An afternoon with Bernadette

MANILA, Philippines - As I glance at her finely-sculpted face, it seems like this young lady just slept a few hours ago and yet she’s been in this state for over a century. The first time I set my eyes on lovely Bernadette Soubirous one cool autumn day in 1994, I knew I would be coming back to see her again and again. Two decades have passed and the desire to see her still burns with fervor in my heart therefore on a recent visit to France, she was in my “must visit” itinerary.

Nevers is a leisurely three-to four-hour drive from Paris depending on traffic conditions. Neatly tucked on the banks of the Loire River, it’s the town where Bernadette or St. Bernadette (she was canonized by Pope Pius XI on Dec. 8, 1933) had lived most of her adult years until her untimely death in 1879. As in all of my visits, there were noticeably just a handful of people visiting her which is in total contrast to the over five million people who go on a yearly pilgrimage to Lourdes where she started it all. Lourdes has the distinction of having the most hotel rooms after Paris in the whole of France. This is unique for a small town with only 15,000 residents.

Bernadette was born on Jan. 7, 1844 and baptized at the local parish church of St. Pierre’s two days later which happened to be also her parents’ wedding anniversary. She was sickly, contracted cholera as a toddler and suffered from severe asthma for the rest of her life. While gathering firewood with her sister Marie and a friend near the grotto of Massabielle when she was 14, the first vision occurred. Bernadette narrated: “I didn’t want to get my shoes wet crossing the stream so I took them off.” Just as she started to cross, there was a loud sound of rushing wind but strangely, nothing moved except for a single wild rose on the ground. Then, there was a dazzling light as a lady in white appeared. That was the first of 18 apparitions Bernadette witnessed and experienced in a period of two weeks. She didn’t know who the lady was but her description exactly matched the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the church she attended complete with a white veil, blue girdle and two yellow roses on each foot. It was in a later apparition that the lady identified herself as the “Immaculate Conception.”

Initially, her mother was embarrassed with her stories and forbade her to return to the grotto. Even the police and town authorities threatened her with arrest if she didn’t stop spreading the stories, but against all odds she persisted. Some residents of the town believed she was going crazy and clamored that she be committed to an asylum while other townsfolk were believers and followed her every step of the way. On the 17th apparition, Bernadette kissed the muddy ground of the grotto then chewed and ate grass she plucked from the ground. She rubbed mud over her face and swallowed some of it. Her followers were disgusted and thought she was really going crazy. She explained that the lady had told her to drink the water of the spring, wash in it and eat the herbs that grew there as an act of penance. A day after she did it, the muddy water that flowed in the grotto became crystal clear and has remained that way to date. In the 150 years since Bernadette dug up the spring, countless cures have been verified by the Lourdes Medical Bureau as “inexplicable.” The Lourdes Commission that examined Bernadette after the visions also ran an intensive analysis on the water and found out that while it had a high mineral content, it contained nothing out of the ordinary that would account for the cures attributed to it. Disliking the attention she was getting, Bernadette retreated to the hospice school run by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. It was there where she finally learned to read and write and entered nunhood at the age of 22. She died of her long-time lung disease at the age of 35 on April 16, 1879. She was laid to rest in a tomb especially built for her at the rear garden of the hospice.

Thirty years after her death, her remains were exhumed by Bishop Gauthey of Nevers in September 1909 in the presence of doctors and the clergy. Her body was intact and her organs were all fresh in contrast to the crucifix and rosary in her hand that have both oxidized. She was washed, cleaned, reclothed and reburied in a double casket. She was exhumed again in April 1919 and her body still didn’t bear any sign of corruption. On the third exhumation in 1925, her body was transferred to a gold and crystal reliquary and has been on display at the chapel of St. Bernadette in Nevers.

After saying prayers in front of St. Bernadette, my wife and I exited the chapel and headed for the grotto, which was a smaller replica of the one in Lourdes. We asked the Blessed Virgin and St. Bernadette to bless our trip. Last stop of the visit was Bernadette’s museum where her earthly belongings were on display. I was particularly taken aback at the sight of the rocking chair Bernadette sat on in the final years of her life until death on April 16, 1879.

On the way to our parked vehicle, a caretaker suddenly appeared from nowhere and asked if we wanted to visit the areas not open to the public. It was strange because this has never happened in all the years I have visited the convent. With delight written on our faces, we borrowed a walking map and entered the gated private area of the convent. In the middle of garden was a small chapel where Bernadette was buried in 1879 and laid until her third exhumation in 1925. There was an eerie silence as we knelt and prayed at the altar. The walking tour took us through the tree-lined garden and vegetable path. The end of the tour took us to what we literally would call the “piece de resistance” — Bernadette’s private room-cum-chapel where she spent the rest of her years until death.

Located at the third floor of the convent kept under lock and key, we felt so blessed and privileged to gain access to the room that has now been converted to a mini chapel with most of Bernadette’s curtains and beddings still on display. The mantel piece on the altar was Bernadette’s bed cover. I gently ran my hand through the fabric and a feeling of warmth engulfed me. Was I being touched by Bernadette or was it my imagination? I would like to think it was Bernadette. Even my wife who had very little interest in Bernadette confided that she suddenly felt so much love and affinity for her after the visit. Incidentally, both Bernadette and my wife share the same birthday. As I bid adieu to the caretaker, I promised to bring more Pinoys to visit Bernadette. After our visit, I felt our faith strengthened.

(If you wish to visit St. Bernadette, the address is Chapel of St. Bernadette, 34 Rue St. Gildard 58000 Nevers France. Website: www.espace-bernadette.com. Info; contact@espace-bernadette.com.)