It was quite unnerving yet peaceful at the same time, she seems so tiny in the glass coffin. Has anyone else seen her body which has remained preserved since her death?
Trang Pak is a grotsky, little byotch
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Annaeliese,
I have not had the opportunity to see St. Bernadette myself. I have only seen photographs. However, I can only assume that your experience was truly spiritual. You described it as "peaceful." Although I have not visited Nevers, I think I understand what you mean when you say peaceful. I have had the opportunity to visit Knock, Ireland, where, in 1879, the Virgin Mary appeared to a small group of villagers. If the peace I felt in the chapel at the appartition site was anything like what you felt at Nevers, I fully understand.
I understand that not everyone shares the same beliefs, however, I would hope that people would have simple, common, good manners. It is a shame that, on a thread about THE SONG OF BERNADETTE that your comments on Bernadette, the Saint, should be hi-jacked for cheap jokes and personal glorification. (No doubt I will be next.) I wanted to respond to your post with interest, respect, and envy. I hope I have done so, and will be happy to continue a conversation if you wish. I would like to know more about your visit to Nevers.
I remember a quote by Eleaonor Roosevelt that I have always liked and have given to my high school students. I don't have the quote at hand, but to paraphrase it, she said: Those who are beneath me cannot insult me. Those who are my equals wouldn't try.
Spin
Great quote!
shareLjspin, are you Irish? I am as well!
sharePjglynndoora,
I am a bizarre mixture of cultures! On my mother's side I am Polish and Croatian. On my father's, I have German ancestors, some who may have been German Jews who converted to Catholicism. And, yes, on my father's side, I am also Irish. (The Germans married the Irish.) Sometimes I think that bit of Irishness takes over.
I have been to Ireland three times, and visited Knock on my second trip. On the third trip I traveled to the far north-west of Ireland to the village of Ballycastle in County Mayo. My great-great grandfather came from Ballycastle. I was the first of his descendants to return. The people of Ballycastle were so welcoming, and they gave up their own time to take me out to the ruins of the schoolhouse where my great-great-grandfather's brother taught school, giving me a piece of stone from the schoolhouse wall as a souvenier. (I, too, am a schoolteacher.) They also showed me the ruins of the cottage that may very well have been the birthplace of John Corcoran, my great-great-grandfather. I don't know when, but I will return to Ireland.
As I said, sometimes I think that Corcoran blood takes over in me!
Spin
Did you know her face is covered with a wax mask as well as her hands? The public can't actually see any flesh of hers at all. It is all covered in clothes or wax.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Soubirous
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In reply to another poster:
I know that St. Bernadette's hands and face are cover with a thin coating of wax, but that is to protect her body and keep her features from discoloring.
The fact is that her body was never embalmed, and yet, over 100 years since her death, her body shows no sign of decay. Nor are there any signs that her body is a mummy.
Can I explain this, no. Do I think it is miraculous? Ah, yeah!
Spin
A partially decomposed corpse is a miracle? I'd say that discoloured and eroded skin and sunken eyes and nose are "signs of decay" and this is supported by the decision to apply a wax cast to it. Do miracles typically require this sort of helping hand? Why not allow her body to remain 'immaculate' from the moment of death? That would make a more convincing case, surely.
I don't know whether the cadaver's been tested since the 1925 exhumation for your words of, "over 100 years since her death..." to have any foundation, but the 1919 one ("The body is practically mummified") certainly refutes your claim of there being no signs of mummification.
Can you explain it? No. Have you tried? No.
~.~
I WANT THE TRUTH! http://www.imdb.com/list/ze4EduNaQ-s/
Assetsonfire- you need to read about why there is a wax coating before making such a ridiculous statement.
sharehere is a quote from the dr,(it was REALLY unusual that her liver was still soft 45 years later)
"What struck me during this examination, of course, was the state of perfect preservation of the skeleton, the fibrous tissues of the muscles (still supple and firm), of the ligaments, and of the skin, and above all the totally unexpected state of the liver after 46 years. One would have thought that this organ, which is basically soft and inclined to crumble, would have decomposed very rapidly or would have hardened to a chalky consistency. Yet, when it was cut it was soft and almost normal in consistency. I pointed this out to those present, remarking that this did not seem to be a natural phenomenon."
Did she look like Jennifer Jones?
shareMovie girl: THat is amazing!
shareI don't think she did
shareOnly in pictures and it is amazing. I get chills when I see it.
shareMovie girl: I think I had the wrong one. Sorry! The girl in Song of Bernadette may have lived to be 80 something, but Lucia from the Fatima movie was very ill
and died at age 37. So sorry about that! An amazing thing! I guess I was always impressed about both stories. When I was 12 I first saw the Fatima movie. My sister and I watched it the night of the JFK assassination. After seeing all the sad footage, we decided to watch the film and was really impressed by it.
Many years later - In fact, it may have been about 20 years ago I taped the film on VHS and now have it on DVD - The Song of Bernadette. I had never seen it before I think. Anyway, this one impressed me as well. I was very touched by the heavenly music in the film.
Sorry About my mistake! The funny thing is that in Unsolved Mysteries I am almost sure it was about the Fatima film. In that case, there is a discrepancy there. I will research it and find out. THanks again!
Yeah it get confusing!!! I think there are 3 of us who are intertwining several people! OK, here it is.....
First of all, Bernadette died at 35 and was very ill. She is the one where she is forever young.
The 3 children of Fatima.....
1- Lucia - still alive and in her 90's....waiting to see Francisco and Jacinto when she passes.
2- Francisco, the little boy, died very young, at 10, almost made it to 11.
3- Jacinto, the little girl, died at 9, almost made it to 10. She was also very ill.
OK there ya have it!!! Lots of Catholic School training!!! LOL
Movie girl: Don't want to make it more confusing! Yes, that is the one
I recall! Lucia, Francisco and Jacinto! So that would dove-tail with what
I just saw on Unsolved Mysteries with my daughter/She was still alive in the
segment and smiling at the children at the convent. But if it happened in 1910, would she still be alive? THe segment on Unsolved is about 20 years old, I think! But anyway, we are closer to figuring it out. THanks for bearing with me!
Ya, I know what you mean! Catholic School training! Lol.
So that means that the other girl Bernadette died very young. Now in the movie, Song of Bernadette she was scrubbing floors at the convent, though her knees were very sore! I think she had dangerous tumors and pain, but never complained!
The nun who had suspected her of making up the Vision at the Grotto (played beautifully by Gladys Cooper) had felt so guilty when she saw that the girl was very ill! She said she was sorry to have suspected her and she said, "I never wanted you to believe me, Sister". What a statement! Talk about irony in a convent! But very tragic!
So she died at 37! So very sad!
Thanks for the clues!
I was just told that Lucia did die in 2005 at 97. So Sorry! The article I read must have been old. :(
And you are correct about Bernadette, she did have a large tumor on her knee/leg. Very painful and Gladys Cooper is just a great actress! I saw her in Now Voyager and she played the same type of horrible person!!!! She usually does! But in Mrs. Parkinson, she is not the same type. I have not seen that movie but she is supposed to be a fun and wild party girl! I just have to see it!
Thanks for the reply! Its good to discuss these things with another Catholic School Survivor!!! LOL
Movie girl: Your welcome! I too was glad to see your reply.
That was an old Unsolved Mysteries segment With Lucia as an 87 year old nun. My youngest, a daughter of 24 likes to watch the original Mystery segments with Robert Stack. Some of the stories are from the 80's and early 90's. In the re-enactment it showed a very pleasant = and pretty nun waving good-bye to a group of children. She was 87. I don't know if that was really Lucia or someone else in the segment which I am guessing was filmed in '95.
I like Gladys Cooper very much too! She was great in Now Voyager as Charlotte Vail's mean mother. But in the other movie with Greer Garson = was that Mrs. Parkinson or Parkington? I may have seen it a long time ago. I am trying to remember. Anyway, I have seen her in things where she was younger and her husband acted in some of them too. (Philip Merrivale). She looked aristocratic and usually got older parts. I'll see if I can find out where we can get that one! She was good in a segment of One Step Beyond where she and her husband signed up for a cruise ship. All of the other passengers were in their 70's or 80's, except one couple. It seems the cruise ship never reaches port - so no one disembarks! I really liked that show too.
I remembered about Bernadette being from the 19th century? How could she scrub the floors of the convent with painful tumors on her knees! Thanks for your help too! In my next post I will try to find out about the other movie.
A funny thing is, I happened to post a note about the beautiful and heavenly music in the Bernadette movie. I was really touched by it. So that was how I started the post, but afraid I got a little confused by the similarities in the two films. They both had a miracle. Lucia's experience was in the grotto in Portugal and Bernadette in Lourdes, France.
I hope you had a good Labor Day. I hope to have a healing on my posture. I was born with Scoliosis and was diagnosed at the age of 8 when my mom (who was a really good grade school teacher) noticed my spine was crooked one day while zipping up my dress for school. Well we had X-rays I remember and then I came back in the early 60's at the age of 12 for more. My spine was worse and the doctor wanted me to go to a specialist, but Mom said we couldn't afford it. Dad was a part-time carpenter, so the insurance was mom's. Well, we never went to an Orthopedist, But I just tolerated my spine. Well, my male peers really hurt me calling me hunchback. Two of them would not leave me alone, but could not tell Mom. She would think I caused it!To make a long story short. it collapsed 7 years ago and I had emergency surgery. I tried not to think about my awful spine and over the years I tooled along through strict schooling (LOL!).
I am lucky my hubby does so much and our youngest, our daughter spends time with me. I have always loved old movies since I was a kid and watched many on TV with my big sister. Thanks for being so nice! I actually saw the Fatima film that fall when I was 12. When I was home intermittently we got caught up with our wonderul old movies which were a great comfort.======= We School Survivors stick together! (LOL) WIll post next time about the other Gladys film!
Hi! Ya, I like Unsolved Mysteries too! I guess I was about 10 years late on the update of Lucia! As for Gladys Coop, she is great! And the One Step Beyond sounds really cool!
And ya, poor Bernadette, doing all that work and in pain and not complaining. And as for the music, you are right on the mark! I love the musical score in that movie! I have heard it described as "perfect", and I agree! Just perfect.
I am sad to hear about your scoliosis. I hope you are doing better. Kids at school can be so cruel its just unthinkable.
But it sounds like you have a nice husband and family! I am glad they are there for you and ya, movies are the best medicine! I have loved them as long as I can remember!!!! I think I was about 12 when I saw the Fatima film! I believe you can rent it on IMDb on DVD.
and yes, fellow Survivor.....I will look for the email of your post of the other Gladys Cooper film!
Have a great day! (My Labor Day was good, but I had to labor!!! LOL)
Movie girl: I have not, but an interesting event shown on TV on Unsolved Mysteries features her as an older nun (nearly 87) smiling and waving at a group of children. I was really struck by her lovely smile. This segment featured the Fatima event.
shareEh? She died at age 35..?!
shareYeah it get confusing!!! I think there are 3 of us who are intertwining several people! OK, here it is.....
First of all, Bernadette died at 35 and was very ill. She is the one where she is forever young.
The 3 children of Fatima.....
1- Lucia - still alive and in her 90's....waiting to see Francisco and Jacinto when she passes.
2- Francisco, the little boy, died very young, at 10, almost made it to 11.
3- Jacinto, the little girl, died at 9, almost made it to 10. She was also very ill.
OK there ya have it!!! Lots of Catholic School training!!! LOL