St. Bernadette Soubirous
Apr 16
Patron Saint of the Ill, Poor, Sheep Tenders and those Ridiculed for their Piety
Bernadette Soubirous, baptized Marie Bernarde, was the oldest of a family of six, the daughter of a miller, Francis Soubirous and wife, Louise Casterot. They lived in Lourdes, a small town in the French Pyrennes.
Her father came on hard times, and they moved into a former prison. The damp place did not help Bernadette who had severe asthma and delicate health. Considered slow to learn, she had the simplicity of a dove, was good, patient, and nothing but honest.
On February 11, 1858 walking with her sister and two friends, her companions skipped over stones to cross the River Gave to gather sticks for fuel in the grotto of Massabielle.
Hesitant about wading in the cold water, the asthmatic Bernadette sat on a rock when a sudden gust of wind made her look up. In the grotto she beheld a luminous lady, dressed in white with a blue sash around her waist, golden roses on her feet and a rosary over her arm.