I am the Immaculate Conception: Lourdes

by Arthur Policarpio

In the year 1858, Lourdes in France was a poor but charming town, far from the sophistication we associate with Paris, maybe because of its great distance from it. Lourdes is already close to the border with Spain. Nestled at the foot of the great Pyrenees mountain range and with the Gave River winding beside it, it was a perfect setting for an extraordinary encounter between a beautiful lady and a simple peasant girl.

The story goes that, on February 11, 1858, 14-year old Bernadette was trying to cross the Gave River to join her two companions when a beautiful young lady, standing inside the grotto nearby, appeared to her and asked her to come everyday for two weeks. Bernadette obeyed despite much opposition from her family and authorities.