Saint Bernadette is remembered as the young girl who saw the
Immaculate Conception at Lourdes. Vilified for her claims,
Bernadette was resolute, and slowly showed her detractors what
it meant to be a recipient of God's Grace. Father Steve Grunow
explores the life of this unlikely messenger, and her depiction
in the classic film "The Song of Bernadette," today on the Word
on Fire blog. April 16th was the feast of St. Bernadette
Soubirous, whose name in religious life was Sister Mary Bernard.
Saint Bernadette is popularly known as the visionary of the
shrine at Lourdes. Both the saint and the shrine are held with
affection and in esteem by Catholics, and Lourdes remains one of
the most visited pilgrimage destinations in the world. The
shrine is situated where Saint Bernadette claimed to have seen
the Mother of God. Adding to the already hallowed grounds is a
spring of water reputed to have healing properties and
facilitate spiritual conversion. Lourdes, therefore, known as a
place of miracles. The story of Bern