The Miraculous Medal Chapel in Paris, France

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The grotto of Our Lady at Lourdes, France

Our Lady of Lourdes Pray for us.

The chapel in the convent at Nevers, France

St Bernadette’s incorrupt body is on display in this chapel.

St Bernadette looks really serene as though she is having a good sleep.

Happy feastday St Anthony (The custom of St Anthony’s bread)

True son of St Francis that he was St Anthony had a great love for the poor and even now he still continues to help them by encouraging the devotion known as St Anthony’s bread. This is a very old devotion too and it had its origin in Padua as the result of another miracle.
A little child whose parents lived near the Basilica, which was then being built fell into a vessel of water and drowned. The poor mother was heart broken but great as was her grief she had a greater confidence in the power of St Anthony. She begged him to help and give her back her babe promising that if her prayers were heard she would give the child’s weight in grain to the poor. Towards midnight while the bereaved mother was still praying the child rose up as if from sleep. After this miracle the practice developed of promising alms to the poor in return for favours received through the intercession of the saint. Today this practice is widespread and in most of our churches boxes are provided to receive alms for the poor from those who have been assisted by this great friend of the poor.
Great impetus was given to this devotion by a simple incident that occurred towards the end of the last century. A pious French girl Louise Bouffier who owned a small linen store in Toulon, found difficulty, one morning, in opening the door of her shop. After repeated efforts she sent for a locksmith, whose assortment of keys proved useless. Deciding that the lock must be forced, the man departed to get tools for the purpose. While he was away, Louise prayed earnestly to St. Anthony, promising him bread for his poor if the door was opened without injury to the lock. When the locksmith returned she asked him to try his keys once more, telling him of her promise to the Saint. The man did as she asked, and with the first key he tried, opened the door without any difficulty.

This incident greatly strengthened Louise Bouffier’s confidence in St. Anthony.  She increased her devotion to him, always promising bread to the poor.  Her friends followed her example with the result that, in a short time the rear of her store became a centre for St. Anthony’s Bread in Toulon. People of all ranks and conditions came there to pray before the statue of St. Anthony which had been erected.

Alms of bread arrived in great quantities, until the task of distributing it became too difficult. Then it was decided to accept money offerings for the poor, who were thereby enabled to purchase not only food, but clothing and other necessities. The thank-offerings also took the form of alms for the education of poor boys for the Priesthood.

More customs in honour of St Anthony

The life of St Anthony

Favours granted by St Anthony

Prayers to St Anthony to seek his intercession

My summary of the movie entitled: The Road to Lourdes

EWTN screened a movie entitled:  The road to Lourdes, which I recommend that you see if they screen it again.  It is a one hour drama staring Loretta Young. It was made in the 1950’s in black and white.  It is a very interesting story based on a real case of a rich American socialite, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  The doctor said that she probably only had a year to live. She had lost her faith years before this event and was afraid to die because she thought that death is the end of everything.  In addition her marriage was in tatters because of the infidelity of her husband, who appeared to be repentant, however she did not want him back, even to look after her when she was dying. She was talked into going to Lourdes. She witnessed a big miracle at Lourdes and her faith was restored and she was no longer afraid to die. She phoned her husband in Los Angeles and told him that she was coming home to him. He said that he would come to France and travel back to the U.S. with her. Their marriage was back on track. One of the good features of this movie it that it was shot on location in France (including the Lourdes Sanctuary).  It shows what happens in the baths at Lourdes.  I got to see exactly what happens there.  (I missed out on a “bath” at Lourdes in the miraculous waters. The queue was to long.)

The grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is the famous grotto at Lourdes, France.  It is the place where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette, on February 11,  in 1858.  There a miraculous spring there.

The healing of migraine headaches (Saint Philomena the Wonder Worker)

A lady came to my house. She was selling cleaning detergents in support of a charity. We had a chat.  She told me that she suffered from constant migraine headaches. I asked her if she would like a book and a novena card on Saint Philomena and explained that this saint is a great miracle worker. Even though the lady is a member of the Anglican Church, she willingly agreed. A year later the same lady returned and I recognised her and asked. “Aren’t you the lady that I gave a Saint Philomena book to?” “Yes” she replied.  I then asked her if she had prayed to Saint Philomena. The lady told me that she had prayed to the saint and that her migraine headaches were healed. In addition she said that she had asked Saint Philomena to improve her ten pin bowling score and this was also granted.

Useful links 

Novena to St Philomena the Wonder worker for the healing of autism

Each person who is enrolled in this novena will be prayed for regularly by a priest at Lourdes, in France.