Saint Spotlight: St. Bernadette Soubirous
St. Bernadette Soubirous
Patroness of body illness, poverty, people ridiculed for their faith, and Lourdes, France
Feast Day – April 16
In Lourdes, France, a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844. Her father was a miller and her mother a laundress. He became sick from the dust of the flour mill and had to rely on small jobs. The loss of money forced them to live in a long-closed, unhealthy, damp prison called Le Chacot. This affected the 4’ 7” Bernadette because of her asthma.