Most Christians have some notions of the story behind the holy shrine at Lourdes, France.
And many of those impressions come from the 1943 Jennifer Jones movie, "The Song of Bernadette."
In 1858, a young girl in France has visions of the Virgin Mary at a grotto. The grotto miraculously fills with water. The water has healing powers. Soon, millions are flocking to Lourdes to be cured.
That's the movie capsule version of events. There's much more to it, of course.
And next week, Catholics around the world will be filling in the details and adding their own stories to the legacy of Lourdes. In what's being hailed as a Holy Year "Jubilee," pilgrims will arrive in France from around the world to celebrate the "message of Lourdes" from Feb. 9-20. Special events are planned throughout the week — indeed, throughout the year.
The hope is that the apparitions at Lourdes will be seen in a greater context — as part of God's overarching love of humanity, that the simple "song" of Bernadette Soubirous will turn into an international chorus of praise and peace.
"I think there's a great awareness of Mary in the Catholic Church today," says Catherine Moore, principal of Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary in Salt Lake City. "People are drawn to her nurturing motherhood. And people are more aware today of making pilgrimages where Mary has appeared."
At the Lourdes school, there will be a special Mass on Friday, Feb. 11 — the official Feast Day. Marian songs will be sung throughout the week, and readings will focus on scriptures that refer to Mary. And, of
course, students in reading classes will hear again of the miracle where Mary visits young Bernadette and gives her the messages that have become a part of Christian history.
"Last year one of our students visited Lourdes," says Moore. "She sent postcards back to the class, brought back holy water. She was thrilled."
This year, the number of visitors to Lourdes promises to set records. Holy Year pilgrimages have been slated by groups ranging from the French Railwaymen in July to a pilgrimage of Gypsies and Travelers in August. (For Jubilee details, check www.lourdes-france.com on the Internet.)
The Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times at the Grotto of Massabielle in 1858. And in the decades since, believers have wrung hundreds of lessons from each apparition.
The fact the Virgin would come to a place that locals referred to as "the pig shelter," for example, shows that God is willing to meet us where we are, in whatever condition we find ourselves.
The fact the water in the grotto was first dank and muddy, then ran clear, is a message about the cleansing power of Christ.
And the fact the Virgin told Bernadette to just speak with her and not write anything down shows that God and his saints want to have a personal relationship with us.
Bernadette was officially canonized as a saint in 1933. But it would be 10 years later, with the release of the Hollywood movie, that her story would finally find its way into hearts of people around the world.
Jennifer Jones won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the young peasant girl. And in one of those anecdotes that accompany legendary performances, the director has said he attempted to make the film as authentic as possible by holding a stick behind the camera and telling various actresses to pretend they were speaking to the Virgin Mary.
Jones got the part, he said, because she not only "looked" but actually "saw."
Today, Jones' most famous line in the movie, "I did see the Lady!" is echoed many ways by many people as they throng to the grotto to ask for help and offer thanks.