OUR LADY OF PELLEVOISIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 29, 13 November 1885, Page 7

OUR LADY OF PELLEVOISIN.

"The glories of Mary can never be made known sufficiently. God has willed to do all for vis by Mary." — St Bernard. Estelle Fagdette, lady's maid to the Countess Arthur de Larochefoucauld, fell dangeioußly ill in Paiis, towards the end of May, 1875. She was then thirty-two years of age : and was compelled to leave ber situation. Her mistress obtained tor her on the Ist June, admission into an hospital, under the care of the Augustinian Nuns of the Rue Oudinot, where she could be treated for the inward disease from which Bhe suffered. Towards the close of the month of July her masters had her brought back to their country residence, the Chateau de Poiriers, near I'ellevoisin (Indre"), in the diocese of Bourges, where they also were returning. Estelle was then extremely ill! Dr. B — , who had previously attended her for several years, declared in the month of August, " that besides the in'ernai complaint fiom which she whs buffering, she had also contracted lung disease "; adding, to Madame de Larochefoucauld, : " Henceforth this poor giil will be totally unfit for service. She will die slowly." He then 'wrote a prescription, and giving it to her, said : "But yon must not forget that it is a case of consumption."

To all appearances, indeed the sick girl was '• dying slowly." as the doctor had predicted. In September, having commenced "alone several novenas, she made, as she called it, " her will." A small grotto, in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, had been constructed in the grounds of the chateau. Estelle, therefore, wrote a letter to our Blessed Lady ; but as she was unable to bring it herself to the grotto she begged of Mile. Reiter to deposit it for her at the feet of Mary,' hiding it well under the stones. Later on we shall sej what became of this letter.

On the 18th December, after a sever o crisis in her illness, during which Estelle was again declared past all hope of recovery by the doctor of the district, who had also known her for several years, she received the last sacraments with the greatest resignation. Her masters being obliged to go to Paris at the end of January,' 1876, had Estelle now removed, with tender care, on a mild day, to" a house which belonged to them at Pellevoisin, and where they had arrange 1 ior her parems to come and give her every care. On the Bth February, another attack followed, and on the 10th she could not possibly be much worse. In all haste, another physician. Dr. H , was summoned ; but when he saw her, he said that she bad but a' fewhours to live. As they told him that she could not take any medicine without immediately rejecting it, he replied " that it was usele<s to torture her duiing the short time she had yet to live." Ef-telle suffered fearfully ; but knowing her condition, she was perfectly resigned to her fate.

On Sunday evening, the 13th February, she begged of the parish priest of Pellevoisin to write to Madame de Laruchefoucauld to ask her to burn a taper for her intention before the shrine of Our Lady of Victories, and another one before that of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the Church of the Gesu. These candles were lighted at the shrines of Mary next day, which was Monday. On Tuesday morniDg, Estelle told the parish priest that during the night she had seen the Blessed Virgin, and that she would be either dead or cured on the following Saturday. The piiest spoke a few kind words to Estelle, but he believed that she was uuder a pious delusion. The next day, she related that she had agiin seen our Blessed Lady, who had announced to her her cure for the coming Saturday. "Yesterday," replied the priest, "'you told me that yon would be either dead or cured on Saturday ; to-day you say you will be cured ; what will you tell me on|to-morrow 1 ' Estelle knew from his words that the priest did not believe her, and she remaiked it to him. On Thursday, she again predicted her cure for Saturday, but this timu with such precise details, together with such wonderful revelations concerning circumstances relai ing to herself alone, but which, nevertheless, were already known to the pripst, that he seemed lost in astotr'shment, and then would no longer congent to remain the only depositary of this prediction. He persuaded the dying girl to relate all that she had seen and heard to several prudent persons. This Estelle did through obedience. On Friday night, at ten o'clock, Estelle seemed to enter her death-agony. Her weakness and her sufferings were excessive. She could no longer expectorate, and consequently was smothering. The priest recommended her to receive, once again, the Sacrament of Penance ; she had already done so ten days previously. Estelle very decidedly replied that she preferred to defer her confession till the following day, as she would then be cured. The priest left, visibly anxious about her, hut as bis residence was close by, he made the mother of Estelle promise him that if the slightest change in her condition should take place he should be insiantly recalled. He returned next morning, at half-past six o'clock, to hear her confession. Estelle told him that she felt as if she had been cured, but that she could not possibly move her right arm, of which she had lost the use for the past five or six days, it having become excessively swollen and completely numb. Estelle then related the vision, which will find its place in this account of her cure ; and the priest left her to offer the Holy Sacrifice, promising to return with Holy Communion at half-past seven o'clock. As being unable to make the sign of the cross with the right hand, Estelle bnd mide it with h<T left the priest said to hpr, before leaving the room : '• I he Blessed Virgin is all good and all merciful. If she wishes, she can indeed cure you ; but to prove to us that all you have said is not an illusion, as soon as you thill have received Holy Communion, you will try to' make the sign of the cross with your right hanl, and if you do it well, it will be a proof tha f the Blesed Virgin indeed wishes to cure you." He returned at the appointed hour, find gave Estelle Holy (Jommunioo. There were seven or eight pers 'tis present at the time. As soon as she had received the Sacied Host, the priest knelt for a moment; then rising, he approached her b 'd, and with a voice trembling vrith emotion, encourased her. "My poor Estpllo," he said, •■ you bave shown courage and resignation ; have now full confideace in the Blessed Virgin ; and to convince us that all you have related is not an illusion, make the si^n of the cross with your right hand." Instantly, Estelle raised her right hand, and before all present, made perfectly the sign of the cross. " Begin again,'' said the priest, his vi ice betraying his agitation and again she obeyed, making a great sign of tup eros», and siyi'ig • " I am cured, I fee! indeed that ]am cured." A low murmur of admiration pa3=ed through th" 1 room, and a smile of joy lighted the face of each person— the first sunbeam, ■vve may call i\ seen in that room of death fir at least a month. Each one left it now, acknowl"dgincc with the prophet, that that day ht3 had seen wonders. It was Satnrlay, the li)rh February, at about eight o'clock in the morning. The sim" day, Estelle got up and dressed herself without as'-istauc?, before several persons ; she spoke to all, and eat several m>'als. A tumour from which she had soft red orelp\ ri n years on her lefr «ml»>, wis now c nnpletHy gone. It bad grratly increased in size during her illness ; and h.td been rubbed with an ointment prepaid for it. by each of the devoted nurses who had attended Estelle. during the last twelve days. The doctor who had last seen Estelle was now =ont for. but he could not come to her till the 7th March. He appearsd thunderstruck, but did not hesitate to decHro hor cure a perfect one ; and also that her marvellous recovery could not be the resul 1 of natural agencies. On being apprised of it, Dr. B — also wrote : That their <vas in this cure, together with the symptoms he bad noted during the illness, something sufficiently extraordinary to upset all medical previsions, and that the whole case was one that should be considered a quite exceptional one."

Since the day of h<T miraculous cure, Estelle has not had the slightest relapse, or any other indisposition ; on the contrary, she has enjoyed much better health than ever before it. The npxt daY she began, through obedience, to wiite the recital we now publish. Her writing was firm, find comparing it with that of the letter penned in the month of December, no difference can be remarked, excepting that in the latter the clear bold characters reveal her renewed energy, Many na<>ru details might be add<>d to those now given to the public, which would also be considered important and edify ine, but they are not mdispensibly necessary in a sketch so short as this. All, however, may bereafler be published, if required, for the glory of Vary All-merciful.

(To he Cantiniu-d.)