rench girl. In 1858, at the age of fourteen, she saw a sparkling figure of a lady dressed in a white dress, a blue sash, and a veil. The lady held a rosary, so Bernadette pulled out her rosary and prayed with her. Bernadette met this beautiful lady a total of eighteen times. After asking repeatedly what the lady's name was, she finally told Bernadette, "I am the Immaculate Conception." After years of explaining and defending herself that the apparitions were true, the authorities finally believed her.

Today, Lourdes, France, is a Catholic Marian shrine. Since 1860, an estimated two hundred million people have visited Lourdes. The Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized seventy miraculous healings. In 1933, Bernadette was made a saint on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Bernadette's incredible story reminds us that anyone can be called to serve the Lord through the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.