During her childhood, Saint Bernadette lived in Lourdes, France. She was the eldest of her eight siblings. Two days after her birth, Bernadette was baptized in St. Pierre Church. Saint Bernadette suffered from terrible asthma as a child. As a result, he lived his entire life in fragile health. When she was fourteen years old, Saint Bernadette went with a friend and her sister to collect firewood near a cave. Suddenly, a woman appears to Bernadette above a rose bush. The woman crossed herself and recited the rosary. In response, Bernadette knelt and prayed her rosary. However, Bernadette's sister and friend claimed that they had never seen a woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Several days later, the girls returned to the cave. Bernadette claims to be able to see the woman again and to pray her rosary. Bernadette fell into a daze and a girl threw a rock at her to try to break her out of the daze. The rock broke when it hit the ground and the woman disappeared. A few days later, Bernadette had a vision of the woman and asked her to go to the cave every day. At each visit, Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary. These visions became known as “la Quinzaine sacree,” meaning “holy fortnight.” Bernadette's parents were ashamed of her visits to the cave. One day Bernadette had a vision in which she was told to “drink the water of the spring, wash herself in it and eat the grass that grew there” as an act of penance. The next day the muddy water of the cave became clear. He had another vision in which he said that "a chapel should be built and a procession formed". Her sixteenth vision lasted more than an hour, during which Bernadette asked the woman what her name was, but the woman only responded with a smile. After asking the woman her name several times, she replied, "I am the Immaculate Conception." Many people in her town did not agree with Bernadette's visions. Some believed he was telling the truth, but others thought he had a mental illness. The church authorities and the French government interviewed Bernadette and decided that they believed her. Since the spring began producing clean water, the Lourdes Medical Office has confirmed that it has healed sixty-nine people. However, there was no scientific explanation for the treatments. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Bernadette asked a priest to build a chapel at the cave, which is now known as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and is one of the largest Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world. Bernadette subsequently learned to read and write at the school run by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. Bernadette later became a nursing assistant. People admired Bernadette for her humility. A nun once asked her if her visions gave her temptations of pride. Bernadette replied: “How can I? The Blessed Virgin chose me only because I was the most ignorant." Bernadette died of tuberculosis and as a result was unable to participate in convent life. His last words were: “Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for me. A poor sinner, a poor sinner.”