque Jacomet, brought Bernadette into the police station for questioning. Denying her mother’s request to accompany her, Jacomet questioned Bernadette alone for a significant period of time, as the town elders had grown concerned with the safety risk the crowds who followed her to the grotto were causing.

Jacomet questioned Bernadette regarding her age, education, and history, establishing that she had little education, seldom went to school, could neither read nor write, and had not yet made her First Eucharist. To his surprise, Bernadette was unsure of her age, estimating she was either thirteen or fourteen. When questioned about her experiences at Lourdes, and whether her family supported her, she forthrightly responded that no one believed her story—not her mother, sister, or friends—not even the nuns at the convent whom she had confided in. And yet, he could not sway her from her beliefs. She was calm for one so young, faced with the authority of the police, and would not be tricked into changing her story, despite his attempts. When asked who she was speaking to at the grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette answered, “aqueró,” which in the local patois dialect means “that one” or “that thing.” She refused to be more specific.

Commissioner Jacomet tried all he could to trick her, re-reading his written notes, but significantly changing her story each time. Without exception, Bernadette politely corrected him, saying, “You’ve changed everything.” As rumors were circulating around the town that she was being visited by the Blessed Virgin—something he could not believe, as he though the Holy Mother wouldn’t appear to someone as uneducated and poor as Bernadette—he substituted her title for aqueró. Again, Bernadette refuted his story, stating that she had never claimed to have seen the Blessed Virgin. He strongly encouraged her to avoid returning to the grotto, but Bernadette insisted that she must return, as she had made a promise. Despite his threats to imprison her as a public safety hazard, Jacomet let Bernadette go.

Bernadette returned to the grotto the following day, in honor of her promise. However, on that day, the Blessed Virgin did not appear. Bernadette prayed the Rosary, and followed by a disappointed crowd, returned home. Bernadette, however, was not disappointed, and seemingly lit by an internal peace and grace, returned the following day.

The Lourdes Hymn (sung during the Candlelight Processional)

O Mary, our mother, we come to this place,
Where you, who are sinless, appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


As Bernadette waited there came to her site
A radiant Lady, surrounded by light.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


She gave her a message, “Let penance be done,
And pray that all sinners may turn to my Son.”
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


“Come here in procession, to praise God and sing,
To wash in these waters and drink at this spring.”
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


She asked that a chapel be built in this place;
That all be encouraged to pray for God’s grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


The Lady responded when asked for her name:
“Conceived without sin is the title I claim.”
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


O mother of mercy, our sorrows relieve;
Sustain those who suffer, console those who grieve.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria


O bless us, dear Lady, with blessings from heaven;
And to our petitions let answers be given
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria

Many of the Marian interventions, apparitions, and miracles recorded throughout history, and approved by the Holy See, have occurred in Europe. Few have been attested to here in the United States. Two such miracles are those attributed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, occurring in New Orleans, Louisiana. As such, Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Notre-Dame de Bon Secours) is the patroness of the city and Archdiocese of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

In 1727, Ursuline nuns founded a monastery in New Orleans, Louisiana, creating an active religious community, schools, and churches. When Louisiana became a Spanish territory in 1763, many sisters arrived from Spain to continue building the growing community of faith. However, these sisters fled in 1800 when New Orleans again became a French territory, and persecution of Catholics (under the reign of Napoleon) again began. Despite this anti-Catholic sentiment, the monastery survived, although the number of sisters quickly dwindled. Mother Saint Andre Madier wrote to a cousin in France, Mother Saint Michel, requesting assistance from her French sisters.

French religious were suffering similar anti-Catholic sentiment, and had found themselves to be short-handed in attending to their communities. Bishop Fournier, who Mother Saint Michel brought her cousin’s request to, denied it, stating that only the Pope could authorize such a request. It should be noted, at that time, Pope Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon, and unable to be communicated with. Bishop Fournier’s statement was, therefore, tantamount to absolute refusal. Nonetheless, Mother Saint Michel wrote the Pope, submitting her request to travel to New Orleans with a group of sisters, and aid in the re-invigoration of the new world faith community.

Before sending the letter, Mother Saint Michel prayed: O most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain for me a prompt and favorable answer to this letter, I promise to have you honored at New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Her letter was sent on March 19, 1809. Despite the odds, she promptly received a response on April 29, 1809, granting her request. Mother Saint Michel, commissioned a golden statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor holding the Infant Jesus. Both the Blessed Mother and the infant Christ were sculpted with golden crowns, Jesus holding a globe with a cross affixed to it, and the two Holy Family members looking in different directions as if they each had important tasks to focus on. The statue was blessed by Bishop Fournier, now convinced of the importance of the mission by the miraculous response, and Mother Saint Michel and several postulates departed for New Orleans.

The group arrived in New Orleans on December 31, 1810, and placed the golden statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the monastery chapel. Devotion to the Blessed Mother grew, and within five years, two miracles were attributed to prayers offered before the statue.

In 1812, a terrible fire ravaged the city of New Orleans, destroying large tracts of homes and businesses. Driven by a raging wind, the flames of the great fire moved quickly toward the convent. With all certainly lost, the sisters of the convent were ordered to evacuate. One sister, however, Sister Anthony, placed a small statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on a window sill facing the advancing wall of flames, and Mother St. Michel prayed aloud: "Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost, unless you hasten to our help." In an instant, the wind changed and the fire stopped its steady advance. The convent was saved and the flames extinguished. Witnesses claimed: "Our Lady of Prompt Succor has saved us!"

Again, in 1815, the convent, and indeed all of the city, was threatened, this time by British soldiers. On January 8, General Andrew Jackson and less than 1,000 soldiers (by some reports) were engaged in battle by an overwhelming force of British soldiers (more than 15,000). The citizens of New Orleans prayed to Our Lady for safety and success in battle. Along with the Ursuline sisters, the town gathered in the chapel of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, weeping and praying. Mass was offered at the altar on which the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor had been placed, and the Ursuline sisters made a vow to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung annually should the American forces win. At the very moment of Holy Eucharist, word reached the chapel that the American forces had prevailed with miraculously few casualties. The entire battle took less than 25 minutes. Jackson acknowledged the intercession of the Blessed Mother in the victory and visited the chapel to thank the sisters. To this day, on January 8, a Mass of Thanksgiving continues to be offered.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor continues to watch over us, with numerous personal miracles and intercessions reported since the arrival of the statue in New Orleans. Moved from the old monastery in the city’s French Quarter, it now is displayed at the convent’s new chapel where citizens of the city continue to pray for intercession. The statue itself is regarded as the oldest image of the Blessed Mother and the Infant Christ in the United States.






Prayer for Intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, ever Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God, you are most powerful against the enemy of our salvation. The divine promise of a Redeemer was announced right after the sin of our first parents; and you, through your Divine Son, crushed the serpent's head. Hasten, then, to our help and deliver us from the deceits of Satan. Intercede for us with Jesus that we may always accept God's graces and be found faithful to Him in our particular states of life. As you once saved the City of New Orleans from ravaging flames and our Country from an invading army, have pity on us and obtain for us protection from hurricanes and all other disasters. (Silent pause for individual petitions.) Assist us in the many trials which beset our path through life. Watch over the Church and the Pope as they uphold with total fidelity the purity of faith and morals against unremitting opposition. Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death, that we may gain everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.


Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.



N

From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world your infinite power of merciful Love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!