What on earth was going on in the small town of Lourdes, France, in February 1858? BELIEVE ME, BRIGADIER, IT WON’T LAST! IT'S MUCH WORSE, COMMISSIONER JACOMET!
SOON EVERYONE WILL BE LAUGHING AT THE VILLAGE OF LOURDES!
THEY ALREADY ARE!
I GO AWAY FOR JUST ONE WEEK, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS!
In a small, rocky grotto near the Gave River, a fourteen-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous had seen a beautiful young woman surrounded by light. Bernadette promised the lady to return each day for fifteen days. Mobs of people were gathering near the river, praying and waiting.The authorities were furious, the priests disbelieving. “I am the Immaculate Conception,” the lady told the simple peasant girl. What could it mean? Using historical records and beautiful artwork, this graphic novel tells the exciting story of Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.
$8.95 U.S.
www.JClubCatholic.org
BELIEVE ME, BRIGADIER, IT WON’T LAST!
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
IT'S Much WORSE, COMMISSIONER JACOMET!
SOON EVERYONE WILL BE LAUGHING AT THE VILLAGE OF LOURDES!
THEY ALREADY ARE!
I GO AWAY FOR JUST ONE WEEK, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS!
WE’RE NOT LIVING IN THE MIDDLE AGES! AREN’T WE IN 1858, BRIGADIER? AREN’T WE?
SO EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT’S GOING ON IN LOURDES, AN INSIGNIFICANT TOWN OF 3,000 PEOPLE!
AND RECITING PRAYERS FOR HOURS ON END?
WHY ARE PEOPLE RUSHING BY THE HUNDREDS TO THIS ISOLATED GROTTO, FOLLOWING A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL?
AND YOU TELL ME THE SOUBIROUS GIRL IS AT THE BOTTOM OF ALL THIS? WAIT, BRIGADIER . . . IS SHE THE DAUGHTER OF THAT MAN WHO SPENT EIGHT DAYS IN PRISON LAST WINTER?
AHA! TIMBER? THEN HE’S A THIEF!
BAH, THE POOR MILLER WAS UNEMPLOYED. HIS FAMILY WAS HUNGRY. HE WAS SUSPECTED OF STEALING TWO SACKS OF FLOUR.
HE’S NOT A THIEF. THE TIMBER HAD BEEN ABANDONED ALONG THE ROAD. SO THE PROSECUTOR ORDERED HIM RELEASED.
WELL . . .
HE WAS INNOCENT. BUT WHEN HIS HOUSE WAS SEARCHED, THEY FOUND SOME TIMBER.
TOMORROW I’LL QUESTION THE GIRL. WHAT’S WRONG?
HERE WE ARE!
EIGHT DAYS IN PRISON! FOR NOTHING! IT’S HARD TO BE POOR . . .
TOMORROW? BUT IT’S SUNDAY!
THIS IS URGENT, BRIGADIER!
SUNDAY, FEB. 21 . . . GOOD GRIEF! WHAT I DON’T GO THROUGH FOR THE EMPEROR!
INCREDIBLE! THE SUN HASN’T EVEN RISEN YET, AND THEY’RE WILLING TO STAND AROUND IN THE COLD ON A SUNDAY MORNING. THE POLICE SAY THERE ARE AT LEAST 150 PEOPLE! HOW MANY ACCORDING TO THE ORGANIZERS?
BUT . . . BUT WHO ARE THE ORGANIZERS?
SHE’S LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GROTTO, BUT THERE’S NOTHING THERE, EXCEPT A LEAFLESS BUSH…
I JUST NEED TO FIND THE LEADERS. THAT WILL END ALL THIS NONSENSE!
AH! SOMEONE IS APPROACHING HER! COULD IT BE THE PERSON WHO MASTERMINDED THIS? LET’S SEE!
THERE! THE GIRL SEEMS NO OLDER THAN ELEVEN! HOW COULD SHE HAVE STAGED ALL THIS BY HERSELF?
WHO IS IT? DR. DOZOUS! WHAT? HE’S REACHING FOR HER HAND, HER ARM? OH! HE’S TAKING HER PULSE.
WELL, I DIDN’T SEE FR. PEYRAMALE, THE PASTOR, AT THE GROTTO. BUT HE MAY BE BEHIND ALL THIS.
THE SUN IS RISING . . . I’VE SEEN ENOUGH. I DON’T WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED!
HE MUST BE TRYING TO PROFIT FROM IT! TELL ME, FATHER, WHICH OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ORGANIZED THE PRAYERS AT THE GROTTO? THERE WERE AT LEAST 150 PEOPLE THERE AT DAWN.
COMMISSIONER! YOU’VE RETURNED!
THE VILLAGERS ARE CERTAINLY RELIGIOUS!
THAT’S NOT IT!
AH, THE PASTOR! YOU’RE JUST THE ONE I WANT TO SEE!
COME HERE!
I DON’T UNDERSTAND! EVERYBODY IS AT THE GROTTO PRAYING. AREN’T YOU HAPPY ABOUT THAT?
IT’S A DISASTER!
WHAT??
BUT . . . IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF NOTHING!
. . . IT’S A REAL PROBLEM. AND IT MUST BE HANDLED CAREFULLY . . .
LET ME SUM IT UP: FOR TEN DAYS, THAT YOUNG GIRL HAS PRETENDED TO SEE “THE HOLY VIRGIN.”
SHE HASN’T SAID THAT IT’S THE BLESSED VIRGIN. SHE SAID IT’S A YOUNG WOMAN, A LADY IN WHITE . . .
YES . . . BUT . . . NO . . .
WELL? YES OR NO?
PLEASE, SPEAK MORE SOFTLY.
“THAT ONE”?
FROM THE BEGINNING, SHE’S SIMPLY CALLED HER “THAT ONE.”
SHE DOESN’T . . .
NOT A WORD!
SHE DOESN’T SPEAK FRENCH?
APPARITIONS? REALLY?
YES. CATHOLICS DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN THEM, BUT THE CHURCH RECOGNIZES THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNS FROM HEAVEN.
BUT THEN, WHO’S CLAIMING THE LADY IS THE BLESSED VIRGIN?
OH? AND HOW DOES THE CHURCH KNOW?
YES, “AQUERO” IN THE LOCAL DIALECT, THE ONLY LANGUAGE SHE SPEAKS.
THE PEOPLE . . . JUST AS THEY DID AT LA SALETTE, WHERE APPARITIONS TOOK PLACE ONLY 12 YEARS AGO, AND AT PARIS, MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO . . .
BUT I’M THE ONE INVESTIGATING WHAT’S GOING ON NOW. HAVE YOU YOURSELF SEEN ANYTHING AT THE GROTTO? I CAN’T RISK THAT! I HAVEN’T GONE! THE ARCHBISHOP OF PARIS HAS ALLOWED A SMALL MEDAL TO BE STRUCK THAT SHOWS THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. IT’S BEEN A MEANS THROUGH WHICH GOD HAS WORKED MANY HEALINGS. PEOPLE CALL IT THE “MIRACULOUS MEDAL.” THE CHURCH INVESTIGATES THESE THINGS VERY CAREFULLY AND . . .
BUT HE’S THE ONE WHO’LL PROFIT FROM THESE SO-CALLED APPARITIONS . . . PRAYERS, CROWDS, DEVOTIONS . . .
THIS IS REAL TROUBLE!!
FR. PEYRAMALE DOES SEEM SINCERE . . .
WHAT IS THIS VISION? WHAT’S BRINGING MORE THAN 150 PEOPLE, AT NIGHT, IN THE FREEZING COLD, TO PRAY BEFORE A BARREN GROTTO?
AT A PLACE WHERE PIGS ARE HERDED! AND WHAT ABOUT THESE “HEALINGS”? BAH! THIS IS THE 19TH CENTURY!
THE GIRL IS A NOBODY. BUT WHO COULD BE ORGANIZING THIS?
THERE’S NOTHING THERE. NO HIDDEN DEVICES, NO TRICKERY . . .
WHAT ABOUT LAST MONTH WHEN THAT ITALIAN MADMAN TRIED TO KILL EMPEROR NAPOLEON III?. . HIS BOMB KILLED EIGHT PEOPLE . . .
AND WOUNDED 143! THE TRIAL BEGINS IN THREE DAYS . . . CAN THERE BE A CONNECTION?
ARE BOMBS HIDDEN HERE?
WHO’S THIS? IT’S YOUNG JEANNE ABADIE!
NO BOMBS SO FAR . . . BUT IT’S CERTAINLY SOME SORT OF TRICK! WE MUST BE VIGILANT . . .
SO, JEANNE, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THIS PLOT?
WE’RE JUST LOOKING FOR WOOD!
HAH! ALWAYS FOR WOOD! TELL ME, JEANNE, WHAT HAPPENED THAT FIRST TIME YOU WERE WITH BERNADETTE?
I SAW NOTHING. NOT ME!
TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!
HMMM! IF I QUESTION THEM HERE, I DON’T NEED THEIR PARENTS’ PERMISSION. I’LL GET MORE OUT OF THEM!
“THERE WAS NONE NEAR THE CEMETERY, SO WE WENT TOWARD THE GAVE RIVER. WE PASSED THE SAVY MILL.”
THE THURSDAY BEFORE LENT . . .
FEBRUARY 11?
YES. AROUND NOON, I WENT LOOKING FOR WOOD WITH THE SOUBIROUS SISTERS . . .
“WE HEADED TO WHERE THE MILLSTREAM EMPTIES INTO THE RIVER. THERE’S A GROTTO.”
IT’S COLD!
YIKES!
DON’T TOUCH THAT WOOD!
MY STOCKINGS . . .
I DON’T LIKE THIS PLACE!
LOOK AT ALL THE WOOD!
SHE NEEDS TO HELP US.
WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?!
COME OVER LIKE WE DID!
HELP ME PILE ROCKS IN THE WATER, SO I CAN CROSS!
LOOK AT YOUR SISTER!
ARE YOU COMING?
SHE’S FOOLISH TO PRAY THERE! SHE PRAYS ENOUGH AT CHURCH!
“BERNADETTE LOOKED AT US, BUT DIDN’T ANSWER.”