13th Feb 2020
The 11th February is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This year my husband , my daughter and I watched The Song of Bernadette, the old one with the accompaniment of old fashioned romantic music and some really over the top acting. It was, however edifying to watch and I was reminded that we visited the resting place of Bernadette in Nevers, when we visited France a few years back. They keep her body in the little chapel there.
Her body is incorrupt ( ie. does not show any signs of decomposition) and she has a beautiful, serene look on her face. She is small, maybe less than five feet. We spent quite a while in prayer in the chapel on our visit. I was aware that it might be the only time we would get there. Her story is remarkable.
I remember getting a little statuette when I went to Lourdes with my parents and sisters. It was an image of the grotto with Our Lady and St Bernadette. The figures glowed in the dark and I would often look across at them from my bed if I woke in the night. I think that first visit to Lourdes all those years ago had a formative effect on my life in many ways.
The Chapel and the grounds of the convent where the nuns still live
