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| MIRACULOUS MEDAL MIRACLES | MIRACLES OF LOURDES | SOLAR MIRACLE AT FATIMA | THE MIRACLE OF LEPANTO |
| MIRACULOUS MEDAL MIRACLES | MIRACLES OF LOURDES | SOLAR MIRACLE AT FATIMA | THE MIRACLE OF LEPANTO |
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This is to keep the chronological order in which the Church approved miraculous cures took place
This is to keep the chronological order in which the Church approved miraculous cures took place
BRIEF LIST OF ALL THE APPROVED MIRACULOUS CURES AT LOURDES
Lourdes a town located in the Pyrenees in France. In 1858, a 14-year-old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in the grotto on February 11. Over the next few weeks, she witnessed several apparitions. During the visions Mary stressed the importance of penance and praying for sinners. During one of visions, the Virgin Mary instructed Bernadette to dig in the ground, revealing a spring with water. On subsequent visits, the lady revealed herself to be the “Immaculate Conception” and also asked to get a church built. This led to establishment of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, which has become a renowned pilgrimage site.
The Lourdes Medical Bureau was established in the late 19th century. Over 7000 healings have been reported. The Lourdes Medical Bureau rigorously investigates, assesses and verifies each reported healing. So far 70 healings have been declared to be miraculous. This site describes the miraculous healings.
Lourdes is not just a place of historical and religious significance; it is a testament to the enduring power of faith, hope, and compassion. Whether seeking healing or simply wishing to experience the profound sense of peace that Lourdes offers, pilgrims leave with a renewed spirit and a sense of connection to something greater.
Lourdes Healings: Miraculous Stories of Faith
Catherine Latapie
Healed in 1858, March 1st
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
On the night of February 28, driven by a sudden inspiration, Catherine rose at 3 a.m., woke her young children, and set off on foot for Lourdes. For nearly two years, the burden of motherhood had become too heavy for her to bear. Despite the disability of her right hand from a fall in October 1856, she continued to fulfill her duties. At dawn on March 1, 1858, she arrived at the Grotto, knelt, and prayed. Simply, she bathed her hand in the small basin that already held water from the Source. Instantly, her fingers straightened and regained their flexibility. She could once again extend and flex them with the same ease as before the accident. She quickly returned home, and that same evening—this detail confirms the day of her recovery—she gave birth to her third child, who later became a priest in 1882.
Louis Bouriette
Healed in 1858, March
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
This healing is one of the most significant in the history of Lourdes. Louis, a quarry worker living in Lourdes, had been suffering from complete vision loss in his right eye for two years due to a work accident in 1839 during a mine explosion. Not only was his eye irreparably damaged, but his brother Joseph, who was with him at the time, was tragically killed in the explosion. The healing was documented by Doctor Dozous, the first “medical expert” of Lourdes, who recorded Louis’ testimony: “As soon as Bernadette caused the fountain to flow, healing many sick people, I wanted to use its water to heal my right eye. When I obtained the water, I began to pray, humbly asking Our Lady of the Grotto to be with me as I washed my right eye with the water from her fountain. I washed and rewashed my eye several times, and after these ablutions, my sight was restored to what it is now—excellent.”
Blaisette Cazenave
Healed in 1858, March
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
For several years, Blaisette, a 50-year-old woman from Lourdes, suffered from severe eye problems. She had a chronic infection of the conjunctiva and eyelids, with complications so severe that contemporary medicine could offer little help. Declared incurable, she decided one day to mimic Bernadette’s actions at the Grotto: she drank water from the spring and washed her face. On the second attempt, she was completely healed! Her eyelids straightened, the fleshy growths disappeared, and the pain and inflammation vanished. Professor Vergez, a medical expert, noted that “the supernatural effect was all the more evident in this marvelous cure as (…) the organic damage to the eyelids was more striking… and that, in addition to the rapid restoration of the tissues to their normal organic and vital conditions, the eyelids straightened.”
Henri Busquet
Healed on 1858, April 28th
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Henri, a 16-year-old boy, could no longer endure his suffering. He asked to go to Lourdes, but his parents refused. With the help of a neighbor, he obtained water from the Cave. His ordeal began with a fever, initially thought to be typhoid but later identified as the onset of tuberculosis. This was followed by a neck abscess that, without treatment, spread to his chest. After a stay in Cauterets, where the condition worsened, he was left with a large, pus-filled ulcer at the base of his neck by early 1858, showing no signs of improvement. On the evening of April 28, 1858, his entire family prayed, and Henry received a bandage soaked in water from the Cave. After a peaceful night, the ulcer appeared healed, the infection vanished, and the other lymph nodes returned to normal. There was never any recurrence of this sudden healing.
Justin Bouhort
Healed in July of 1858 at age 2
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Justin was often sick and considered crippled. At 2 years old, he had significant growth delays and had never walked. In early July, in desperation, his mother Croisine decided to take him to the Grotto to pray, despite the public authorities’ ban on access at that time. Upon arrival, she pleaded in front of the rock, holding her child and surrounded by curious onlookers. She then decided to bathe Justin in the pool recently built by the quarrymen. People around her cried out, protested, and tried to stop her, fearing she was endangering her child. After a long time, she finally took him out and returned home with Justin in her arms. He was still breathing weakly. While those around him feared the worst, the child peacefully fell asleep. In the following days, Justin recovered and began to walk! Everything returned to normal, his growth resumed, and he reached adulthood. Before his death in 1935, he witnessed the canonization of Bernadette on December 8, 1933, in Rome.
Madeleine Rizan
Healed on October 17th, 1858
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Madeline had been bedridden for more than 20 years, confined to bed because she was paralyzed on her left side. Her doctors had long since abandoned all hope of a cure and gave up treatment. In September 1858, she even received The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, often referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites. And from that day on, she prayed to “obtain a good death”. A month later, on Saturday October 16, death seemed imminent. The next day her daughter brought her Lourdes water. She drank a few sips and had it wash her face and body. Instantly, the illness disappeared! The skin returned to its normal appearance and the muscles regained their functions! The moribund woman from the day before felt alive again. She then led a normal existence for eleven more years until her death in 1869. She never had a relapse, after her healing.
Marie Moreau
Healed on November 9th, 1858
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
This was the first “distant” cure! At the beginning of 1858, 16-year-old Marie developed an inflammatory eye disease. Despite various treatments, her condition worsened, leading to a significant loss of vision, nearly resulting in blindness. Her father read about Madaleine Rizan’s healing in the press and decided to go to Lourdes to obtain water from the Grotto. On November 8, 1858, the family began a novena of prayer. That evening, Marie soaked a blindfold in Lourdes water and tied it over her eyes. The next day, November 9, when she removed the blindfold, she found that her vision had been restored to its pre-illness state. She was able to resume her studies, later married, and lived in Aire-sur-Adour.
Pierre de Rudder
Healed on April 7th, 1875
Miracle recognized on July 25, 1908
This was not the first cure that occurred outside of Lourdes, but it was the first miracle observed from a distance, unrelated to the water of the Cave. In 1867, Pierre’s leg was crushed by a falling tree, resulting in an open fracture of his left leg. Despite various treatments, there was no sign of bone healing, and Pierre repeatedly refused amputation. Eight years after his accident, on April 7, 1875, he decided to make a pilgrimage to Oostacker, where a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes had recently been established. Leaving home disabled in the morning, he returned in the evening without crutches and without wounds. Bone consolidation occurred within minutes. After recovering from the shock, Pierre de Rudder resumed a normal and active life. He visited Lourdes in May 1881 and passed away twenty-three years after his recovery, on March 22, 1898. Later, to better understand his case, the bones of his legs were exhumed, revealing the reality of the lesion and its miraculous healing, as demonstrated by the cast presented by the Medical Office.
Joachime Dehant
Healed on September 13, 1878
Miracle recognized in April of 1908
Joachime was 29 years old when she arrived in Lourdes on September 12, 1878, suffering from gangrene in her right leg. The lesions had been present for at least ten years, severely compromising her overall health, and no treatment had been effective. The next day, on the 13th, she took two baths in the water of the Cave, with her leg covered by a cloth. After the second bath, there were no traces of the lesions—the flesh and tendons had regenerated, and her skin was new and pink. After another bath, her foot returned to its normal position. Thirty years later, with her health still excellent, a new medical examination led the Bishop of Namur to declare this a miraculous cure.
Elisa Seisson
Healed on August 29, 1882
Miracle recognized on July 12, 1912
At the age of 21, in 1876, Elisa fell ill. For six years, she was treated for chronic bronchitis and an organic heart disease. Elisa remained resistant to all treatment and was recognized as incurable. In desperation, she came to Lourdes at the end of August 1882. She bathed in the pools from the first day of her pilgrimage and, when she left, the swelling in her legs had disappeared! After a good night, she woke up the next day with the feeling of being completely cured. This impression was certified on her return by her doctor. And her regained good health would persist for the next thirty years, before this cure was officially considered miraculous, in 1912, by her bishop.
Sister Eugenia
Healed on August 21, 1883
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/30
Sister Eugenia was born as Marie Mabille in 1885. In 1877, at 22, Marie suffered an abscess of the appendix, leading to peritonitis. By 1880, the renowned Professor Pean of Paris deemed her unfit for surgery. From 1880 to 1883, her condition worsened despite numerous treatments. On August 17, 1883, she left for Lourdes, arriving on the 21st. At the Grotto, she received communion and felt relief. That afternoon, she suddenly felt healed, emerging from the pools on her own. All symptoms vanished, she could walk and eat again. Upon returning to the community, she resumed her work and followed the nun’s rules of life, something she hadn’t done for a long time. Her health remained robust for the 24 years leading up to the recognition of her miraculous cure.
Sister Julienne
Healed on September 1, 1889.
Miracle recognized on 1912/03/12
Sister Julienne was born as Aline Bruyere, in 1864 in the village of La Roque, France. The doctors were certain: she had serious, incurable pulmonary tuberculosis. Yet, she was suddenly healed in the swimming pools of Lourdes in September 1889. Doctors Dunot de Saint-Maclou and Boissarie investigated but found no medical explanation for the recovery of the young sister, then 25 years old. Twenty years later, her story had faded in her home diocese of Tulle. To revive the case, Albert Negre, the local bishop, set up a commission. The new team of doctors reached the same conclusion as the first, twenty years earlier. The bishop, after evaluating the case against Church criteria, had to acknowledge the evidence: this healing “occurred outside the general order of nature... and miraculous.”
Sister Josephine-Marie
Healed on August 21, 1890.
Miracle recognized on 1908/10/10
Sister Josephine-Marie was born as Anne Jourdain on August 5, 1854 in France. Within the Jourdain family, tuberculosis took its toll: Ann lost two sisters and a brother. Ill for a long time, in July 1890, she was nearly dying. And it was out of obedience that she made her pilgrimage to Lourdes, even though it was recommended against it by her doctor. Her outward journey to the National Pilgrimage was disrupted by illness. She arrived on August 20, and was immediately immersed in the waters of the Lourdes. It was not after the next day, following a second, and even a third immersion, that she felt infinitely better. She then began to announce her recovery. The doctor who had opposed her departure saw her again a few days later, upon her return to her community. No matter how hard he looked for the slightest symptom, the disease was impossible to find. It had completely disappeared. Sister Josephine Marie then resumed an active life within her community. Her recovery was recognized as miraculous 18 years later.
Amelie Chagnon
Healed on August 21, 1891
Miracle recognized on 1910/09/08
At 13, Amelie began experiencing knee pain, which was initially thought to be due to growth. However, it turned out to be tuberculosis, which later spread to her foot. In August 1891, she informed one of her doctors of her plan to pilgrimage to Lourdes. He agreed to delay the surgical intervention. Upon her return, Amelie no longer needed care or surgery. Her condition was completely cured, leaving her free to live her life again.
Clementine Trouve
Healed on August 21, 1891
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
August 21, 1891, stands out in Lourdes’ history for the healings of Amelie Chagnon and Clementine Trouve. Both suffered from tuberculosis osteoperiostitis of the right calcaneus. Clementine’s doctor, who issued her departure certificate on June 11, 1891, believed a radical operation was urgently needed or a lengthy treatment. Upon her return from Lourdes on August 21, after her recovery at the pools, the same doctor confirmed that she only bore scar marks from the previous illness, and was now fully cured. Clementine would later become Sister Agnes Marie, joining the Little Sisters of the Assumption.
Marie Lebranchu
Healed on August 20, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
The healings of Marie Lebranchu and Marie Lemarchand are often linked as they were both cured at the National Pilgrimage in Paris just a day apart, on August 20 and 21, 1892. Both women had suffered from severe tuberculosis for years and were in the final stages of the disease. They met the writer Emile Zola at Lourdes, who was there to research for his book. In “Lourdes,” Zola depicted Marie Lebranchu, as La Grivotte, dying on the return train—yet she lived in perfect health until 1920!
Marie Lemarchand
Healed on August 21, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
The healings of Marie Lebranchu and Marie Lemarchand are often linked as they were both cured at the National Pilgrimage in Paris just a day apart, on August 20 and 21, 1892. Both women had suffered from severe tuberculosis for years and were in the final stages of the disease. They met the writer Emile Zola at Lourdes, who was there to research for his book. Marie Lemarchand, referred to as Elise by Zola, went on to have eight children and lived long after her miraculous recovery was recognized.
Elisa Lesage
Healed on August 21, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/04
Once again, it was a case of tuberculosis of the right knee, a “white tumor” frequently found among adolescents back then. The unexpected healing happened after a bath on August 21, 1892. That same day, the Medical Office of Findings confirmed her recovery “without any after-effects or ankylosis.” During the National Pilgrimage of 1893 and 1894, she was re-examined, and sixteen years later, no relapse was noted. Her Bishop officially declared her healing miraculous.
Sister Marie de la Présentation
Healed on August 29, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/15
Sister Marie de la Présentation was born as Sylvie Delaporte in 1846. Lived in France as Franciscan Sister of the propagation of the Healing Faith. Sister Marie was determined to go to Lourdes. Her relatives and doctor felt so helpless in her case that they didn’t try to dissuade her. She had been suffering from tuberculosis gastroenteritis for twelve years. The two-day journey from northern France to Lourdes was very challenging for her. The first improvement happened while she was on the train, allowing her to eat a little. In Lourdes, at the Church of the Rosary, while praying, she experienced stomach pains for the last time. Then, she was completely healed.
Abbott Cirette
Healed on August 31, 1893
Miracle recognized on 1907/02/11
It all started suddenly after a bout of flu. In January 1892, a priest from a parish in the diocese of Evreux experienced nervous manifestations and mental confusion. He lost his ability to walk, speak, and remember, which deeply affected his morale. By August 1893, he decided to visit Lourdes. His diocese wasn’t organizing a pilgrimage that year, so he joined the diocese of Rouen. He arrived on August 29th 1893, but waited two days to visit the swimming pools, not wanting to take the place of another sick person. After his swim, he felt no particular sensation but later felt a strong urge to visit the cave. There, he realized he no longer needed his canes and was completely healed. He returned and resumed all his duties as the parish priest of Beaumontel.
Aurelie Huprelle
Healed on August 21, 1895
Miracle recognized on 1908/05/01
Aurelie, at age 26, fell into great despair, losing hope in medicine after months of battling pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite her doctor’s advice, she journeyed to Lourdes, arriving there exhausted on August 21, 1895. Taken from the train to the pools, she suddenly felt completely healed. Doctors at Lourdes’ Office of Medical Observations confirmed this miraculous recovery. Back home, her attending physician was shocked by her improved state. Thirteen years later, Aurelie remained in excellent health. Her recovery faced scrutiny following a smear campaign but stood up to investigation. For the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Bishop of Beauvais had her re-examined. Both investigations confirmed her tuberculosis was suddenly and permanently cured, leading the bishop to declare her healing a miracle.
Esther Brachmann
Healed on August 21, 1896
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
At 15, Esther could no longer live a normal adolescent life. She and her fellow tuberculosis patients at the Villepinte hospital felt like they were on their deathbeds. In August 1896, she embarked on a last-chance pilgrimage. On the morning of the 21st, the hospital workers of Notre-Dame de Salut took her from the train to the Grotto, then to the swimming pools. Emerging from the pools, she felt certain she was cured. The pain vanished, the swelling in her stomach disappeared, and she could walk. That afternoon, she participated in the pilgrimage exercises as if she were a healthy person. The doctors at the Office of Medical Observations confirmed her recovery. Back in Villepinte, she was kept under observation for a year. In 1908, another examination found her in perfect health. That same year, Archbishop Léon Amette of Paris opened an investigation into her healing, along with the cases of Clémentine Trouvé, Marie Lesage, and Marie Lemarchand.
Jeanne Tulasne
Healed on September 8, 1897
Miracle recognized on 1907/10/27
Jeanne, still almost a teenager, faced an onslaught of health issues: destruction of two or three vertebrae, an abscess in her left thigh bone, muscular atrophy, and a club foot. With the disease affecting her spine, she was demoralized. Her attending physician laid out her condition plainly on August 7, 1897. Jeanne arrived in Lourdes in early September with her diocesan pilgrimage in very poor health. On September 8th, her 20th birthday, she joined the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and suddenly felt healed. The next day, and again the following year, doctors at the Medical Office Findings confirmed this sudden cure of Pott’s disease had persisted. The Archbishop of Tours declared, “The healing of Jeanne Tulasne, which occurred ten years earlier during the passage of the Blessed Sacrament, was a miraculous healing.”
Clementine Malot
Healed on August 21, 1898
Miracle recognized on 1908/11/01
Driven by sheer desperation, Clémentine embarked on a journey to Lourdes. For over five years, she had witnessed the relentless progression of tuberculosis. At 20, she began coughing up blood, and her health steadily declined. Desperate like many others, she chose to go to Lourdes. Upon arriving with the National Pilgrimage of 1898, after a grueling journey, she was taken to the swimming pools. The following day, after the bath, she felt a significant improvement. Examined at the Bureau of Medical Reports on August 21 and 23, 1898, and again the next year, her recovery was deemed assured. A new investigation, ten years later, confirmed the same conclusions.
Rose Francois
Healed on August 20, 1899
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
In 1899, after five unsuccessful surgical operations to treat the phlegmon in her right arm, Rose arrived in Lourdes. Each attempt by the doctors to cure her infection had failed, and amputation seemed inevitable. However, between August 20 and 22, a remarkable transformation took place: the edema vanished, the fistulas closed, and the pain and stiffness disappeared. Upon returning to Paris, Rose quickly sought a medical examination, despite already resuming normal use of her right hand. Her complete and unexpected recovery was genuine and enduring.
Father Salvator
Healed on June 25, 1900
Miracle recognized on 1908/07/01
Father Salvador’s medical history was bleak: tuberculosis began in his lungs in 1898, and by January 1900, it had progressed to tuberculous peritonitis. Doctors had given up hope and even opposed his journey to Lourdes, believing he was beyond help. Arriving on June 25, 1900, he was taken to the swimming pools, and soon after, an incredible transformation occurred. He seemed rejuvenated and was unrecognizable. Healing was undeniable for him and those around him. That evening, he regained a healthy appetite and slept soundly for the first time in ages. On June 26, those with him encouraged him to share his experience. He obeyed and allowed the doctors at the Bureau of Medical Reports to examine him. There were no traces of his previous illness, and these symptoms never returned..
Sister Maximilien
Healed on May 20, 1901
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/05
On May 21, 1901, a remarkable event occurred. Just a day earlier, a 43-year-old nun named Sister Maximilien, who had been suffering from a liver tumor, arrived in Lourdes anonymously. The following day, she bravely presented herself to the Office of Medical Findings, facing a panel of doctors. She recounted the incredible tale of her illness, which had suddenly halted its progression the previous day. Having been ill for 15 years and bedridden for the last five due to an incurable liver cyst, her condition was further complicated by phlebitis in her left leg. At the Sisters of Hope convent in Marseille, it was known that a medical cure was considered impossible. With the prospect of near death, she arrived in Lourdes on May 20, 1901. Taken to the swimming pools, she emerged minutes later, healed. The swelling in her abdomen and leg had completely vanished.
Marie Savoye
Healed on September 20, 1901
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/15
On the Rosary esplanade, she stood in a pitiable state, emaciated, weak, and bloodless. What could she hope for from the blessing of the Blessed Sacrament? For four years, she had endured infectious rheumatism, and for thirteen months, a heart disease had worsened her suffering. Illness, near-total deprivation of food, and spitting blood had become her daily reality. She was so frail that the hospital workers in Lourdes didn’t dare immerse her in the swimming pool. But on September 20, 1901, under the blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, all these symptoms suddenly vanished, along with the bed sore from prolonged rest. Returning to a normal life, Marie Savoye began giving others the care and attention she had received during her long illness.
Johanna Bezenac
Healed on August 8, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/07/02
Johanna was too ashamed to be seen in public. A skin infection was gradually consuming her face, starting after the birth of her child. After a prolonged and exhausting breastfeeding period, she developed severe pneumonia in March 1901, which masked tuberculosis. Her condition worsened, especially the skin infection that deeply affected her dignity as a woman. Following her diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, she returned seemingly healed. The Office of Medical Observations has a brief account of this recovery, indicating that Johanna was cured in several stages on August 8 and 9, 1904. This healing was attributed to the water from the Source, used in baths or lotions. By October 4, 1904, two months after her pilgrimage, her doctor noted “the absolute cure of the general and local conditions” during a thorough examination.
Sister Saint Hilare
Healed on August 20, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/05/10
In August 1904, Sister Saint-Hilaire arrived in Lourdes, reduced to skin and bones and a mere shadow of her former self. Her troubles began with a “simple” gastroenteritis in August 1903, but her health never improved, as if the disease defied treatment. Six months later, a tumor developed in her right flank, and her condition continued to deteriorate, causing her weight to plummet to 42 kg. She traveled to Lourdes in this state, joining the National Pilgrimage. After her first bath in the waters of the Cave, she felt revitalized and regained her appetite, feeling as if she were floating on a cloud. It took a few hours for her to truly grasp that she was healed, which she reported to the Medical Reporting Office. Upon returning to her community, she resumed a life of work and fatigue, and as a sign of gratitude, she frequently returned to Lourdes.
Sister Saint Béatrix
Healing began on August 31, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/03/25
Between the ages of 32 and 42, Rosalie’s health deteriorated drastically. She experienced general weakness, lost her voice, coughed up blood and pus, and suffered from severe cachexia—symptoms unmistakably pointing to tuberculosis, an illness that was widespread at the time. Upon the arrival of the Diocesan Pilgrimage of Evreux, she felt a miraculous change after bathing in the Swimming Pools. Two days later, doctors at the Office of Medical Observations found no abnormalities in her larynx or chest. A year later, in 1905, Rosalie returned to give thanks to the Virgin Mary and experienced a second miraculous cure at the pools, this time alleviating the vision problems she had endured for 15 years.
Marie-Thérèse Noblet
Healed on August 31, 1905
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/11
As a child, this little girl faced numerous serious illnesses. In August 1904, at just 14, she was diagnosed with Pott’s Disease, a form of spinal tuberculosis. A year later, she traveled to Lourdes and experienced a miraculous recovery at the Notre-Dame des Douleurs Hospital after attending the Blessed Sacrament procession—no trace of the disease remained. Later, she had a mystical experience similar to that of the Curé d’Ars. After enduring many other physical challenges, she joined a religious order in 1921 under Alain de Boismenu in Papua, who founded the first order of indigenous nuns, the Ancelles of the Lord. Despite the harsh living conditions and climate, Marie-Thérèse performed remarkable work in Papua, serving the inhabitants tirelessly until her last breath.
Cécile Douville de Franssu
Healed on September 21, 1905
Miracle recognized on 1909/12/08
On December 26, 1990, as this woman celebrated her 105th birthday with her family, it was hard to believe that at the age of 20, her life expectancy had been a few months, maybe a few years at best. Those close to her knew the remarkable journey of this cherished and loving lady. Since the age of 14, a debilitating illness had been eroding her morale, robbing her childhood and threatening her adulthood. Diagnosed with a white tumor of the knee, or tuberculous, her situation was dire. In May 1905, she expressed a desperate wish to visit Lourdes. By then, Cécile was at her wit’s end. Despite her precarious condition, the journey was undertaken in September amidst many scares. In Lourdes, on September 21, 1905, she was carefully taken to the swimming pools, from which she emerged healed and remained so for a long time.
Antonia Moulin
Healed on August 10, 1907
Miracle recognized on 1911/11/06
After five days in Lourdes, Antonia returned home with no improvement in her health. She felt the same despair experienced by many uncured patients: What hope was left after Lourdes? But deep down, her hope wasn’t entirely extinguished. Her ordeal began in February 1905, with a benign illness that led to an abscess in her right leg, causing a six-month hospital stay. This marked the start of a continuous cycle of hospital visits, as her condition steadily worsened. In August 1907, she made another pilgrimage to Lourdes, arriving in a dire state but clinging to hope. Two days after her arrival, on August 10, she was taken to the swimming pools. When her wounds were inspected for bandaging, they were found healed, her leg restored. Upon returning home, everyone, especially her doctor, was astounded by her miraculous recovery.
Marie Borel
Healed on August 21-22, 1907
Miracle recognized on 1911/06/04
Marie dedicated her caregiving skills to the sick in Lourdes whenever she could, praying fervently for them. Her devotion likely stemmed from her own sudden and lasting recovery. Before August 21, 1917, those who knew Marie Borel understood the depth of her commitment. Following multiple acute appendicitis attacks, she underwent surgery in 1903. By 1904, an abscess had formed beneath the scar, defying treatment. From 1905 onward, additional, more severe abscesses appeared. Marie joined the National Pilgrimage to Lourdes on August 17, 1907. On the morning of August 21, her dressing was changed, and by evening, the lesions were healed. The next day, after bathing in the pools, her two other wounds healed as well.
Virginie Haudebourg
Healed on May 17, 1908
Miracle recognized on 1912/11/12
In 1958, Virginie was determined to visit Lourdes to celebrate the centenary of Mary’s apparitions at the Grotto. At around 20 years old, she had been diagnosed with tuberculous urinary infection, nephritis, and cystitis. Though incurable and fatal, the disease could have a prolonged progression. Her first pilgrimage to Lourdes in May 1906 brought no improvement. By early 1908, her condition worsened to the point where she could no longer rise. Despite this, she joined her diocesan pilgrimage again in 1908. On the third day, during the Blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, she experienced a violent pain, which seemed to precede her healing. She had a great night, and the next morning, she went to the Medical Reporting Office: Virginie Haudebourg was indeed cured.
Marie Bire
Healed on August 5, 1908
Miracle recognized on 1910/07/30
Marie fell ill on February 14, 1908. She was vomiting blood, her forearm had become pre-gangrenous, and she suffered intense pain in her left arm. Three to four days later, she fell into a coma following a stroke. When she emerged from the coma on February 25, she found herself blind. Once she regained her senses, Marie was determined to go to Lourdes. On August 5, 1908, she made the long-awaited pilgrimage. After attending mass at the Grotto, she suddenly regained her sight. That same day, an oculist examined her and found that while the causes of her blindness were still present, Marie could nevertheless read the smallest characters in a newspaper. In subsequent years, further examinations by doctors revealed that the lesions had disappeared. Her recovery was recognized as complete and lasting.
Aimée Allope
Healed on May 28, 1909
Miracle recognized on 1910/08/05
Aimée had just received communion. As the mass at the Grotto ended, she felt an indescribable sensation of well-being that she thought she would never experience again. Her suffering faded, and her wounds healed. The illness that had plagued her for ten years had suddenly been cured—truly incredible! In 1898, at 26, she first underwent kidney removal, followed by two additional surgeries for tuberculous tumors in her right flank. A few days before arriving in Lourdes, large abscesses reappeared, and she weighed only 44 kg. The initial days of her pilgrimage showed no improvement, requiring her to be bandaged twice a day due to festering wounds. Then, suddenly, she was healed! This sudden and radical recovery persisted, allowing her to resume a normal life within ten months.
Juliette Orion
Healed on July 22, 1910
Miracle recognized on 1913/10/18
In July 1910, Juliette Orion fell ill. She had faced hardships from a young age. Orphaned by her father, she was placed as a servant in the city, where she soon fell ill and showed signs of tuberculosis. After returning home from the hospital, her condition worsened, leading to frequent comas. Doctors told her she had little time left. However, Juliette decided that Our Lady could still hear her prayers, even without a pilgrimage. One night, as she prayed, she suddenly felt much better. On the morning of July 23, 1910, she regained her voice and asked for food. Her doctor was called and confirmed her recovery. For the first time, life had smiled on Juliette.
Marie Fabre
Healed on September 26, 1911
Miracle recognized on 1912/09/08
At thirty, Marie already felt worn out by life. This farmer’s wife had her health shaken by three pregnancies in quick succession, followed by difficult deliveries. In addition to serious uterine problems, she suffered from a digestive disease that prevented her from eating normally. For her, each new day was a new battle. The prescribed treatments had no effect. And it was in a pitiful state that she made a vow, during the summer of 1911, to go to Lourdes. The journey that she undertook on September 24 with her husband was difficult: she arrived in Lourdes in such a state of weakness that for a day and a half, it was not considered prudent to take her to the Grotto or the pools. On the afternoon of the 26th, it was decided to have her participate in the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. After receiving it, she felt overwhelmed by a sense of well-being, spoke and got up. Taken back to the Hospital of Seven Sorrows, she asked for something to eat, even though she had not eaten any solid food for two years. A few days later, she returned home with joy, where she was able to resume a normal life very quickly.
Henriette Bressolles
Healed on July 3, 1924
Miracle recognized on 1957/06/04
On the morning of July 4, 1924, her legs still felt a bit stiff. However, this was nothing compared to her previous day’s condition. The healing began with “a general painful cracking sound.” After this internal upheaval, she fixed her gaze on the Cave before her and felt healed, standing up after almost six years. She had been a military nurse since 1914 and was admitted to army hospitals as a patient in October 1918 for “Pott’s Disease”. From the end of the war until early 1922, she was confined to a military hospital. Immobilized in a plaster corset and neck brace, she underwent various treatments for complete paraplegia and incontinence. Despite the clear evidence of her healing on July 3, 1924, doctors remained cautious. By the end of September 1924, they confirmed her full recovery. Over 30 years later, at the authorities of Lourdes’ request, this healing was officially recognized by Bishop Rémond on June 4, 1957.
Lydia Brosse
Healed on October 11, 1930
Miracle recognized on 1958/08/05
In September 1984, Lourdes lost a devoted hospitaller, Lydia Brosse, who passed away at the age of 95. Despite her small stature and frail health, she experienced a miraculous healing in October 1930. For years, Lydia had suffered from bone conditions described as tuberculosis. There was no noticeable improvement during her pilgrimage in October 1930. However, on her return trip to Saint-Raphaël, she found the strength to get up, and her wounds closed. The following day, her doctor observed “a flourishing state of health, complete healing...”. Lydia spent the rest of her life devoted to the Rosary pilgrimage in Lourdes. Twenty-eight years later, her healing was officially recognized as a miracle.
Sister Marie-Marguerite
Healed on January 22, 1937
Miracle recognized on 1946/05/20
The year 1937 began badly for the Poor Clares (a Roman Catholic religious order of nuns) of Rennes. Sister Marie Marguerite was not expected to survive the year. Knowing that she was doomed, Marie Marguerite replaced her medication with Lourdes water! Medications were no longer able to stem the deterioration of her health. The illness had begun in 1924 with an abscess in her left kidney. In the following years, she suffered heart attacks in addition to her kidney disease. January 22, 1937, was the last of the nine days of prayer that her community had decided to accomplish for her. At the Elevation of the Mass that day, which she attended, she suddenly felt an immense relief. The edema disappeared in an instant! The very next day, she resumed her duties as a turn sister, which she had ceased eight years previously. Her doctor had so much trouble believing that she was truly cured that he continued to monitor her until 1945.
Louise Jamain
Healed on April 1, 1937
Miracle recognized on 1951/12/14
Laennec Hospital diagnosed Louise with pulmonary, intestinal, and peritoneal tuberculosis. This diagnosis mirrored her family’s tragic history: her mother had passed away, and all four of her brothers had succumbed to tuberculosis. Louise, feeling as though she had been waiting too long for her turn with the disease, had been hospitalized for nearly seven years. In a state of despair, she expressed a desire to visit Lourdes. Despite the warnings from those around her, who believed she wouldn’t survive the trip, she joined the Pilgrimage of the Bernadettes from March 28 to April 4, 1937. The journey and the initial days were dreadful, and she received the last rites on March 30. However, on the morning of April 1, she felt completely rested and asked for food. Her recovery was undeniable. Upon her return to Paris on April 4, her doctors were astonished to find no lesions or microbes. Six weeks later, she found work, and in the following years, she became Mrs. Maitre and the mother of two children.
Francis Pascal
Healed on August 31, 1938
Miracle recognized on 1949/05/31
Francis’ healing is notable as the second miracle involving a very young child. His story remained untold for eight years due to the Second World War. In December 1937, meningitis severely impacted his young life, leaving him paralyzed in the lower limbs, partially paralyzed in the upper limbs, and blind. The prognosis was grim, with doctors giving him a very limited life expectancy. Despite consulting over ten doctors, his condition showed no improvement until he was taken to Lourdes at the end of August 1938. After his second bath at Lourdes, Francis miraculously regained his sight and his paralysis vanished. Upon returning home, doctors confirmed his complete and medically inexplicable recovery. Francis Pascal continued to live peacefully by the banks of the Rhône.
Gabrielle Clauzel
Healed on August 15, 1943 ― Healed in Algeria through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Miracle recognized on 1948/03/18
On August 15, 1943, Gabrielle requested to be taken to the church, just a hundred meters from her home. For seven years, she had been bedridden with spinal rheumatism and other ailments that severely weakened her body. After mass, she suddenly stood up, astonishing everyone around her. Disconcerted by this unexpected burst of vitality, they watched in amazement as she walked home. From that moment on, her health continued to improve. She was examined at the Bureau of Medical Observations on August 19 and September 12, 1945, after the Second World War. Gabrielle attributed her healing to the invocation of Our Lady of Lourdes. She later chose to spend her final years in Lourdes, near the Grotto, arriving around 1970. Gabrielle passed away in March 1982, at nearly 88 years old, with a youthful spirit that never waned.
Yvonne Fournier
Healed on August 19, 1945
Miracle recognized on 1959/11/14
In January 1940, behind the impersonal title of a “Work Accident” form, a human tragedy unfolded. Seventeen-year-old Yvonne’s arm was suddenly caught in a strap and violently thrown. Although her arm was not torn off, the trauma rendered it completely useless. Over the next five years and six months, she underwent nine medical operations. A court awarded her a 70% pension, equivalent to the loss of a limb. In 1945, Yvonne participated in the first National Pilgrimage after the war. On August 19, after a bath, she felt her left arm return to normal—no more pain, and her mobility and strength were restored. For the rest of her life, Yvonne remained a discreet and faithful pilgrim to Lourdes.
Rose Martin
Healed on July 3, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1949/05/05
Death had targeted Rose where she had given life. Cervical cancer was advancing rapidly, and the operation she underwent in Nice in February 1946 had not helped. By June 30, 1947, she arrived in Lourdes in a semi-comatose state. During her third bath, she suddenly stood up, free of pain and behaving normally, though the heavy doses of morphine from recent months left her feeling dazed. She knew, however, that she was winning the battle; life was reclaiming her. Over the next 10 months, Rose gained 17 kg. After thorough examinations by medical commissions, it was up to the religious authorities to recognize the miracle. This recognition was slow to come, but on March 17, 1958, at the request of the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, the Bishop of Nice, declared his approval of the Canonical Commission’s conclusions from May 5, 1949, certifying that Rose’s healing was indeed a miracle.
Jeanne Gestas
Healed on August 22, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1952/07/13
Jeanne is still quite astonished by this. It had been so long since she had prayed that she had almost eliminated it from her life. But upon arriving in Lourdes, Jeanne’s life, marked by physical suffering and unhappiness, suddenly took on new meaning, even if she didn’t fully realize it at first. Weighing only 44 kg, the most significant change was that she began praying again. It was as if a wild hope had taken hold of her. When she returned home, her doctor viewed her condition skeptically. A year later, on August 21, 1947, she returned to Lourdes with the National Pilgrimage. During her first bath on August 22, she felt a “sensation of being torn away” that worried her, but she had a good afternoon. The next day, she bathed again and emerged with the assurance of being cured. That same day, she abandoned all dietary precautions. She returned home, resumed normal activities, rediscovered a zest for life, and even gained weight!
Marie-Thérèse Canine
Healed on October 9, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1952/06/05
Marie-Thérèse’s journey reflects a common struggle. In 1936, at just 26 years old, she was afflicted by the tuberculosis that had claimed her parents, targeting her spine (Pott’s disease) and abdomen. For the next decade, her life became a cycle of hospitalizations, temporary improvements, relapses, surgeries, and bone grafts. By early 1947, she was utterly depleted. In this frail state, she arrived in Lourdes on October 7, 1947, with the Rosary Pilgrimage. On October 9, following the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she felt healed, stood up, moved around, and even enjoyed dinner. The following day, a Medical Office examination confirmed her significant improvement. This progress continued for over a year of uninterrupted activity, with her weight returning to 55 kg by June 1948. A new chapter had begun; the tuberculosis that had taken her parents would no longer have a hold on her.
Maddalena Carini
Healed on August 15, 1948
Miracle recognized on 1960/06/02
Tuberculosis cast a long shadow over the Carini family. Maddalena Carini, who contracted the disease at the tender age of 10, endured its affliction in her pleura, dorsal spine, and peritoneum. Her battle necessitated prolonged stays in sanatoriums until she turned 20. Although she received home treatment from the age of 20 to 28, her condition failed to improve significantly. By 1945, Maddalena resumed her visits to Care Centers, but the relentless advance of tuberculosis persisted. By July 1948, her health had deteriorated so drastically that she weighed a mere 32 kg at 31 years old. Despite a sudden, unspoken improvement while at the Grotto on August 15, she remained silent until the following day, disclosing her recovery only on the train back from the pilgrimage in Lombardy. Her case underwent a medical investigation in accordance with Lourdes’ traditional procedures and was sent to the Archbishopric of Milan, where it lapsed into obscurity. It was only with the arrival of Monsignor Montini, who would later become Pope Paul VI, that her case was revisited. On June 2, 1960, Maddalena Carini’s recovery was officially acknowledged as a “formally miraculous fact.”
Jeanne Fretel
Healed on October 8, 1948
Miracle recognized on 1950/10/20
Between 1938 and 1946, Jeanne’s life was confined to various hospitals, her body marked by numerous scars from multiple operations due to tuberculous peritonitis. In 1946, her already critical condition worsened. Emaciated and bedridden, she relied heavily on large doses of morphine. When she arrived in Lourdes on October 5, 1948, with the Rosary pilgrimage, she was a dying woman. Two difficult days passed without improvement. However, on the third day, October 8, after receiving communion at a Mass for the sick at the altar of Saint Bernadette and praying in front of the Grotto, she experienced the first signs of healing: her stomach returned to normal, fever and pain vanished, and she regained a ferocious appetite. Immediately, she was able to get up, walk, and eat heartily. The day after returning from Lourdes, she resumed her work as a nurse, full of life. Rising at 5:30 a.m. and going to bed at 11 p.m., she took on the most demanding tasks in the house. Pain, fever, and morphine became things of the past.
Théa Angele
Healed on May 20, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1961
Before she lost the ability to communicate entirely, she often expressed a fervent wish to visit Lourdes. Multiple sclerosis had gradually robbed her of all her faculties, and her condition worsened dramatically after she was buried alive during an aerial bombardment in April 1945 on the road to Tübingen. In 1950, her family decided to fulfill what they believed to be her final wish: to visit Lourdes, despite the doctors’ dire warnings. A doctor from Cologne even questioned, “How can you send a dying woman abroad, with almost 30 hours by train?” Nevertheless, she arrived safely on May 17, 1950. After a few baths and participating in the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she miraculously regained all the abilities she had lost: speech, muscle strength, the ability to walk, and her appetite. These remarkable events are thoroughly documented in her file at the Medical Office. However, what is not recorded is Théa’s spiritual healing, which led her to join the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Lourdes in 1955. Since then, Théa, now known as Sister Marie-Mercédès, has experienced no relapses.
Evasio Ganora
Healed in July 1950
Miracle recognized on 1955/05/30
In December 1949, a farmer and father of five began experiencing symptoms that prevented him from working in the fields: sudden fevers, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. On February 21, 1950, he was diagnosed with lymph node cancer and given only a few months to live. Despite this dire prognosis, he joined his diocese’s pilgrimage at the end of May. On June 2, his first day in Lourdes, Evasio was taken to the pools. During the immersion, he felt a very hot current run through his body. Upon exiting the bath, he stood up on his own and walked back to the Reception of the Sick. The next day, the pilgrimage doctor was astonished by the remarkable improvement in his health. Evasio even completed the Way of the Cross at the Calvary of Espélugues and began assisting other sick individuals. Upon returning to Casale, he resumed all his farming activities without difficulty. After numerous medical examinations, his healing was recognized as a miracle in 1955, two years before he tragically died in a tractor accident.
Edeltraud Fulda
Healed on August 12, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1955/05/18
Edeltraud and her sister Ruth lived the life they had chosen: touring Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Italy as dancers. However, Edeltraud’s life took a dramatic turn on the evening of a “premiere” in Milan on June 29, 1937, when her persistent stomach pains became unbearable. After multiple hospitalizations, she had a kidney removed in May 1938, and doctors finally diagnosed her with Addison’s disease, an insufficiency of the adrenal glands. In August 1950, she joined a pilgrimage to Lourdes. There, the sisters met a Dutch hospital worker who invited Edeltraud to the swimming pools. From the first bath, she felt an improvement. In the following days, she decided to stop her daily hormone injections on her own. Healed, the former dancer, now “too old to do pointes,” found work as a machine knitter, a job that required her to stand constantly.
Paul Pellegrin
Healed on October 3, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1953/12/08
On October 5, 1950, Colonel Pellegrin and his wife returned home to Toulon after their pilgrimage to Lourdes. The colonel, as usual, went to the hospital to continue his quinine injections for a persistent fistula that had resisted all treatments for months. This lieutenant-colonel of the Colonial Infantry was now channeling all his energy into this new battle against a stubborn microbial infection. Despite their visit to Lourdes, neither he nor his wife truly expected a cure. However, Madame Pellegrin had noticed a change in her husband’s wound after he bathed in the water of the Grotto—it no longer looked the same. At the Toulon hospital, the nurses refused to administer the quinine injections because the wound had vanished, replaced by the pink mark of newly healed skin. It was at that moment that the colonel realized he was healed, and the disease never returned.
Brother Léo Schwager
Healed on April 30, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1960/12/18
On April 30, 1952, Professor Barbin from the Faculty of Medicine of Nantes was astounded by what he had just witnessed. It was undoubtedly one of the most significant moments of his life: he had directly observed the remarkable recovery of Léo Schwager. The image of Léo’s face would remain with him forever: “He had an expression of incredible ecstasy, staring fixedly at the Blessed Sacrament as it moved away, unable to take his eyes off it. At the same time, he seemed oppressed, as if he had experienced a shock or a violent emotion, struggling to catch a deep breath.” What had just happened to Léo Schwager, a Benedictine brother from Fribourg, Switzerland? He had suddenly recovered from multiple sclerosis. After experiencing a sensation like an electric shock, Léo got up, left his cart, and knelt down in prayer. Following his recovery, he remained in good health for the rest of his life, dedicating his energy to serving the sick in Lourdes and organizing pilgrimages for German-speaking Switzerland.
Alice Couteault
Healed on May 15, 1952
Miracle recognized on 1956/07/16
Alice Couteault’s healing is one of the many remarkable stories associated with Lourdes. Born on December 1, 1917, in Gourdon, France, Alice suffered from multiple sclerosis, a debilitating condition that severely impacted her mobility, speech, and vision. By the time she was 35, her condition had worsened to the point where she needed to drag herself using two chairs and could no longer undress or speak clearly. Despite these challenges, Alice had unwavering faith in the healing powers of Lourdes. She arrived there on May 12, 1952, with immense confidence, although she felt unworthy of a cure. Her husband, however, had no hope of her recovery. On May 15, 1952, after bathing in the pools at Lourdes, Alice experienced a miraculous transformation. She regained her ability to walk and speak within hours. Her husband was astonished, and their doctor later confirmed that she had fully recovered. This miraculous healing was officially recognized on July 16, 1956, by Henri Vion, the Coadjutor Bishop of Poitiers. Following her recovery, Alice dedicated herself to helping others, participating in numerous pilgrimages as a nursing assistant, with her husband also serving the sick. Her story remains a testament to the power of faith and the miracles associated with Lourdes.
Marie Bigot
Healed on October 8, 1953 and October 8-10, 1954
Miracle recognized on 1956/08/15
Marie’s case stands out in the history of Lourdes for her three successive healings. In 1952, at the age of 30, she was unable to walk, hear, or see due to a severe condition known as posterior fossa arachnoiditis. When she first visited Lourdes in October 1952 with the Rosary pilgrimage, she was bedridden and considering learning Braille. Despite her hopes, she returned home without any improvement. However, during the pilgrimage the following year, she unexpectedly regained the ability to walk. A year later, on another pilgrimage, she experienced another miracle. At the end of the Eucharistic procession on October 8, 1954, she regained her hearing, vividly recalling, “I clearly heard the crowd singing: Queen of the Rosary.” The miracles continued as, on the train ride home, she finally regained her sight. From then on, Marie enjoyed perfect health and rarely missed a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Her story is a testament to the extraordinary events associated with Lourdes and the power of faith.
Ginette Nouvel
Healed on September 21, 1954
Miracle recognized on 1963/05/31
As Ginette approached her 26th birthday, her life took a dramatic turn when she began showing signs of a rare and incurable disease, thrombosis of the suprahepatic veins, also known as Budd-Chiari disease. Despite the grim prognosis, she was discharged from the hospital in mid-August 1954 and decided to embark on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, starting on September 20. Although she participated in the celebrations with some difficulty, outwardly, there was no immediate change. However, from that date onward, Ginette no longer required medical care, and her life gradually returned to normal. Three months after her visit to Lourdes, her recovery seemed complete. Her healing was officially recognized on May 31, 1963. Ginette made several return trips to Lourdes over the years. Unfortunately, in early 1970, her illness resurfaced. She passed away in June of that year due to an intestinal perforation caused by a medical error. The International Medical Committee noted this immediate cause of death, but also acknowledged the “probable progressive resumption of her initial condition,” considering the exceptional length of her period of remission.
Elisa Aloi
Healed on June 5, 1958
Miracle recognized on 1965/05/26
Elisa Aloi was nearly 17 when she began suffering from a white tumor in her right knee. Over the next decade, she endured numerous tuberculosis attacks, with frequent relapses after treatment. In June 1957, in a state of desperation, she traveled to Lourdes on a pilgrimage with the Italian organization U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I. Unfortunately, she returned home to Sicily just as ill as before. However, in June 1958, despite her condition being even more compromised, she made another pilgrimage to Lourdes. Her dressings were applied with Lourdes water. Ten days after returning to Sicily, her doctor observed that “Elisa Aloi returned from Lourdes completely cured.” In 1965, Francesco Fasola, Archbishop of Messina, officially declared her cure miraculous. A few months later, Elisa married and between 1966 and 1974, she had four children.
Juliette Tamburini
Healed on July 17, 1959
Miracle recognized on 1965/05/11
Young Juliette’s body was covered in bruises. Between the ages of 12 and 23, she underwent 11 surgical operations, including 4 bone curettages, all of which proved ineffective. In a desperate state, she traveled to Lourdes with her diocesan pilgrimage in July 1959. There, after water from the Grotto was injected into her main wound, the flow dried up, her fistula closed, and the bleeding stopped. Given her history of short-lived remissions, this “cure” was not immediately disclosed. It wasn’t until 1960, a year later, that the Medical Office of Lourdes was informed. Professor Michel Salmon reviewed her case and described it as an “instantaneous cure, without convalescence (…) medically inexplicable.” Finally healed, Juliette remained devoted to Lourdes. This cure not only restored her physical health but also reinforced her faith. Juliette remained devoted to Lourdes, frequently returning to the site of her healing. Her experience likely provided her with a renewed sense of hope and purpose, allowing her to live a more fulfilling life free from the constant pain and medical interventions that had previously dominated her existence.
Vittorio Micheli
Healing began on June 1, 1963
Miracle recognized on 1976/05/26
Vittorio Micheli, a humble stretcher-bearer, was the 63rd person to experience a miracle at Lourdes. Often seen quietly serving the sick there, Vittorio’s story is remarkable. In 1962, this young Alpine hunter was admitted to a hospital in Verona, Italy, suffering from severe hip pain. The diagnosis was devastating: a cancerous tumor, a sarcoma. By the time Vittorio arrived in Lourdes in 1963, his condition had worsened significantly. During his pilgrimage, he was bathed in the waters of Lourdes, but nothing extraordinary seemed to happen at the time. Upon his return, he was readmitted to the military hospital. Initial X-rays were misinterpreted, but six months later, his unexpectedly good health raised questions. Further tests revealed that his bones had been reconstructing for over five months. The pain had ceased, and he could walk again. Vittorio was healed.
Serge Perrin
Healed on May 1, 1970
Miracle recognized on 1978/06/17
In December 1968, Serge was suddenly afflicted with hemiplegia. After numerous tests, he was diagnosed with carotid thrombosis. He returned home, resigned to the worsening paralysis. In a desperate bid for relief, he traveled to Lourdes in 1969, but came back in the same dire condition, suffering from visual disturbances and physical weakness. Feeling devastated by his decline, he reluctantly joined the Angers pilgrimage the following year, without any hope. Despite a painful start, something remarkable happened on the last day. During the morning’s Community anointing of the sick, Serge began to feel new sensations. By the afternoon, he realized he could walk better without his crutches and see more clearly without his glasses. He left Lourdes confident in his healing, which was later confirmed by doctors.
Delizia Cirolli
Healing around Christmas of 1976
Miracle recognized on 1989/06/28
Delizia Cirolli’s journey to becoming a mother and a nurse was an unexpected blessing. In March 1976, her life took a dramatic turn when, at just 11 years old, she struggled to walk due to a painful knee. A specialist diagnosed her with a tumor and recommended amputation to prevent a potentially fatal outcome. Her parents refused the procedure. That summer, Delizia and her mother embarked on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. She returned exhausted and without improvement. By Christmas 1976, her condition had worsened, and those around her feared the worst, praying fervently to Our Lady of Lourdes. Miraculously, Delizia experienced an unexpected healing. She quickly returned to a normal life, resuming eating, walking, and attending school. Now known as Mrs. Costa, she became the proud mother of three children.
Jean-Pierre Bely
Healed in October of 1987
Miracle recognized on 1999/02/09
The Bêly family lived a tranquil life in their home in Angoulême. Jean-Pierre, married to Genevieve and father of two children, worked as a nurse until the first signs of multiple sclerosis appeared in 1972. His condition worsened until he was declared 100% disabled. In October 1987, bedridden, he traveled to Lourdes for the Rosary pilgrimage. After receiving the Anointing of the Sick, he felt a profound inner peace. That night, an inner voice urged him: “Get up and walk.” Remarkably, Jean-Pierre did just that. Since then, he has enjoyed perfect health, although Social Security still considers him disabled. As Jean-Pierre notes, “the Lord healed my heart first, and then my body.” After twelve years of medical investigations, Claude Dagens, Bishop of Angoulême, declared, following the favorable opinion of a canonical commission, that this healing was “an effective sign of Christ the Savior, accomplished through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.”
Anna Santaniello
Healed on August 19, 1952
Miracle recognized on 2005/09/03
Anna Santaniello experienced a remarkable healing at Lourdes in 1952. She had been suffering from a severe form of rheumatic heart disease, which had left her bedridden and barely able to breathe. Her condition was so dire that doctors had lost all hope for her recovery. Anna Santaniello asked to come to Lourdes despite her doctors’ advice to the contrary. During a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Anna was taken to bathe in the spring on a stretcher. Miraculously, after the bath, she was able to walk and speak properly again. Her illness disappeared, and she returned to a normal life. This extraordinary healing was officially recognized by the Catholic Church in 1964, and she was acknowledged as the 67th person to be healed at Lourdes. It was not until 2005 that the current archbishop officially recognized the miracle. Anna Santaniello lived into her nineties.
Sister Luigina Traverso
Healed July 23, 1965
Miracle recognized on 2012/10/11
Sister Luigina Traverso of Novi Ligure (Piedmont), Italy, was not yet 30 years old when she experienced the first symptoms of paralysis in her left leg. After four unsuccessful surgeries on her spine in the early 1960s, the nun, who was regularly confined to bed, asked the Mother Superior of her community for permission to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes; she left at the end of July 1965. On July 23, while she was participating on a stretcher in the Eucharist, she felt a strong sensation of warmth and well-being as the Most Holy Sacrament passed by, which prompted her to get up. The pain had disappeared, and her foot had regained its mobility. After an initial visit to the Bureau of Medical Observations, Sister Luigina returned the following year. The decision was made to open a file. Three meetings of the Bureau of Medical Observations (in 1966, 1984 and 2010) and new medical examinations were necessary before it could certify the nun’s healing. On November 19, 2011 in Paris, the CMIL (International Medical Committee of Lourdes) confirmed its “unexplained nature in the current state of scientific knowledge”. Taking up the case, Bishop Alceste Catella of Casale-Monferrato decided on October 11, 2012, to declare in the name of the Church that Sister Luigina’s unexplained healing was a miracle.
Danila Castelli
Healed on May 4, 1989
Miracle recognized on 2013/06/20
Danila Castelli, a wife and mother, lived an ordinary life until she began experiencing severe spontaneous hypertensive crises at the age of 34. In 1982, radiological exams and ultrasounds revealed a parauterine mass and a fibromatous uterus. Danila underwent a hysterectomy, an adnexectomy, and partial removal of her pancreas. The following year, a scintigraphy confirmed the presence of a pheochromocytoma, a tumor that produces catecholamines, located near lower abdomen. Despite several surgeries aimed at eliminating the sources of her blood pressure crises, her condition did not improve by 1988. In May 1989, during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, Danila felt an extraordinary sense of well-being after emerging from the baths. She soon reported her sudden healing to the Bureau of Medical Observations of Lourdes. Since then, Danila has resumed a completely normal life. After five evaluations (1989, 1992, 1994, 1997, and 2010), the Bureau unanimously confirmed her healing: Mrs. Castelli had been completely and permanently healed since her pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1989, with no connection to medical interventions or treatments. The International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) certified in its November 19, 2011 meeting in Paris that her healing remains unexplained by current scientific knowledge. Bishop Giovanni Giudici, of the diocese where Danila resides, declared the healing to be of a “prodigious-miraculous character” and a significant “sign.”
Sister Bernadette Moriau
Healed on December 18, 2008
Miracle recognized on 2018/02/11
Sister Bernadette Moriau’s healing is indeed a remarkable story! She was an 83-year-old French nun suffering from cauda equina syndrome, a severe condition affecting the nerves and lower spine, which left her paralyzed and in constant pain. Despite her condition, she made a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2008, not seeking a miracle but simply to pray with others. During a procession at Lourdes, Sister Bernadette felt a profound spiritual experience and heard an inner voice telling her to remove her braces. To her astonishment, she found that she could walk without them, and her foot, which had been twisted and limp, was straight. This miraculous healing was later confirmed by the Catholic Church as the 70th officially recognized miracle at Lourdes.
John Traynor
Healed on July 25, 1923
Miracle recognized on 2024/12/08
Born in Liverpool, England, in 1883 to an Irish mother, he joined the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the First World War. First wounded on October 8, 1914 near Antwerp (Belgium), he was hit by machine-gun fire on May 8, 1915 during the Battle of Gallipoli (now Turkey). Numerous medical operations failed. He lost the use of his right arm, but refused amputation, and suffered severe epileptic seizures. In 1920, a Liverpool surgeon attempted to cure the epilepsy by trepanning, resulting in partial paralysis of both legs. His condition was such that in early summer 1923, “he was designated for the hospice des incurables, where he was to enter on July 24, 1923” (procès verbal de guérison du Bureau des Constatations Médicales, signed by the president, Docteur Auguste Vallet, October 2, 1926). In July 1923, he travelled to Lourdes on the occasion of the Liverpool archdiocese’s first pilgrimage to the Shrine. He was cured on July 25, after being immersed in the Shrine’s pools and then taking part in the Eucharistic procession and blessing of the sick. On the same day, the doctors accompanying the pilgrimage confirmed his condition. He left Lourdes the following day.
He went to the Bureau des Constatations Médicales on July 7, 1926 to declare his recovery. John Traynor returned to Lourdes every year as a stretcher-bearer, until 1939. He is a member of the Liverpool Brancardier Association. It is said in the UK that he was the first British Catholic to be cured at Lourdes. He died on December 8, 1943 of a completely different ailment.
Antonietta (Antonia) Raco
Healed on August, 2009
Miracle recognized on 2025/04/16
Antonietta (Antonia) Raco is from Francavilla sul Sinni, Italy.
CHRONOLOGY
In 2004: severe headache attacks, accompanied by cramps and generalised asthenia, with walking difficulties.
In 2005: worsening of the walking difficulties with the appearance of dysphagia and dysarthria.
In 2006: she was diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS).
In 2008: her condition worsened, with a reduction in her expiratory Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), as well as hyposthenia and tetraparesis, predominantly on the left.
In 2009: Antonia Raco went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes from 30 July to 5 August, accompanied by UNITALSI (Basilicata region).
When she went to the Baths, she reported feeling an unusual sense of well-being and being able to walk again. She did not speak about it until she returned home.
In August and September of the same year, she underwent a series of check-ups which showed that the symptoms she had been experiencing since 2004 had disappeared, and confirmed the diagnosis of Primary Lateral Sclerosis.
In July 2010: Antonia Raco declared her supposed cure to the Lourdes Office of Medical Observations.
Immediately a 1st meeting of the Bureau des Constatations was convened, at which the doctors present unanimously decided to open a file and investigate her medical history. Further meetings of the Bureau were held in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
In 2013: Antonia Raco was assessed by the Neurology Department of the University of Milan, which confirmed the diagnosis and took charge of the follow-up.
In 2017: a 5th and final meeting of the Bureau des Constatations was convened. The members of the Bureau who were present collegially observed Antonietta Raco’s cure, qualified as unexplained according to medical knowledge.
In November 2024: after a period of clinical observation and validation of the international consensus on the diagnosis of PLS, the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL), at its annual meeting, called on the members present to vote: ‘Is Mrs Antonia RACO cured of Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), in accordance with the 2020 consensus, validated in 2024, in an unexpected, complete, lasting and unexplained manner according to medical knowledge?’. The majority voted YES.
On 15 November 2024, the bishop of the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes informed the bishop of the diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro, the diocese where Antonia Raco resides, who then proclaimed the miracle on Wednesday 16 April 2025.
The Lourdes Medical Bureau was established in the late 19th century. Over 7000 healings have been reported. The Lourdes Medical Bureau rigorously investigates, assesses and verifies each reported healing. So far 70 healings have been declared to be miraculous. This site describes the miraculous healings.
Lourdes is not just a place of historical and religious significance; it is a testament to the enduring power of faith, hope, and compassion. Whether seeking healing or simply wishing to experience the profound sense of peace that Lourdes offers, pilgrims leave with a renewed spirit and a sense of connection to something greater.
Lourdes Healings: Miraculous Stories of Faith
Catherine Latapie
Healed in 1858, March 1st
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
On the night of February 28, driven by a sudden inspiration, Catherine rose at 3 a.m., woke her young children, and set off on foot for Lourdes. For nearly two years, the burden of motherhood had become too heavy for her to bear. Despite the disability of her right hand from a fall in October 1856, she continued to fulfill her duties. At dawn on March 1, 1858, she arrived at the Grotto, knelt, and prayed. Simply, she bathed her hand in the small basin that already held water from the Source. Instantly, her fingers straightened and regained their flexibility. She could once again extend and flex them with the same ease as before the accident. She quickly returned home, and that same evening—this detail confirms the day of her recovery—she gave birth to her third child, who later became a priest in 1882.
Louis Bouriette
Healed in 1858, March
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
This healing is one of the most significant in the history of Lourdes. Louis, a quarry worker living in Lourdes, had been suffering from complete vision loss in his right eye for two years due to a work accident in 1839 during a mine explosion. Not only was his eye irreparably damaged, but his brother Joseph, who was with him at the time, was tragically killed in the explosion. The healing was documented by Doctor Dozous, the first “medical expert” of Lourdes, who recorded Louis’ testimony: “As soon as Bernadette caused the fountain to flow, healing many sick people, I wanted to use its water to heal my right eye. When I obtained the water, I began to pray, humbly asking Our Lady of the Grotto to be with me as I washed my right eye with the water from her fountain. I washed and rewashed my eye several times, and after these ablutions, my sight was restored to what it is now—excellent.”
Blaisette Cazenave
Healed in 1858, March
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
For several years, Blaisette, a 50-year-old woman from Lourdes, suffered from severe eye problems. She had a chronic infection of the conjunctiva and eyelids, with complications so severe that contemporary medicine could offer little help. Declared incurable, she decided one day to mimic Bernadette’s actions at the Grotto: she drank water from the spring and washed her face. On the second attempt, she was completely healed! Her eyelids straightened, the fleshy growths disappeared, and the pain and inflammation vanished. Professor Vergez, a medical expert, noted that “the supernatural effect was all the more evident in this marvelous cure as (…) the organic damage to the eyelids was more striking… and that, in addition to the rapid restoration of the tissues to their normal organic and vital conditions, the eyelids straightened.”
Henri Busquet
Healed on 1858, April 28th
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Henri, a 16-year-old boy, could no longer endure his suffering. He asked to go to Lourdes, but his parents refused. With the help of a neighbor, he obtained water from the Cave. His ordeal began with a fever, initially thought to be typhoid but later identified as the onset of tuberculosis. This was followed by a neck abscess that, without treatment, spread to his chest. After a stay in Cauterets, where the condition worsened, he was left with a large, pus-filled ulcer at the base of his neck by early 1858, showing no signs of improvement. On the evening of April 28, 1858, his entire family prayed, and Henry received a bandage soaked in water from the Cave. After a peaceful night, the ulcer appeared healed, the infection vanished, and the other lymph nodes returned to normal. There was never any recurrence of this sudden healing.
Justin Bouhort
Healed in July of 1858 at age 2
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Justin was often sick and considered crippled. At 2 years old, he had significant growth delays and had never walked. In early July, in desperation, his mother Croisine decided to take him to the Grotto to pray, despite the public authorities’ ban on access at that time. Upon arrival, she pleaded in front of the rock, holding her child and surrounded by curious onlookers. She then decided to bathe Justin in the pool recently built by the quarrymen. People around her cried out, protested, and tried to stop her, fearing she was endangering her child. After a long time, she finally took him out and returned home with Justin in her arms. He was still breathing weakly. While those around him feared the worst, the child peacefully fell asleep. In the following days, Justin recovered and began to walk! Everything returned to normal, his growth resumed, and he reached adulthood. Before his death in 1935, he witnessed the canonization of Bernadette on December 8, 1933, in Rome.
Madeleine Rizan
Healed on October 17th, 1858
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
Madeline had been bedridden for more than 20 years, confined to bed because she was paralyzed on her left side. Her doctors had long since abandoned all hope of a cure and gave up treatment. In September 1858, she even received The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, often referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites. And from that day on, she prayed to “obtain a good death”. A month later, on Saturday October 16, death seemed imminent. The next day her daughter brought her Lourdes water. She drank a few sips and had it wash her face and body. Instantly, the illness disappeared! The skin returned to its normal appearance and the muscles regained their functions! The moribund woman from the day before felt alive again. She then led a normal existence for eleven more years until her death in 1869. She never had a relapse, after her healing.
Marie Moreau
Healed on November 9th, 1858
Miracle recognized on 1862/01/18
This was the first “distant” cure! At the beginning of 1858, 16-year-old Marie developed an inflammatory eye disease. Despite various treatments, her condition worsened, leading to a significant loss of vision, nearly resulting in blindness. Her father read about Madaleine Rizan’s healing in the press and decided to go to Lourdes to obtain water from the Grotto. On November 8, 1858, the family began a novena of prayer. That evening, Marie soaked a blindfold in Lourdes water and tied it over her eyes. The next day, November 9, when she removed the blindfold, she found that her vision had been restored to its pre-illness state. She was able to resume her studies, later married, and lived in Aire-sur-Adour.
Pierre de Rudder
Healed on April 7th, 1875
Miracle recognized on July 25, 1908
This was not the first cure that occurred outside of Lourdes, but it was the first miracle observed from a distance, unrelated to the water of the Cave. In 1867, Pierre’s leg was crushed by a falling tree, resulting in an open fracture of his left leg. Despite various treatments, there was no sign of bone healing, and Pierre repeatedly refused amputation. Eight years after his accident, on April 7, 1875, he decided to make a pilgrimage to Oostacker, where a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes had recently been established. Leaving home disabled in the morning, he returned in the evening without crutches and without wounds. Bone consolidation occurred within minutes. After recovering from the shock, Pierre de Rudder resumed a normal and active life. He visited Lourdes in May 1881 and passed away twenty-three years after his recovery, on March 22, 1898. Later, to better understand his case, the bones of his legs were exhumed, revealing the reality of the lesion and its miraculous healing, as demonstrated by the cast presented by the Medical Office.
Joachime Dehant
Healed on September 13, 1878
Miracle recognized in April of 1908
Joachime was 29 years old when she arrived in Lourdes on September 12, 1878, suffering from gangrene in her right leg. The lesions had been present for at least ten years, severely compromising her overall health, and no treatment had been effective. The next day, on the 13th, she took two baths in the water of the Cave, with her leg covered by a cloth. After the second bath, there were no traces of the lesions—the flesh and tendons had regenerated, and her skin was new and pink. After another bath, her foot returned to its normal position. Thirty years later, with her health still excellent, a new medical examination led the Bishop of Namur to declare this a miraculous cure.
Elisa Seisson
Healed on August 29, 1882
Miracle recognized on July 12, 1912
At the age of 21, in 1876, Elisa fell ill. For six years, she was treated for chronic bronchitis and an organic heart disease. Elisa remained resistant to all treatment and was recognized as incurable. In desperation, she came to Lourdes at the end of August 1882. She bathed in the pools from the first day of her pilgrimage and, when she left, the swelling in her legs had disappeared! After a good night, she woke up the next day with the feeling of being completely cured. This impression was certified on her return by her doctor. And her regained good health would persist for the next thirty years, before this cure was officially considered miraculous, in 1912, by her bishop.
Sister Eugenia
Healed on August 21, 1883
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/30
Sister Eugenia was born as Marie Mabille in 1885. In 1877, at 22, Marie suffered an abscess of the appendix, leading to peritonitis. By 1880, the renowned Professor Pean of Paris deemed her unfit for surgery. From 1880 to 1883, her condition worsened despite numerous treatments. On August 17, 1883, she left for Lourdes, arriving on the 21st. At the Grotto, she received communion and felt relief. That afternoon, she suddenly felt healed, emerging from the pools on her own. All symptoms vanished, she could walk and eat again. Upon returning to the community, she resumed her work and followed the nun’s rules of life, something she hadn’t done for a long time. Her health remained robust for the 24 years leading up to the recognition of her miraculous cure.
Sister Julienne
Healed on September 1, 1889.
Miracle recognized on 1912/03/12
Sister Julienne was born as Aline Bruyere, in 1864 in the village of La Roque, France. The doctors were certain: she had serious, incurable pulmonary tuberculosis. Yet, she was suddenly healed in the swimming pools of Lourdes in September 1889. Doctors Dunot de Saint-Maclou and Boissarie investigated but found no medical explanation for the recovery of the young sister, then 25 years old. Twenty years later, her story had faded in her home diocese of Tulle. To revive the case, Albert Negre, the local bishop, set up a commission. The new team of doctors reached the same conclusion as the first, twenty years earlier. The bishop, after evaluating the case against Church criteria, had to acknowledge the evidence: this healing “occurred outside the general order of nature... and miraculous.”
Sister Josephine-Marie
Healed on August 21, 1890.
Miracle recognized on 1908/10/10
Sister Josephine-Marie was born as Anne Jourdain on August 5, 1854 in France. Within the Jourdain family, tuberculosis took its toll: Ann lost two sisters and a brother. Ill for a long time, in July 1890, she was nearly dying. And it was out of obedience that she made her pilgrimage to Lourdes, even though it was recommended against it by her doctor. Her outward journey to the National Pilgrimage was disrupted by illness. She arrived on August 20, and was immediately immersed in the waters of the Lourdes. It was not after the next day, following a second, and even a third immersion, that she felt infinitely better. She then began to announce her recovery. The doctor who had opposed her departure saw her again a few days later, upon her return to her community. No matter how hard he looked for the slightest symptom, the disease was impossible to find. It had completely disappeared. Sister Josephine Marie then resumed an active life within her community. Her recovery was recognized as miraculous 18 years later.
Amelie Chagnon
Healed on August 21, 1891
Miracle recognized on 1910/09/08
At 13, Amelie began experiencing knee pain, which was initially thought to be due to growth. However, it turned out to be tuberculosis, which later spread to her foot. In August 1891, she informed one of her doctors of her plan to pilgrimage to Lourdes. He agreed to delay the surgical intervention. Upon her return, Amelie no longer needed care or surgery. Her condition was completely cured, leaving her free to live her life again.
Clementine Trouve
Healed on August 21, 1891
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
August 21, 1891, stands out in Lourdes’ history for the healings of Amelie Chagnon and Clementine Trouve. Both suffered from tuberculosis osteoperiostitis of the right calcaneus. Clementine’s doctor, who issued her departure certificate on June 11, 1891, believed a radical operation was urgently needed or a lengthy treatment. Upon her return from Lourdes on August 21, after her recovery at the pools, the same doctor confirmed that she only bore scar marks from the previous illness, and was now fully cured. Clementine would later become Sister Agnes Marie, joining the Little Sisters of the Assumption.
Marie Lebranchu
Healed on August 20, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
The healings of Marie Lebranchu and Marie Lemarchand are often linked as they were both cured at the National Pilgrimage in Paris just a day apart, on August 20 and 21, 1892. Both women had suffered from severe tuberculosis for years and were in the final stages of the disease. They met the writer Emile Zola at Lourdes, who was there to research for his book. In “Lourdes,” Zola depicted Marie Lebranchu, as La Grivotte, dying on the return train—yet she lived in perfect health until 1920!
Marie Lemarchand
Healed on August 21, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
The healings of Marie Lebranchu and Marie Lemarchand are often linked as they were both cured at the National Pilgrimage in Paris just a day apart, on August 20 and 21, 1892. Both women had suffered from severe tuberculosis for years and were in the final stages of the disease. They met the writer Emile Zola at Lourdes, who was there to research for his book. Marie Lemarchand, referred to as Elise by Zola, went on to have eight children and lived long after her miraculous recovery was recognized.
Elisa Lesage
Healed on August 21, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/04
Once again, it was a case of tuberculosis of the right knee, a “white tumor” frequently found among adolescents back then. The unexpected healing happened after a bath on August 21, 1892. That same day, the Medical Office of Findings confirmed her recovery “without any after-effects or ankylosis.” During the National Pilgrimage of 1893 and 1894, she was re-examined, and sixteen years later, no relapse was noted. Her Bishop officially declared her healing miraculous.
Sister Marie de la Présentation
Healed on August 29, 1892
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/15
Sister Marie de la Présentation was born as Sylvie Delaporte in 1846. Lived in France as Franciscan Sister of the propagation of the Healing Faith. Sister Marie was determined to go to Lourdes. Her relatives and doctor felt so helpless in her case that they didn’t try to dissuade her. She had been suffering from tuberculosis gastroenteritis for twelve years. The two-day journey from northern France to Lourdes was very challenging for her. The first improvement happened while she was on the train, allowing her to eat a little. In Lourdes, at the Church of the Rosary, while praying, she experienced stomach pains for the last time. Then, she was completely healed.
Abbott Cirette
Healed on August 31, 1893
Miracle recognized on 1907/02/11
It all started suddenly after a bout of flu. In January 1892, a priest from a parish in the diocese of Evreux experienced nervous manifestations and mental confusion. He lost his ability to walk, speak, and remember, which deeply affected his morale. By August 1893, he decided to visit Lourdes. His diocese wasn’t organizing a pilgrimage that year, so he joined the diocese of Rouen. He arrived on August 29th 1893, but waited two days to visit the swimming pools, not wanting to take the place of another sick person. After his swim, he felt no particular sensation but later felt a strong urge to visit the cave. There, he realized he no longer needed his canes and was completely healed. He returned and resumed all his duties as the parish priest of Beaumontel.
Aurelie Huprelle
Healed on August 21, 1895
Miracle recognized on 1908/05/01
Aurelie, at age 26, fell into great despair, losing hope in medicine after months of battling pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite her doctor’s advice, she journeyed to Lourdes, arriving there exhausted on August 21, 1895. Taken from the train to the pools, she suddenly felt completely healed. Doctors at Lourdes’ Office of Medical Observations confirmed this miraculous recovery. Back home, her attending physician was shocked by her improved state. Thirteen years later, Aurelie remained in excellent health. Her recovery faced scrutiny following a smear campaign but stood up to investigation. For the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Bishop of Beauvais had her re-examined. Both investigations confirmed her tuberculosis was suddenly and permanently cured, leading the bishop to declare her healing a miracle.
Esther Brachmann
Healed on August 21, 1896
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
At 15, Esther could no longer live a normal adolescent life. She and her fellow tuberculosis patients at the Villepinte hospital felt like they were on their deathbeds. In August 1896, she embarked on a last-chance pilgrimage. On the morning of the 21st, the hospital workers of Notre-Dame de Salut took her from the train to the Grotto, then to the swimming pools. Emerging from the pools, she felt certain she was cured. The pain vanished, the swelling in her stomach disappeared, and she could walk. That afternoon, she participated in the pilgrimage exercises as if she were a healthy person. The doctors at the Office of Medical Observations confirmed her recovery. Back in Villepinte, she was kept under observation for a year. In 1908, another examination found her in perfect health. That same year, Archbishop Léon Amette of Paris opened an investigation into her healing, along with the cases of Clémentine Trouvé, Marie Lesage, and Marie Lemarchand.
Jeanne Tulasne
Healed on September 8, 1897
Miracle recognized on 1907/10/27
Jeanne, still almost a teenager, faced an onslaught of health issues: destruction of two or three vertebrae, an abscess in her left thigh bone, muscular atrophy, and a club foot. With the disease affecting her spine, she was demoralized. Her attending physician laid out her condition plainly on August 7, 1897. Jeanne arrived in Lourdes in early September with her diocesan pilgrimage in very poor health. On September 8th, her 20th birthday, she joined the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and suddenly felt healed. The next day, and again the following year, doctors at the Medical Office Findings confirmed this sudden cure of Pott’s disease had persisted. The Archbishop of Tours declared, “The healing of Jeanne Tulasne, which occurred ten years earlier during the passage of the Blessed Sacrament, was a miraculous healing.”
Clementine Malot
Healed on August 21, 1898
Miracle recognized on 1908/11/01
Driven by sheer desperation, Clémentine embarked on a journey to Lourdes. For over five years, she had witnessed the relentless progression of tuberculosis. At 20, she began coughing up blood, and her health steadily declined. Desperate like many others, she chose to go to Lourdes. Upon arriving with the National Pilgrimage of 1898, after a grueling journey, she was taken to the swimming pools. The following day, after the bath, she felt a significant improvement. Examined at the Bureau of Medical Reports on August 21 and 23, 1898, and again the next year, her recovery was deemed assured. A new investigation, ten years later, confirmed the same conclusions.
Rose Francois
Healed on August 20, 1899
Miracle recognized on 1908/06/06
In 1899, after five unsuccessful surgical operations to treat the phlegmon in her right arm, Rose arrived in Lourdes. Each attempt by the doctors to cure her infection had failed, and amputation seemed inevitable. However, between August 20 and 22, a remarkable transformation took place: the edema vanished, the fistulas closed, and the pain and stiffness disappeared. Upon returning to Paris, Rose quickly sought a medical examination, despite already resuming normal use of her right hand. Her complete and unexpected recovery was genuine and enduring.
Father Salvator
Healed on June 25, 1900
Miracle recognized on 1908/07/01
Father Salvador’s medical history was bleak: tuberculosis began in his lungs in 1898, and by January 1900, it had progressed to tuberculous peritonitis. Doctors had given up hope and even opposed his journey to Lourdes, believing he was beyond help. Arriving on June 25, 1900, he was taken to the swimming pools, and soon after, an incredible transformation occurred. He seemed rejuvenated and was unrecognizable. Healing was undeniable for him and those around him. That evening, he regained a healthy appetite and slept soundly for the first time in ages. On June 26, those with him encouraged him to share his experience. He obeyed and allowed the doctors at the Bureau of Medical Reports to examine him. There were no traces of his previous illness, and these symptoms never returned..
Sister Maximilien
Healed on May 20, 1901
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/05
On May 21, 1901, a remarkable event occurred. Just a day earlier, a 43-year-old nun named Sister Maximilien, who had been suffering from a liver tumor, arrived in Lourdes anonymously. The following day, she bravely presented herself to the Office of Medical Findings, facing a panel of doctors. She recounted the incredible tale of her illness, which had suddenly halted its progression the previous day. Having been ill for 15 years and bedridden for the last five due to an incurable liver cyst, her condition was further complicated by phlebitis in her left leg. At the Sisters of Hope convent in Marseille, it was known that a medical cure was considered impossible. With the prospect of near death, she arrived in Lourdes on May 20, 1901. Taken to the swimming pools, she emerged minutes later, healed. The swelling in her abdomen and leg had completely vanished.
Marie Savoye
Healed on September 20, 1901
Miracle recognized on 1908/08/15
On the Rosary esplanade, she stood in a pitiable state, emaciated, weak, and bloodless. What could she hope for from the blessing of the Blessed Sacrament? For four years, she had endured infectious rheumatism, and for thirteen months, a heart disease had worsened her suffering. Illness, near-total deprivation of food, and spitting blood had become her daily reality. She was so frail that the hospital workers in Lourdes didn’t dare immerse her in the swimming pool. But on September 20, 1901, under the blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, all these symptoms suddenly vanished, along with the bed sore from prolonged rest. Returning to a normal life, Marie Savoye began giving others the care and attention she had received during her long illness.
Johanna Bezenac
Healed on August 8, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/07/02
Johanna was too ashamed to be seen in public. A skin infection was gradually consuming her face, starting after the birth of her child. After a prolonged and exhausting breastfeeding period, she developed severe pneumonia in March 1901, which masked tuberculosis. Her condition worsened, especially the skin infection that deeply affected her dignity as a woman. Following her diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, she returned seemingly healed. The Office of Medical Observations has a brief account of this recovery, indicating that Johanna was cured in several stages on August 8 and 9, 1904. This healing was attributed to the water from the Source, used in baths or lotions. By October 4, 1904, two months after her pilgrimage, her doctor noted “the absolute cure of the general and local conditions” during a thorough examination.
Sister Saint Hilare
Healed on August 20, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/05/10
In August 1904, Sister Saint-Hilaire arrived in Lourdes, reduced to skin and bones and a mere shadow of her former self. Her troubles began with a “simple” gastroenteritis in August 1903, but her health never improved, as if the disease defied treatment. Six months later, a tumor developed in her right flank, and her condition continued to deteriorate, causing her weight to plummet to 42 kg. She traveled to Lourdes in this state, joining the National Pilgrimage. After her first bath in the waters of the Cave, she felt revitalized and regained her appetite, feeling as if she were floating on a cloud. It took a few hours for her to truly grasp that she was healed, which she reported to the Medical Reporting Office. Upon returning to her community, she resumed a life of work and fatigue, and as a sign of gratitude, she frequently returned to Lourdes.
Sister Saint Béatrix
Healing began on August 31, 1904
Miracle recognized on 1908/03/25
Between the ages of 32 and 42, Rosalie’s health deteriorated drastically. She experienced general weakness, lost her voice, coughed up blood and pus, and suffered from severe cachexia—symptoms unmistakably pointing to tuberculosis, an illness that was widespread at the time. Upon the arrival of the Diocesan Pilgrimage of Evreux, she felt a miraculous change after bathing in the Swimming Pools. Two days later, doctors at the Office of Medical Observations found no abnormalities in her larynx or chest. A year later, in 1905, Rosalie returned to give thanks to the Virgin Mary and experienced a second miraculous cure at the pools, this time alleviating the vision problems she had endured for 15 years.
Marie-Thérèse Noblet
Healed on August 31, 1905
Miracle recognized on 1908/02/11
As a child, this little girl faced numerous serious illnesses. In August 1904, at just 14, she was diagnosed with Pott’s Disease, a form of spinal tuberculosis. A year later, she traveled to Lourdes and experienced a miraculous recovery at the Notre-Dame des Douleurs Hospital after attending the Blessed Sacrament procession—no trace of the disease remained. Later, she had a mystical experience similar to that of the Curé d’Ars. After enduring many other physical challenges, she joined a religious order in 1921 under Alain de Boismenu in Papua, who founded the first order of indigenous nuns, the Ancelles of the Lord. Despite the harsh living conditions and climate, Marie-Thérèse performed remarkable work in Papua, serving the inhabitants tirelessly until her last breath.
Cécile Douville de Franssu
Healed on September 21, 1905
Miracle recognized on 1909/12/08
On December 26, 1990, as this woman celebrated her 105th birthday with her family, it was hard to believe that at the age of 20, her life expectancy had been a few months, maybe a few years at best. Those close to her knew the remarkable journey of this cherished and loving lady. Since the age of 14, a debilitating illness had been eroding her morale, robbing her childhood and threatening her adulthood. Diagnosed with a white tumor of the knee, or tuberculous, her situation was dire. In May 1905, she expressed a desperate wish to visit Lourdes. By then, Cécile was at her wit’s end. Despite her precarious condition, the journey was undertaken in September amidst many scares. In Lourdes, on September 21, 1905, she was carefully taken to the swimming pools, from which she emerged healed and remained so for a long time.
Antonia Moulin
Healed on August 10, 1907
Miracle recognized on 1911/11/06
After five days in Lourdes, Antonia returned home with no improvement in her health. She felt the same despair experienced by many uncured patients: What hope was left after Lourdes? But deep down, her hope wasn’t entirely extinguished. Her ordeal began in February 1905, with a benign illness that led to an abscess in her right leg, causing a six-month hospital stay. This marked the start of a continuous cycle of hospital visits, as her condition steadily worsened. In August 1907, she made another pilgrimage to Lourdes, arriving in a dire state but clinging to hope. Two days after her arrival, on August 10, she was taken to the swimming pools. When her wounds were inspected for bandaging, they were found healed, her leg restored. Upon returning home, everyone, especially her doctor, was astounded by her miraculous recovery.
Marie Borel
Healed on August 21-22, 1907
Miracle recognized on 1911/06/04
Marie dedicated her caregiving skills to the sick in Lourdes whenever she could, praying fervently for them. Her devotion likely stemmed from her own sudden and lasting recovery. Before August 21, 1917, those who knew Marie Borel understood the depth of her commitment. Following multiple acute appendicitis attacks, she underwent surgery in 1903. By 1904, an abscess had formed beneath the scar, defying treatment. From 1905 onward, additional, more severe abscesses appeared. Marie joined the National Pilgrimage to Lourdes on August 17, 1907. On the morning of August 21, her dressing was changed, and by evening, the lesions were healed. The next day, after bathing in the pools, her two other wounds healed as well.
Virginie Haudebourg
Healed on May 17, 1908
Miracle recognized on 1912/11/12
In 1958, Virginie was determined to visit Lourdes to celebrate the centenary of Mary’s apparitions at the Grotto. At around 20 years old, she had been diagnosed with tuberculous urinary infection, nephritis, and cystitis. Though incurable and fatal, the disease could have a prolonged progression. Her first pilgrimage to Lourdes in May 1906 brought no improvement. By early 1908, her condition worsened to the point where she could no longer rise. Despite this, she joined her diocesan pilgrimage again in 1908. On the third day, during the Blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, she experienced a violent pain, which seemed to precede her healing. She had a great night, and the next morning, she went to the Medical Reporting Office: Virginie Haudebourg was indeed cured.
Marie Bire
Healed on August 5, 1908
Miracle recognized on 1910/07/30
Marie fell ill on February 14, 1908. She was vomiting blood, her forearm had become pre-gangrenous, and she suffered intense pain in her left arm. Three to four days later, she fell into a coma following a stroke. When she emerged from the coma on February 25, she found herself blind. Once she regained her senses, Marie was determined to go to Lourdes. On August 5, 1908, she made the long-awaited pilgrimage. After attending mass at the Grotto, she suddenly regained her sight. That same day, an oculist examined her and found that while the causes of her blindness were still present, Marie could nevertheless read the smallest characters in a newspaper. In subsequent years, further examinations by doctors revealed that the lesions had disappeared. Her recovery was recognized as complete and lasting.
Aimée Allope
Healed on May 28, 1909
Miracle recognized on 1910/08/05
Aimée had just received communion. As the mass at the Grotto ended, she felt an indescribable sensation of well-being that she thought she would never experience again. Her suffering faded, and her wounds healed. The illness that had plagued her for ten years had suddenly been cured—truly incredible! In 1898, at 26, she first underwent kidney removal, followed by two additional surgeries for tuberculous tumors in her right flank. A few days before arriving in Lourdes, large abscesses reappeared, and she weighed only 44 kg. The initial days of her pilgrimage showed no improvement, requiring her to be bandaged twice a day due to festering wounds. Then, suddenly, she was healed! This sudden and radical recovery persisted, allowing her to resume a normal life within ten months.
Juliette Orion
Healed on July 22, 1910
Miracle recognized on 1913/10/18
In July 1910, Juliette Orion fell ill. She had faced hardships from a young age. Orphaned by her father, she was placed as a servant in the city, where she soon fell ill and showed signs of tuberculosis. After returning home from the hospital, her condition worsened, leading to frequent comas. Doctors told her she had little time left. However, Juliette decided that Our Lady could still hear her prayers, even without a pilgrimage. One night, as she prayed, she suddenly felt much better. On the morning of July 23, 1910, she regained her voice and asked for food. Her doctor was called and confirmed her recovery. For the first time, life had smiled on Juliette.
Marie Fabre
Healed on September 26, 1911
Miracle recognized on 1912/09/08
At thirty, Marie already felt worn out by life. This farmer’s wife had her health shaken by three pregnancies in quick succession, followed by difficult deliveries. In addition to serious uterine problems, she suffered from a digestive disease that prevented her from eating normally. For her, each new day was a new battle. The prescribed treatments had no effect. And it was in a pitiful state that she made a vow, during the summer of 1911, to go to Lourdes. The journey that she undertook on September 24 with her husband was difficult: she arrived in Lourdes in such a state of weakness that for a day and a half, it was not considered prudent to take her to the Grotto or the pools. On the afternoon of the 26th, it was decided to have her participate in the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. After receiving it, she felt overwhelmed by a sense of well-being, spoke and got up. Taken back to the Hospital of Seven Sorrows, she asked for something to eat, even though she had not eaten any solid food for two years. A few days later, she returned home with joy, where she was able to resume a normal life very quickly.
Henriette Bressolles
Healed on July 3, 1924
Miracle recognized on 1957/06/04
On the morning of July 4, 1924, her legs still felt a bit stiff. However, this was nothing compared to her previous day’s condition. The healing began with “a general painful cracking sound.” After this internal upheaval, she fixed her gaze on the Cave before her and felt healed, standing up after almost six years. She had been a military nurse since 1914 and was admitted to army hospitals as a patient in October 1918 for “Pott’s Disease”. From the end of the war until early 1922, she was confined to a military hospital. Immobilized in a plaster corset and neck brace, she underwent various treatments for complete paraplegia and incontinence. Despite the clear evidence of her healing on July 3, 1924, doctors remained cautious. By the end of September 1924, they confirmed her full recovery. Over 30 years later, at the authorities of Lourdes’ request, this healing was officially recognized by Bishop Rémond on June 4, 1957.
Lydia Brosse
Healed on October 11, 1930
Miracle recognized on 1958/08/05
In September 1984, Lourdes lost a devoted hospitaller, Lydia Brosse, who passed away at the age of 95. Despite her small stature and frail health, she experienced a miraculous healing in October 1930. For years, Lydia had suffered from bone conditions described as tuberculosis. There was no noticeable improvement during her pilgrimage in October 1930. However, on her return trip to Saint-Raphaël, she found the strength to get up, and her wounds closed. The following day, her doctor observed “a flourishing state of health, complete healing...”. Lydia spent the rest of her life devoted to the Rosary pilgrimage in Lourdes. Twenty-eight years later, her healing was officially recognized as a miracle.
Sister Marie-Marguerite
Healed on January 22, 1937
Miracle recognized on 1946/05/20
The year 1937 began badly for the Poor Clares (a Roman Catholic religious order of nuns) of Rennes. Sister Marie Marguerite was not expected to survive the year. Knowing that she was doomed, Marie Marguerite replaced her medication with Lourdes water! Medications were no longer able to stem the deterioration of her health. The illness had begun in 1924 with an abscess in her left kidney. In the following years, she suffered heart attacks in addition to her kidney disease. January 22, 1937, was the last of the nine days of prayer that her community had decided to accomplish for her. At the Elevation of the Mass that day, which she attended, she suddenly felt an immense relief. The edema disappeared in an instant! The very next day, she resumed her duties as a turn sister, which she had ceased eight years previously. Her doctor had so much trouble believing that she was truly cured that he continued to monitor her until 1945.
Louise Jamain
Healed on April 1, 1937
Miracle recognized on 1951/12/14
Laennec Hospital diagnosed Louise with pulmonary, intestinal, and peritoneal tuberculosis. This diagnosis mirrored her family’s tragic history: her mother had passed away, and all four of her brothers had succumbed to tuberculosis. Louise, feeling as though she had been waiting too long for her turn with the disease, had been hospitalized for nearly seven years. In a state of despair, she expressed a desire to visit Lourdes. Despite the warnings from those around her, who believed she wouldn’t survive the trip, she joined the Pilgrimage of the Bernadettes from March 28 to April 4, 1937. The journey and the initial days were dreadful, and she received the last rites on March 30. However, on the morning of April 1, she felt completely rested and asked for food. Her recovery was undeniable. Upon her return to Paris on April 4, her doctors were astonished to find no lesions or microbes. Six weeks later, she found work, and in the following years, she became Mrs. Maitre and the mother of two children.
Francis Pascal
Healed on August 31, 1938
Miracle recognized on 1949/05/31
Francis’ healing is notable as the second miracle involving a very young child. His story remained untold for eight years due to the Second World War. In December 1937, meningitis severely impacted his young life, leaving him paralyzed in the lower limbs, partially paralyzed in the upper limbs, and blind. The prognosis was grim, with doctors giving him a very limited life expectancy. Despite consulting over ten doctors, his condition showed no improvement until he was taken to Lourdes at the end of August 1938. After his second bath at Lourdes, Francis miraculously regained his sight and his paralysis vanished. Upon returning home, doctors confirmed his complete and medically inexplicable recovery. Francis Pascal continued to live peacefully by the banks of the Rhône.
Gabrielle Clauzel
Healed on August 15, 1943 ― Healed in Algeria through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Miracle recognized on 1948/03/18
On August 15, 1943, Gabrielle requested to be taken to the church, just a hundred meters from her home. For seven years, she had been bedridden with spinal rheumatism and other ailments that severely weakened her body. After mass, she suddenly stood up, astonishing everyone around her. Disconcerted by this unexpected burst of vitality, they watched in amazement as she walked home. From that moment on, her health continued to improve. She was examined at the Bureau of Medical Observations on August 19 and September 12, 1945, after the Second World War. Gabrielle attributed her healing to the invocation of Our Lady of Lourdes. She later chose to spend her final years in Lourdes, near the Grotto, arriving around 1970. Gabrielle passed away in March 1982, at nearly 88 years old, with a youthful spirit that never waned.
Yvonne Fournier
Healed on August 19, 1945
Miracle recognized on 1959/11/14
In January 1940, behind the impersonal title of a “Work Accident” form, a human tragedy unfolded. Seventeen-year-old Yvonne’s arm was suddenly caught in a strap and violently thrown. Although her arm was not torn off, the trauma rendered it completely useless. Over the next five years and six months, she underwent nine medical operations. A court awarded her a 70% pension, equivalent to the loss of a limb. In 1945, Yvonne participated in the first National Pilgrimage after the war. On August 19, after a bath, she felt her left arm return to normal—no more pain, and her mobility and strength were restored. For the rest of her life, Yvonne remained a discreet and faithful pilgrim to Lourdes.
Rose Martin
Healed on July 3, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1949/05/05
Death had targeted Rose where she had given life. Cervical cancer was advancing rapidly, and the operation she underwent in Nice in February 1946 had not helped. By June 30, 1947, she arrived in Lourdes in a semi-comatose state. During her third bath, she suddenly stood up, free of pain and behaving normally, though the heavy doses of morphine from recent months left her feeling dazed. She knew, however, that she was winning the battle; life was reclaiming her. Over the next 10 months, Rose gained 17 kg. After thorough examinations by medical commissions, it was up to the religious authorities to recognize the miracle. This recognition was slow to come, but on March 17, 1958, at the request of the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, the Bishop of Nice, declared his approval of the Canonical Commission’s conclusions from May 5, 1949, certifying that Rose’s healing was indeed a miracle.
Jeanne Gestas
Healed on August 22, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1952/07/13
Jeanne is still quite astonished by this. It had been so long since she had prayed that she had almost eliminated it from her life. But upon arriving in Lourdes, Jeanne’s life, marked by physical suffering and unhappiness, suddenly took on new meaning, even if she didn’t fully realize it at first. Weighing only 44 kg, the most significant change was that she began praying again. It was as if a wild hope had taken hold of her. When she returned home, her doctor viewed her condition skeptically. A year later, on August 21, 1947, she returned to Lourdes with the National Pilgrimage. During her first bath on August 22, she felt a “sensation of being torn away” that worried her, but she had a good afternoon. The next day, she bathed again and emerged with the assurance of being cured. That same day, she abandoned all dietary precautions. She returned home, resumed normal activities, rediscovered a zest for life, and even gained weight!
Marie-Thérèse Canine
Healed on October 9, 1947
Miracle recognized on 1952/06/05
Marie-Thérèse’s journey reflects a common struggle. In 1936, at just 26 years old, she was afflicted by the tuberculosis that had claimed her parents, targeting her spine (Pott’s disease) and abdomen. For the next decade, her life became a cycle of hospitalizations, temporary improvements, relapses, surgeries, and bone grafts. By early 1947, she was utterly depleted. In this frail state, she arrived in Lourdes on October 7, 1947, with the Rosary Pilgrimage. On October 9, following the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she felt healed, stood up, moved around, and even enjoyed dinner. The following day, a Medical Office examination confirmed her significant improvement. This progress continued for over a year of uninterrupted activity, with her weight returning to 55 kg by June 1948. A new chapter had begun; the tuberculosis that had taken her parents would no longer have a hold on her.
Maddalena Carini
Healed on August 15, 1948
Miracle recognized on 1960/06/02
Tuberculosis cast a long shadow over the Carini family. Maddalena Carini, who contracted the disease at the tender age of 10, endured its affliction in her pleura, dorsal spine, and peritoneum. Her battle necessitated prolonged stays in sanatoriums until she turned 20. Although she received home treatment from the age of 20 to 28, her condition failed to improve significantly. By 1945, Maddalena resumed her visits to Care Centers, but the relentless advance of tuberculosis persisted. By July 1948, her health had deteriorated so drastically that she weighed a mere 32 kg at 31 years old. Despite a sudden, unspoken improvement while at the Grotto on August 15, she remained silent until the following day, disclosing her recovery only on the train back from the pilgrimage in Lombardy. Her case underwent a medical investigation in accordance with Lourdes’ traditional procedures and was sent to the Archbishopric of Milan, where it lapsed into obscurity. It was only with the arrival of Monsignor Montini, who would later become Pope Paul VI, that her case was revisited. On June 2, 1960, Maddalena Carini’s recovery was officially acknowledged as a “formally miraculous fact.”
Jeanne Fretel
Healed on October 8, 1948
Miracle recognized on 1950/10/20
Between 1938 and 1946, Jeanne’s life was confined to various hospitals, her body marked by numerous scars from multiple operations due to tuberculous peritonitis. In 1946, her already critical condition worsened. Emaciated and bedridden, she relied heavily on large doses of morphine. When she arrived in Lourdes on October 5, 1948, with the Rosary pilgrimage, she was a dying woman. Two difficult days passed without improvement. However, on the third day, October 8, after receiving communion at a Mass for the sick at the altar of Saint Bernadette and praying in front of the Grotto, she experienced the first signs of healing: her stomach returned to normal, fever and pain vanished, and she regained a ferocious appetite. Immediately, she was able to get up, walk, and eat heartily. The day after returning from Lourdes, she resumed her work as a nurse, full of life. Rising at 5:30 a.m. and going to bed at 11 p.m., she took on the most demanding tasks in the house. Pain, fever, and morphine became things of the past.
Théa Angele
Healed on May 20, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1961
Before she lost the ability to communicate entirely, she often expressed a fervent wish to visit Lourdes. Multiple sclerosis had gradually robbed her of all her faculties, and her condition worsened dramatically after she was buried alive during an aerial bombardment in April 1945 on the road to Tübingen. In 1950, her family decided to fulfill what they believed to be her final wish: to visit Lourdes, despite the doctors’ dire warnings. A doctor from Cologne even questioned, “How can you send a dying woman abroad, with almost 30 hours by train?” Nevertheless, she arrived safely on May 17, 1950. After a few baths and participating in the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she miraculously regained all the abilities she had lost: speech, muscle strength, the ability to walk, and her appetite. These remarkable events are thoroughly documented in her file at the Medical Office. However, what is not recorded is Théa’s spiritual healing, which led her to join the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Lourdes in 1955. Since then, Théa, now known as Sister Marie-Mercédès, has experienced no relapses.
Evasio Ganora
Healed in July 1950
Miracle recognized on 1955/05/30
In December 1949, a farmer and father of five began experiencing symptoms that prevented him from working in the fields: sudden fevers, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. On February 21, 1950, he was diagnosed with lymph node cancer and given only a few months to live. Despite this dire prognosis, he joined his diocese’s pilgrimage at the end of May. On June 2, his first day in Lourdes, Evasio was taken to the pools. During the immersion, he felt a very hot current run through his body. Upon exiting the bath, he stood up on his own and walked back to the Reception of the Sick. The next day, the pilgrimage doctor was astonished by the remarkable improvement in his health. Evasio even completed the Way of the Cross at the Calvary of Espélugues and began assisting other sick individuals. Upon returning to Casale, he resumed all his farming activities without difficulty. After numerous medical examinations, his healing was recognized as a miracle in 1955, two years before he tragically died in a tractor accident.
Edeltraud Fulda
Healed on August 12, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1955/05/18
Edeltraud and her sister Ruth lived the life they had chosen: touring Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Italy as dancers. However, Edeltraud’s life took a dramatic turn on the evening of a “premiere” in Milan on June 29, 1937, when her persistent stomach pains became unbearable. After multiple hospitalizations, she had a kidney removed in May 1938, and doctors finally diagnosed her with Addison’s disease, an insufficiency of the adrenal glands. In August 1950, she joined a pilgrimage to Lourdes. There, the sisters met a Dutch hospital worker who invited Edeltraud to the swimming pools. From the first bath, she felt an improvement. In the following days, she decided to stop her daily hormone injections on her own. Healed, the former dancer, now “too old to do pointes,” found work as a machine knitter, a job that required her to stand constantly.
Paul Pellegrin
Healed on October 3, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1953/12/08
On October 5, 1950, Colonel Pellegrin and his wife returned home to Toulon after their pilgrimage to Lourdes. The colonel, as usual, went to the hospital to continue his quinine injections for a persistent fistula that had resisted all treatments for months. This lieutenant-colonel of the Colonial Infantry was now channeling all his energy into this new battle against a stubborn microbial infection. Despite their visit to Lourdes, neither he nor his wife truly expected a cure. However, Madame Pellegrin had noticed a change in her husband’s wound after he bathed in the water of the Grotto—it no longer looked the same. At the Toulon hospital, the nurses refused to administer the quinine injections because the wound had vanished, replaced by the pink mark of newly healed skin. It was at that moment that the colonel realized he was healed, and the disease never returned.
Brother Léo Schwager
Healed on April 30, 1950
Miracle recognized on 1960/12/18
On April 30, 1952, Professor Barbin from the Faculty of Medicine of Nantes was astounded by what he had just witnessed. It was undoubtedly one of the most significant moments of his life: he had directly observed the remarkable recovery of Léo Schwager. The image of Léo’s face would remain with him forever: “He had an expression of incredible ecstasy, staring fixedly at the Blessed Sacrament as it moved away, unable to take his eyes off it. At the same time, he seemed oppressed, as if he had experienced a shock or a violent emotion, struggling to catch a deep breath.” What had just happened to Léo Schwager, a Benedictine brother from Fribourg, Switzerland? He had suddenly recovered from multiple sclerosis. After experiencing a sensation like an electric shock, Léo got up, left his cart, and knelt down in prayer. Following his recovery, he remained in good health for the rest of his life, dedicating his energy to serving the sick in Lourdes and organizing pilgrimages for German-speaking Switzerland.
Alice Couteault
Healed on May 15, 1952
Miracle recognized on 1956/07/16
Alice Couteault’s healing is one of the many remarkable stories associated with Lourdes. Born on December 1, 1917, in Gourdon, France, Alice suffered from multiple sclerosis, a debilitating condition that severely impacted her mobility, speech, and vision. By the time she was 35, her condition had worsened to the point where she needed to drag herself using two chairs and could no longer undress or speak clearly. Despite these challenges, Alice had unwavering faith in the healing powers of Lourdes. She arrived there on May 12, 1952, with immense confidence, although she felt unworthy of a cure. Her husband, however, had no hope of her recovery. On May 15, 1952, after bathing in the pools at Lourdes, Alice experienced a miraculous transformation. She regained her ability to walk and speak within hours. Her husband was astonished, and their doctor later confirmed that she had fully recovered. This miraculous healing was officially recognized on July 16, 1956, by Henri Vion, the Coadjutor Bishop of Poitiers. Following her recovery, Alice dedicated herself to helping others, participating in numerous pilgrimages as a nursing assistant, with her husband also serving the sick. Her story remains a testament to the power of faith and the miracles associated with Lourdes.
Marie Bigot
Healed on October 8, 1953 and October 8-10, 1954
Miracle recognized on 1956/08/15
Marie’s case stands out in the history of Lourdes for her three successive healings. In 1952, at the age of 30, she was unable to walk, hear, or see due to a severe condition known as posterior fossa arachnoiditis. When she first visited Lourdes in October 1952 with the Rosary pilgrimage, she was bedridden and considering learning Braille. Despite her hopes, she returned home without any improvement. However, during the pilgrimage the following year, she unexpectedly regained the ability to walk. A year later, on another pilgrimage, she experienced another miracle. At the end of the Eucharistic procession on October 8, 1954, she regained her hearing, vividly recalling, “I clearly heard the crowd singing: Queen of the Rosary.” The miracles continued as, on the train ride home, she finally regained her sight. From then on, Marie enjoyed perfect health and rarely missed a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Her story is a testament to the extraordinary events associated with Lourdes and the power of faith.
Ginette Nouvel
Healed on September 21, 1954
Miracle recognized on 1963/05/31
As Ginette approached her 26th birthday, her life took a dramatic turn when she began showing signs of a rare and incurable disease, thrombosis of the suprahepatic veins, also known as Budd-Chiari disease. Despite the grim prognosis, she was discharged from the hospital in mid-August 1954 and decided to embark on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, starting on September 20. Although she participated in the celebrations with some difficulty, outwardly, there was no immediate change. However, from that date onward, Ginette no longer required medical care, and her life gradually returned to normal. Three months after her visit to Lourdes, her recovery seemed complete. Her healing was officially recognized on May 31, 1963. Ginette made several return trips to Lourdes over the years. Unfortunately, in early 1970, her illness resurfaced. She passed away in June of that year due to an intestinal perforation caused by a medical error. The International Medical Committee noted this immediate cause of death, but also acknowledged the “probable progressive resumption of her initial condition,” considering the exceptional length of her period of remission.
Elisa Aloi
Healed on June 5, 1958
Miracle recognized on 1965/05/26
Elisa Aloi was nearly 17 when she began suffering from a white tumor in her right knee. Over the next decade, she endured numerous tuberculosis attacks, with frequent relapses after treatment. In June 1957, in a state of desperation, she traveled to Lourdes on a pilgrimage with the Italian organization U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I. Unfortunately, she returned home to Sicily just as ill as before. However, in June 1958, despite her condition being even more compromised, she made another pilgrimage to Lourdes. Her dressings were applied with Lourdes water. Ten days after returning to Sicily, her doctor observed that “Elisa Aloi returned from Lourdes completely cured.” In 1965, Francesco Fasola, Archbishop of Messina, officially declared her cure miraculous. A few months later, Elisa married and between 1966 and 1974, she had four children.
Juliette Tamburini
Healed on July 17, 1959
Miracle recognized on 1965/05/11
Young Juliette’s body was covered in bruises. Between the ages of 12 and 23, she underwent 11 surgical operations, including 4 bone curettages, all of which proved ineffective. In a desperate state, she traveled to Lourdes with her diocesan pilgrimage in July 1959. There, after water from the Grotto was injected into her main wound, the flow dried up, her fistula closed, and the bleeding stopped. Given her history of short-lived remissions, this “cure” was not immediately disclosed. It wasn’t until 1960, a year later, that the Medical Office of Lourdes was informed. Professor Michel Salmon reviewed her case and described it as an “instantaneous cure, without convalescence (…) medically inexplicable.” Finally healed, Juliette remained devoted to Lourdes. This cure not only restored her physical health but also reinforced her faith. Juliette remained devoted to Lourdes, frequently returning to the site of her healing. Her experience likely provided her with a renewed sense of hope and purpose, allowing her to live a more fulfilling life free from the constant pain and medical interventions that had previously dominated her existence.
Vittorio Micheli
Healing began on June 1, 1963
Miracle recognized on 1976/05/26
Vittorio Micheli, a humble stretcher-bearer, was the 63rd person to experience a miracle at Lourdes. Often seen quietly serving the sick there, Vittorio’s story is remarkable. In 1962, this young Alpine hunter was admitted to a hospital in Verona, Italy, suffering from severe hip pain. The diagnosis was devastating: a cancerous tumor, a sarcoma. By the time Vittorio arrived in Lourdes in 1963, his condition had worsened significantly. During his pilgrimage, he was bathed in the waters of Lourdes, but nothing extraordinary seemed to happen at the time. Upon his return, he was readmitted to the military hospital. Initial X-rays were misinterpreted, but six months later, his unexpectedly good health raised questions. Further tests revealed that his bones had been reconstructing for over five months. The pain had ceased, and he could walk again. Vittorio was healed.
Serge Perrin
Healed on May 1, 1970
Miracle recognized on 1978/06/17
In December 1968, Serge was suddenly afflicted with hemiplegia. After numerous tests, he was diagnosed with carotid thrombosis. He returned home, resigned to the worsening paralysis. In a desperate bid for relief, he traveled to Lourdes in 1969, but came back in the same dire condition, suffering from visual disturbances and physical weakness. Feeling devastated by his decline, he reluctantly joined the Angers pilgrimage the following year, without any hope. Despite a painful start, something remarkable happened on the last day. During the morning’s Community anointing of the sick, Serge began to feel new sensations. By the afternoon, he realized he could walk better without his crutches and see more clearly without his glasses. He left Lourdes confident in his healing, which was later confirmed by doctors.
Delizia Cirolli
Healing around Christmas of 1976
Miracle recognized on 1989/06/28
Delizia Cirolli’s journey to becoming a mother and a nurse was an unexpected blessing. In March 1976, her life took a dramatic turn when, at just 11 years old, she struggled to walk due to a painful knee. A specialist diagnosed her with a tumor and recommended amputation to prevent a potentially fatal outcome. Her parents refused the procedure. That summer, Delizia and her mother embarked on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. She returned exhausted and without improvement. By Christmas 1976, her condition had worsened, and those around her feared the worst, praying fervently to Our Lady of Lourdes. Miraculously, Delizia experienced an unexpected healing. She quickly returned to a normal life, resuming eating, walking, and attending school. Now known as Mrs. Costa, she became the proud mother of three children.
Jean-Pierre Bely
Healed in October of 1987
Miracle recognized on 1999/02/09
The Bêly family lived a tranquil life in their home in Angoulême. Jean-Pierre, married to Genevieve and father of two children, worked as a nurse until the first signs of multiple sclerosis appeared in 1972. His condition worsened until he was declared 100% disabled. In October 1987, bedridden, he traveled to Lourdes for the Rosary pilgrimage. After receiving the Anointing of the Sick, he felt a profound inner peace. That night, an inner voice urged him: “Get up and walk.” Remarkably, Jean-Pierre did just that. Since then, he has enjoyed perfect health, although Social Security still considers him disabled. As Jean-Pierre notes, “the Lord healed my heart first, and then my body.” After twelve years of medical investigations, Claude Dagens, Bishop of Angoulême, declared, following the favorable opinion of a canonical commission, that this healing was “an effective sign of Christ the Savior, accomplished through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes.”
Anna Santaniello
Healed on August 19, 1952
Miracle recognized on 2005/09/03
Anna Santaniello experienced a remarkable healing at Lourdes in 1952. She had been suffering from a severe form of rheumatic heart disease, which had left her bedridden and barely able to breathe. Her condition was so dire that doctors had lost all hope for her recovery. Anna Santaniello asked to come to Lourdes despite her doctors’ advice to the contrary. During a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Anna was taken to bathe in the spring on a stretcher. Miraculously, after the bath, she was able to walk and speak properly again. Her illness disappeared, and she returned to a normal life. This extraordinary healing was officially recognized by the Catholic Church in 1964, and she was acknowledged as the 67th person to be healed at Lourdes. It was not until 2005 that the current archbishop officially recognized the miracle. Anna Santaniello lived into her nineties.
Sister Luigina Traverso
Healed July 23, 1965
Miracle recognized on 2012/10/11
Sister Luigina Traverso of Novi Ligure (Piedmont), Italy, was not yet 30 years old when she experienced the first symptoms of paralysis in her left leg. After four unsuccessful surgeries on her spine in the early 1960s, the nun, who was regularly confined to bed, asked the Mother Superior of her community for permission to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes; she left at the end of July 1965. On July 23, while she was participating on a stretcher in the Eucharist, she felt a strong sensation of warmth and well-being as the Most Holy Sacrament passed by, which prompted her to get up. The pain had disappeared, and her foot had regained its mobility. After an initial visit to the Bureau of Medical Observations, Sister Luigina returned the following year. The decision was made to open a file. Three meetings of the Bureau of Medical Observations (in 1966, 1984 and 2010) and new medical examinations were necessary before it could certify the nun’s healing. On November 19, 2011 in Paris, the CMIL (International Medical Committee of Lourdes) confirmed its “unexplained nature in the current state of scientific knowledge”. Taking up the case, Bishop Alceste Catella of Casale-Monferrato decided on October 11, 2012, to declare in the name of the Church that Sister Luigina’s unexplained healing was a miracle.
Danila Castelli
Healed on May 4, 1989
Miracle recognized on 2013/06/20
Danila Castelli, a wife and mother, lived an ordinary life until she began experiencing severe spontaneous hypertensive crises at the age of 34. In 1982, radiological exams and ultrasounds revealed a parauterine mass and a fibromatous uterus. Danila underwent a hysterectomy, an adnexectomy, and partial removal of her pancreas. The following year, a scintigraphy confirmed the presence of a pheochromocytoma, a tumor that produces catecholamines, located near lower abdomen. Despite several surgeries aimed at eliminating the sources of her blood pressure crises, her condition did not improve by 1988. In May 1989, during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, Danila felt an extraordinary sense of well-being after emerging from the baths. She soon reported her sudden healing to the Bureau of Medical Observations of Lourdes. Since then, Danila has resumed a completely normal life. After five evaluations (1989, 1992, 1994, 1997, and 2010), the Bureau unanimously confirmed her healing: Mrs. Castelli had been completely and permanently healed since her pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1989, with no connection to medical interventions or treatments. The International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) certified in its November 19, 2011 meeting in Paris that her healing remains unexplained by current scientific knowledge. Bishop Giovanni Giudici, of the diocese where Danila resides, declared the healing to be of a “prodigious-miraculous character” and a significant “sign.”
Sister Bernadette Moriau
Healed on December 18, 2008
Miracle recognized on 2018/02/11
Sister Bernadette Moriau’s healing is indeed a remarkable story! She was an 83-year-old French nun suffering from cauda equina syndrome, a severe condition affecting the nerves and lower spine, which left her paralyzed and in constant pain. Despite her condition, she made a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2008, not seeking a miracle but simply to pray with others. During a procession at Lourdes, Sister Bernadette felt a profound spiritual experience and heard an inner voice telling her to remove her braces. To her astonishment, she found that she could walk without them, and her foot, which had been twisted and limp, was straight. This miraculous healing was later confirmed by the Catholic Church as the 70th officially recognized miracle at Lourdes.
John Traynor
Healed on July 25, 1923
Miracle recognized on 2024/12/08
Born in Liverpool, England, in 1883 to an Irish mother, he joined the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the First World War. First wounded on October 8, 1914 near Antwerp (Belgium), he was hit by machine-gun fire on May 8, 1915 during the Battle of Gallipoli (now Turkey). Numerous medical operations failed. He lost the use of his right arm, but refused amputation, and suffered severe epileptic seizures. In 1920, a Liverpool surgeon attempted to cure the epilepsy by trepanning, resulting in partial paralysis of both legs. His condition was such that in early summer 1923, “he was designated for the hospice des incurables, where he was to enter on July 24, 1923” (procès verbal de guérison du Bureau des Constatations Médicales, signed by the president, Docteur Auguste Vallet, October 2, 1926). In July 1923, he travelled to Lourdes on the occasion of the Liverpool archdiocese’s first pilgrimage to the Shrine. He was cured on July 25, after being immersed in the Shrine’s pools and then taking part in the Eucharistic procession and blessing of the sick. On the same day, the doctors accompanying the pilgrimage confirmed his condition. He left Lourdes the following day.
He went to the Bureau des Constatations Médicales on July 7, 1926 to declare his recovery. John Traynor returned to Lourdes every year as a stretcher-bearer, until 1939. He is a member of the Liverpool Brancardier Association. It is said in the UK that he was the first British Catholic to be cured at Lourdes. He died on December 8, 1943 of a completely different ailment.
Antonietta (Antonia) Raco
Healed on August, 2009
Miracle recognized on 2025/04/16
Antonietta (Antonia) Raco is from Francavilla sul Sinni, Italy.
CHRONOLOGY
In 2004: severe headache attacks, accompanied by cramps and generalised asthenia, with walking difficulties.
In 2005: worsening of the walking difficulties with the appearance of dysphagia and dysarthria.
In 2006: she was diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS).
In 2008: her condition worsened, with a reduction in her expiratory Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), as well as hyposthenia and tetraparesis, predominantly on the left.
In 2009: Antonia Raco went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes from 30 July to 5 August, accompanied by UNITALSI (Basilicata region).
When she went to the Baths, she reported feeling an unusual sense of well-being and being able to walk again. She did not speak about it until she returned home.
In August and September of the same year, she underwent a series of check-ups which showed that the symptoms she had been experiencing since 2004 had disappeared, and confirmed the diagnosis of Primary Lateral Sclerosis.
In July 2010: Antonia Raco declared her supposed cure to the Lourdes Office of Medical Observations.
Immediately a 1st meeting of the Bureau des Constatations was convened, at which the doctors present unanimously decided to open a file and investigate her medical history. Further meetings of the Bureau were held in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
In 2013: Antonia Raco was assessed by the Neurology Department of the University of Milan, which confirmed the diagnosis and took charge of the follow-up.
In 2017: a 5th and final meeting of the Bureau des Constatations was convened. The members of the Bureau who were present collegially observed Antonietta Raco’s cure, qualified as unexplained according to medical knowledge.
In November 2024: after a period of clinical observation and validation of the international consensus on the diagnosis of PLS, the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL), at its annual meeting, called on the members present to vote: ‘Is Mrs Antonia RACO cured of Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), in accordance with the 2020 consensus, validated in 2024, in an unexpected, complete, lasting and unexplained manner according to medical knowledge?’. The majority voted YES.
On 15 November 2024, the bishop of the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes informed the bishop of the diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro, the diocese where Antonia Raco resides, who then proclaimed the miracle on Wednesday 16 April 2025.
DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF THE APPROVED MIRACULOUS CURES AT LOURDES
THE FIRST OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED MIRACLE OF LOURDES
Saturday, March 1st, 1858 : The Cure of Catherine Latapie
Saturday, March 1st, 1858 : The Cure of Catherine Latapie
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Catherine, who was born in 1820 and was in her 39th year, lived in Loubajac, near to Lourdes. She was cured on Saturday, March 1st, 1858, when she was in her 39th year. The miracle was investigated and finally recognized and accepted by Church and medical authorities on 18th. January 1862, by Mgr Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes.
This was the first cure. The date is unquestionable. At the time of the Apparitions, Catherine Latapie lived at Loubajac, a few kilometres from Lourdes. She had injured her right hand after a fall from a tree, in October 1856; in addition, she was at the end of her third pregnancy. This accident caused a subluxation of the humerus, which was easily reducible, but owing to the traumatic stretching of the brachial plexus, she was left with an ulnar type of paralysis. She could not use the last two fingers of her right hand, which were held in typical palmar flexion. |
During the night between the Friday, February 28th and Saturday, March 1st, 1858, Catherine Latapie moved by a sudden impulse. She arose at three in the morning, woke her young children and set off for Lourdes. Arriving there at dawn, she met Bernadette, went to the Grotto and knelt down to pray. Then with all simplicity, she bathed her hand in the little hollow which had already collected water from the Spring.
Straightaway her fingers returned to normal. They had regained their movements and suppleness. She could flex and extend them with the same facility as she could before the accident. With haste she returned home, and the same evening--(it is this detail which enables us to be sure of the date of the cure)--she gave birth to her third child. He was ordained a priest in 1882. In his report for Mgr Laurence, Professor Vergez classed this case amongst the cures "presenting a supernatural character". |
THE SECOND OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED MIRACLE OF LOURDES
Friday, February 26th, 1858 : The Cure of Louis Bourriette
Friday, February 26th, 1858 : The Cure of Louis Bourriette
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On Friday, February 26th, the Immaculate Virgin did not appear to her dear child. Every one regarded Bernadette with a respect and reverence which amounted to veneration; when she passed, people said, in her hearing: “There is the Saint!”
Mary, the mother of humility and meekness, undoubtedly wished to fortify her child against the danger of vain-glory: she left her to pine in wishes, in tears, in prayers; she would not appear. Humbled and grieved, Bernadette was obliged to go home; she cried all the way. In place of the usual Apparition, the crowd could see the spring, a living testimony of the omnipotence of the mysterious Lady. The good pastor of Lourdes had asked for a sign; instead of the trifling one which he had felt bound to ask, the Blessed Virgin had given him a much greater one, and not only to him, but to all, to the wicked as well as the good. The rose-bush blooming would have been only a simple miracle, a miracle of compliance, frail and transient; the supernatural spring was not only a miracle, and a great miracle, but a permanent miracle, an inexhaustible source of miracles. Oh, how much better the good Virgin knows than we do! On that Friday, the 26th, the miraculous water performed its first miracle: a miracle of the first order, proved, proclaimed in the first place by science, then by ecclesiastical authority. There was at Lourdes a poor quarry-man, named Louis Bourriette, who, twenty years before this, had had his eye terribly injured by the explosion of a mine. He came near dying, and in spite of the enlightened and assiduous care of Doctor Dozous, the same who examined Bernadette in her ecstasy, the poor miner's sight had grown worse from year to year, so much so that, at the period of which we speak, his right eye could not distinguish a man from a tree. Known and beloved in the whole town, Bourriette was a man of faith, a true Christian. He was married and the father of a family. He had heard of the marvelous things which were occurring at the grotto, and in particular of the spring which had gushed forth. “Go and get me some of that water,” he said to his daughter. “The Blessed Virgin, if it be her, has only to wish it, and I shall be cured.” Half an hour after, the child brought a little of the still muddy water. “Father,” she said, “this is only muddy water.” “Never mind,” said the good Bourriette, beginning to pray. He rubbed his lost eye with the water. He gives a loud cry, a cry of joy and gladness. He begins to tremble with emotion. The darkness which, for twenty years, had deprived him of sight, was dispelled; there only remained a sort of slight dimness, like the mists of the morning. He continued praying, and bathing his eye; the mist gradually disappeared, and he could clearly distinguish objects. He was cured! “I am cured!” he cried, running up to Doctor Dozous, next day, on the street. “Impossible!” said the doctor. “You have an organic affection which makes your disease absolutely incurable. The treatment which I made you follow was only to ease your pain; it could not restore your sight.”. |
“It is not you who has cured me,” answered the quarry-man, still much agitated; “it is the Blessed Virgin of the grotto!”
“That Bernadette has ecstasies which cannot be explained, is certain,” said the doctor, shrugging his shoulders; “I have verified that myself. But that the water which gushed forth from the grotto from some unknown cause, suddenly cures incurable diseases, is not possible.” So saying, he took out his memorandum book, and wrote some words in it with a lead pencil. “Stay!” he said to Bourriette, putting his hand over his left eye. “If you can read this, I will believe you.” The passers-by had gathered round them. Bourriette immediately read, without the slightest hesitation: “Bourriette has an incurable amaurosis, and he will never be cured.” The doctor stood astonished, bewildered. “I cannot deny it,” he cried, “It is a miracle, a real miracle, without disparagement to myself and to my brothers of the Faculty. I am amazed; but the fact is evident; it is beyond all that poor human science can do!” Louis Bourriette's cure was all the more remark able that the miracle had left all the scars of the wound. The quarry-man, almost crazed with joy, related the details to all who would listen. From that time, enthusiasm, lively faith, thanksgiving, took more and more possession of the multitude. More and more evidence of the miracle appeared. Towards evening, the quarry-men of the guild to which the fortunate Bourriette belonged, went in great numbers to the Rocks of Massabielle, and cut through the rocks a more convenient path for pilgrims. Before the opening of the miraculous fountain, they placed a wooden trench, and hollowed out, below this trench, a sort of little basin, having very nearly the form and dimensions of a child’s cradle. The Blessed Virgin s name was on every lip. No one knew, and yet all were certain that it was she and no other. After sunset, without any previous arrangement, or the interference of any priest, hundreds of tapers suddenly lit up the improvised Sanctuary; and thousands of voices began to chant with indescribable power and emotion, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. The grotto remained thus illuminated all during the night. |
THE THIRD OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED MIRACLE OF LOURDES
Thursday, March 4th, 1858
Back from the Dead!
The Cure of Justin Bouhohorts
Thursday, March 4th, 1858
Back from the Dead!
The Cure of Justin Bouhohorts
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It was Thursday, March 4th, the last day of the fifteen days that Our Lady had asked to come to Grotto at Lourdes. That morning, Our Lady had completed her fifteen appointments, but nothing spectacular had happened. It seems that she was saving the spectacular for later in day! That same evening, towards four o’clock, there were still five or six hundred persons, examining, praying, drinking at the fountain and carrying away some little memento of the sacred place. But the Immaculate Virgin did not wish that that memorable day should terminate without a brilliant manifestation of her goodness. A great miracle, a maternal miracle worthily marked the close of that fortnight of miracles.
A little child of two years old was dying in a poor cottage at Lourdes. His name was Justin. His father, Jean Bouhohorts, was a day-laborer. Subject from his birth to a slow fever, the poor child had never been able to walk; he was dying of consumption, notwithstanding all the efforts of the doctor. He was in his agony; his despairing father and mother were beside his cradle to see him die. A charitable neighbor had already prepared the little shroud, and was trying to sustain the courage of the unhappy mother. The child’s eyes had become glassy; his limbs stiff and motionless; his breathing was no longer perceptible. “He is dead!” said the father. “If he is not dead,” said the neighbor, “he is going to die, my poor friend. Go and cry somewhere else; I will wrap him up presently in this shroud.” But the mother wept no more. A wild hope had taken possession of her. “He is not dead,” she cries, “and the Holy Virgin of the grotto will cure him for me.” “She is mad with grief,” said the father, sorrowfully. As for her, she seizes the already stiffening body of her child; she wraps it in her apron, and in spite of the efforts of her husband and her friend, she rushes out, running like a mad woman, praying aloud. “I am going to the Virgin,” she cried, as she went out. It was near five o’clock, and, as we have said, some hundreds of persons were still around the grotto and the fountain. The poor mother throws herself on her knees before the grotto, and prays with all her heart, then, dragging herself on her knees to the little basin, she takes the naked body of her dead or dying two-year-old child, and plunges it entirely into the miraculous water. It was very cold, and the water was frozen. A cry of fright, and murmurs of indignation burst from those around her. “The woman is mad!” was said on all sides, “she will kill her child!” They try to stop her. She remains motionless, holding her child under the water. “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!” she answered in an eager and supplicating voice, “I want to do what I can, and the good God and the Holy Virgin will do the rest!” Little two-year-old Justin was black-and-blue; he neither stirred nor gave any sign of life. “The child is already dead,” said the people. “Let her do it; it is a poor mother whom sorrow has crazed!” For a quarter of an hour, the supposed mad woman held the body of her son in the icy water which would have killed him in less than five minutes, even had he been in perfect health. Nothing could move her, neither cries, nor supplications, nor even threats. The body of the child was frozen, motionless. Full of faith, however, the mother drew him out of the water, wrapped him in her apron, and brought him home, praying all the time to the Blessed Virgin. “You see he is dead,” said the father. “No,” she answered, “he is not dead. The Blessed Virgin will restore him to us!” and she puts the child back into his cradle. A moment after, she bends over him: “He breathes!” she cries. |
The father rushes forward; his child was indeed breathing, His eyes were closed; but it was no longer death, it was no longer the agony; it was a deep, peaceful sleep. The Blessed Virgin then said from the height of heaven to that Christian mother, what Jesus said of old to the humble and faithful woman of Canaan: “Go in peace; thy faith hath saved thee.”
During the night, the breathing continued, strong and regular, under the tender gaze of the mother, who did not sleep. The next day little Justin awoke; his color was fresh and healthful, although he was still emaciated. His little eyes were full of life as he smiled on his happy mother. He asked for the breast, and drank freely. He who had never walked wanted to get out of his cradle; but the frightened mother, who could not believe in a resurrection so complete, so sudden, dared not put him on the ground. The day passed thus: the child drank from the breast eagerly and often; he was making up for lost time. He passed an excellent night. Next morning, the 6th of March, the father and mother went out early to their work. The child was sleeping quietly in his cradle. When, after some hours the mother came in, she almost fainted. At seeing her little boy, until then paralytic, dying, not to say dead, the evening before, had got up all alone, and was walking, trotting here and there, around the room, going from one piece of furniture to another, delighted, and full of vigor. She was obliged to lean against the door to keep from falling. Oh, what a cry of love and gratitude must then have gone up from her maternal heart to the Heart of the Virgin Mother! Little Justin ran joyously to throw himself into the arms of his mother, who embraced him, sobbing. “He was cured yesterday,” thought she, “since he wanted to get up and walk, and I, unbeliever that I was, wanted faith and prevented him.” And when her husband came in, she said to him: “You see he was not dead; the Blessed Virgin saved him.” The good neighbor, who, the evening before, had made little Justin s shroud, could not believe her eyes. She looked, looked again, and thought she was dreaming. “It is he,” she cried. “It is really himself! Poor little Justin!” They all fell on their knees. The mother joined her child s little hands, that he might also return thanks to the Mother of God. Justin is now a large, strong boy of thirteen (at the time this account was written); since his cure, he has never had a relapse. “He is good child,” said the venerable pastor of Lourdes to me in the month of April, 1870, “he is a good child, a little giddy, but he has a good heart, and he loves the Blessed Virgin very much.” This miracle produced, in the town of Lourdes, and in all the surrounding country, a prodigious effect. Three skillful physicians confirmed the truth of it, In their eyes, three circumstances made the cure an actual miracle, a miracle of the first order: in the first place, the duration of the immersion of a dying child in ice-cold water; then, its immediate effect, which had no connection with the reaction caused by the ordinary application of cold water; finally, the faculty of walking, manifested as soon as the child had got out of the cradle. “The mother,” said the report of one of the doctors, “held her child, for more than a quarter-of-an-hour, in the water of the fountain. She thus sought the cure of her child by proceedings absolutely condemned by experience and by medical reason, and she yet obtained it immediately ... The cure of the child took place without convalescence, in an entirely supernatural manner.” It was thus that the Blessed Virgin wished to crown her fortnight. Henceforth the pilgrimage was founded, and the fountain of grace, coming from the Heart of Mary, much more than from the side of the rock, flowed fruitful and consoling, never to be exhausted. |