St Bernadette

Bernadette, mom, dad, sister, Mary, crowd, sick, nuns

(Enter Bernadette, mom, dad, sister)

There once was a young girl named Bernadette.  Bernadette lived with he mom, her dad, and her sister, and the rest of her family.  They were very poor, and they lived in a single room basement.  In fact the room had previously been a jail!  Because of this, her dad would say "We live in a dungeon."

When Bernadette was very young, she got sick, and after that she always had Asthma, and would have trouble breathing.

One day Bernadette's Mom said "It's cold.  Girls, go get some firewood!"

So Bernadette and her sister joined hands and skipped off to find wood.

(Exit mom and dad.)

When they got to a river, her sister quickly ran across the river, shrieking about how cold the water was.   But Bernadette said "Wait, I have asthma!  The waters too cold! I can't cross!"

While Bernadette was taking off her socks, suddenly there shone a bright light.  When she looked up, she saw Mary!  Of course she didn't know yet that it was Mary, and said "What a beautiful shining woman!"

Mary said  "hi".

Bernadette said "Hi.  Who are you?"

Mary said "I am the immaculate conception."

Bernadette said "I have no idea what that means!"  Then she ran across the river to tell her sisters, but she did not even find the water to be cold!

(Exit Mary, Enter crowd)

Bernadette continued to see the beautiful lady every day.  Soon a crowd came to see what was happening.  But no one else could see Mary!  Some people said "She must be stupid."  Others said "She's crazy!"  Others said "It's a miracle!"  Bernadette would just kneel very still.  Even when the candle she was holding burned down to her hands, she kept kneeling and did not react!

But then Bernadette started kissing the ground, and eating the grass, and washing her face with the mud. The audience laughed, pointing at her and saying "She's off her rocker!" and "She's not dealing with a full deck." and "She's not quite the full shilling!"

Her mom said angrily "What are you doing?"

Bernadette said "Mary told me to drink from this spring!"

Her mom said "There is no spring here-  let's go home!"

And she dragged Bernadette away.

But then suddenly water bubbled up from underground, and everyone gasped as they saw the spring!

Everyone started singing Alleluia.

(everyone but Bernadette leave. Nuns and sick enter)

Bernadette became a nun, and learned to fold her hands and walk like a nun, and took care of sick people.  Eventually she got tuberculosis, which caused her great pain in her knee.  But even in pain, she continued to serve joyfully.  She died when she was only 35 years old.

St Bernadette-  pray for us!

Post Script;
Eventually a little pool was made with the spring water, and a church built.
Bernadette's body was buried, but when it was dug up years later, it was found to be intact!