Feast day: February 11

In 1858, Jesus’ mother Mary appeared to a poor 13-year-old girl from Lourdes, France named Bernadette.
Bernadette was outside gathering wood for her family when she saw Mary. Mary was holding a rosary and told Bernadette to pray the rosary.
Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times during that year. She told Bernadette to pray for sinners and to tell the priests to build a church.
Mary also told her to drink and wash herself in the water at the grotto. But there wasn’t any water there! So Bernadette dug a hole in the ground, and, suddenly, a spring appeared.
The people in her town thought she was crazy for claiming to see Mary and made fun of her.
The last thing that Mary told her was: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This is a teaching of the Catholic Church that means Mary did not have original sin. She was born without sin!

Many years later, Bernadette became a nun. And in 1933, 54 years after she died, Bernadette was declared a saint!
Each year, many people go to France to visit the spot where Mary appeared and visit the chapel that was built there. The spring that appeared is still there, and many people who are sick wash themselves in the water. Many people have experienced miracles.
You can celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes by watching the popular movie “The Song of Bernadette.” Or, you can visit a recreation of the site where Our Lady of Lourdes appeared. You can find one at St. Louis Bertrand Church, 1104 S. 6th St., or at St. Joseph Church, 1406 E. Washington St., among others.
Youth who are high school age and younger are invited to submit original visual art, such as a drawing or painting, to be featured in the “Saints for Kids” section of Youth Focus.
For the next Saints for Kids, the subject of the artwork is St. Perpetua & St. Felicity. A photo of the artwork can be submitted via email to ocastlen@archlou.org or the original can be mailed to the attention of The Record at the Maloney Center, 1200 S. Shelby St., Louisville, Ky., 40203, with a stamped return envelope.
The deadline to submit is Feb. 13. Call reporter Olivia Castlen at 471-2131 with any questions.
