Visions of a ‘lady’
St Bernadette was born in Lourdes on January 7, 1844 to impoverished parents. She was the first of nine children and suffered from severe asthma as a toddler and for the rest of her life.
On February 11, 1858, when she was 14, Bernadette went with her younger sister and a friend to collect firewood when a beautiful “lady” appeared to her above a rose bush in a grotto called Massabielle. The lady was dressed in blue and white and made the sign of the cross with a rosary. Bernadette fell to her knees and prayed, but her companions said they couldn’t see the lady.
