Bernadette Soubirous is the saint of Lourdes, France. Visionary and messenger of the Immaculate Conception, she told us the very words of the Virgin Mary, spoken in the native Basque tongue of Southern France and Northern Spain. She spoke words teaching of the merits of prayer, penance, poverty and church. In the first and most widely recognized Marian apparition of modern times, a personal message was delivered also to Bernadette—She would not find happiness in this world, but only in the next. She was to die twenty–one years later in 1879 after a prolonged and painful illness. She remained hidden in a convent about 300 miles from home, a refuge from the interrogations and the pilgrims that never ceased seeking her. At thirty–five, her strong–willed manner gave way to her frail body, and she finally entered into her eternal happiness. While she took with her the knowledge of certain secrets the Virgin gave her, one secret remained hidden in our presence. The most spectacular of all the incorruptibles, Bernadette's miraculously preserved body remained buried in a damp grave for thirty years until the cause for beatification was taken up. To this day, the body of Bernadette is a profound source of inspiration and of mystery surrounding the ways of the Lord. The face of Bernadette is one of surreal beauty, and will remain for us always the face that gazed into the eyes of the Mother of God. After thirty years undisturbed in the tomb, Sister Marie Bernard's body was exhumed for examination. The cause for sainthood had begun. When the stone was lifted from the vault, the coffin was immediately seen. It was carried to the room prepared for it and placed on two trestles covered with a cloth. On one side was a table covered with a white cloth. The remains of Bernadette were to be placed on this table. The wooden coffin was unscrewed and the lead coffin cut open to reveal the body in a state of perfect preservation. There was not the slightest trace of an unpleasant smell. The Sisters who had buried her thirty years earlier noted only that her hands had fallen slightly to the left. The words of the surgeon and the doctor, who were under oath, speak for themselves: "The coffin was opened in the presence of the Bishop of Nevers, the mayor of the town, his principal deputy, several canons and ourselves. We noticed no smell.
In Burial Rites Agnes undergoes extreme abuse and wakes up with seemingly no reason to live. Regardless of this situation, Agnes remains unyielding in her values, identity and beliefs, refusing to be dehumanised by society; “I will hold what I am inside, and keep my hands tight around all the things I have seen and heard, and felt.” It is through this stoicism and self-empowerment that Agnes emerges as an unsuspecting role model in the text. Kent establishes how it is also the kindness and generosity of others that ultimately gives Agnes a reason to live. Specifically, Agnes’ passion for life is renewed through her cathartic, confessional story-telling to Toti. Toti, unlike the biased majority of society, does not “pluck at [Agnes’] words like birds” and instead is an empathetic, understanding listener. Furthermore, despite initial hostility, Margret and her family grow to understand and empathise with Agnes and ultimately become very close with her, becoming “tearstreaked” in the days leading up to her death. Kent uses symbolism in the form of a brooch given to Agnes by the Jonsdottir family to illustrate the final, compassionate acceptance of her humanity. Overall, the author demonstrates to the reader how women like Agnes can stay strong in the face of adversity by remaining resolute in their beliefs, as well as the importance of treating others with understanding and
Little is known of the early life of the Flemish Cistercian nun, Blessed Beatrice of Nazareth. Beatrice of Nazareth was born in the year 1200 in the town of Tienen, Belgium (Lindemann Ph.D n.d.). She was the youngest of six children (Lindemann Ph.D n.d.). De Ganck (1991, xiii) concludes that Beatrice is of middle class, “well-to-do, but not wealthy as has sometimes been asserted.”
Frances Xavier Cabrini was born two months prematurely on July 15, 1850 in the providence of Lombardy, northern Italy. She specifically was born in Santa’ Angelo Lodigiano, which is in the providence of Lombardy. Cabrini growing up was the tenth of eleven brothers and sisters. Out of all of mother Cabrini’s sibling only four survived past adolescence. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s spirituality stemmed from the word and example her parents demonstrated as a child. Her father told her many stories while she was child of these great mi...
...ne in shadowy corners, of mutilated orifices. Dead sometimes. And more often, unfortunately living to remember. Or to disassociate” (141-2). At this point Bertha has begun to sympathize with the bird; it is a victim, much like herself.
That was the beginning of Our Blessed Mother at Fatima. She visited the children six times bringing them messages for the world. In all Her appearances at Fatima, Our Mother repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying the Rosary daily, of wearing the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel and of performing acts of reparation and sacrifice.
begins to wonder exactly what happens when one is cremated. This mood of awe is
Catherine of Siena was born in Italy in 1347 at a time when political and religious changes were affecting the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Dedicating her life to the Holy Spirit from a very young age, Catherine pursued a life of purity and simplicity that served as a background to her great literary work, The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Her work focuses on the importance of prayer and its transcendent power in human life.
" She lay awake, gazing upon the debris that cluttered their matrimonial trail. Not an image left standing along the way. Anything like flowers had long ago been drowned in the salty stream that had been pressed from her heart. Her tears, her sweat, her blood" (1675).
Madame Defarge endured a painful childhood, filled with death and despair. She lived through nobles oppressing her family, and members of her family being hurt and killed because of the Marquis St. Evrémonde, an aristocrat. A letter written by Dr. Manette during his time in jail tells the story of what happened to Madame Defarge’s family. Because of his status as a doctor, he’s brought in by the Evrémonde’s to see patients, who end up being the brother and sister of Madame Defarge. “The patient was a woman of great beauty, and young; assuredly not much past twenty. Her hair was torn and ragged, and her arms were bound to her sides with sashes and handkerchiefs. I noticed that these bonds were all portions of a gentleman’s dress. On one of them, which was a fringed scarf for a dress of ceremony, I saw the armorial bearings of a Noble, a...
During the early fifteenth century in France, we see the birth of a young peasant girl known as Joan whom became a celebrity or divine figure. Also known as “The Maid of Orleans,” the martyr of the church of France and the saint of the Roman Catholic Church, Joan of Arc, played a significant role in manifesting popular Christian piety, influencing developments with bureaucratic states, and initiating major changes with European societies during the fifteenth century through her trial with the Catholic Church known as the Trial of Joan of Arc.
Saint Catherine of Siena is the saint that I have chosen to be my saint. She was very interesting to me, and her story was very intriguing. She is the patron saint of fire prevention, bodily ills, sick people, miscarriages, nurses, and illness. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II. Her feast day is now celebrated on April 29.
Agnes (Mother Teresa) parents were Albanian. She was one out of five siblings, but only three of them survived (“Mother Teresa Bibliography”). Unfortunately for her and the family her father died when she was between the age of seven and nine years of age. By this age Agnes felt and knew that she had a great love for god. After Agnes father died she was very involved in the church. Agnes heard the calling of god about the age of twelve for her to devote her life to him (“Mother Teresa-Facts”). Since, she was too young to join the nuns so she just continued to go to church until she was of age to do so.
“Saint Joan” is filled with many religious characters but the only one who truly believes they are doing God's work is Joan. Even though there is no proof that Joan is hearing these voices...
In the short story “ A Dead Woman’s Secret by Guy de Maupassant, the basic theme is devoted to family and private relationships. The main characters in the story are Marguerite (the daughter), the judge (the son), the priest, and the deceased mother. Marguerite is a nun and she is very religious. The dead woman’s son, the Judge, handled the law as a weapon with which he smote the weak ones without pity. The story begins by telling the reader that the woman had died quietly, without pain. The author is very descriptive when explaining the woman’s appearance - “Now she was resting in her bed, lying on her back, her eyes closed, her features calm, her long white hair carefully arranged as though she had done it up ten minutes before dying. The whole pale countenance of the dead woman was so collected, so calm, so resigned that one could feel what a sweet soul had lived in that body, what a quiet existence this old soul had led, how easy and pure the death of this parent had been” (1). The children had been kneeling by their mother’s bed for awhile just admiring her. The priest had stopped by to help the children pass by the next hours of great sadness, but the children decided that they wanted to be alone as they spend the last few hours with their mother. Within in the story, the author discusses the relationship between the children’s father and their mother. The father was said to make the mother most unhappy. Great
According to Muslim tradition, which was the dominant tradition in Senegal, when Ramatoulaye?s husband, Modou, passed away, she had to mourn over her loss for three months. During this time, friends and family members gathered in her house to accompany her. One of the traditions, which she wasn?t too fond of, was having to give up her possessions and belongings as gifts to her in-laws, as well as her deceased husband?s personal secrets. This whole process was a way of giving up herself as a person. ?Beyond her possessions she gives up her ...