Today is the feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous. I am reminded by her feast of a post I wrote some time ago about “incorruptibles”, saints whose bodies do not decay in the normal course of such things. HERE
According to the CDF document Cum sanctissima, one could celebrate her feast using the Traditional Latin Mass. In the older, traditional calendar today is IV class.
If you are looking for something to do tonight, you might consider watching the classic movie Song of Bernadette.
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since Sat., 25 Nov. 2006:
My middlename id Bernadette. she is one of my special saints
I am always puzzled why people make this “incorruptible” claim, other than they don’t realize St Bernadette’s mummified remains are covered by a beautiful wax mask. If people know and they still say her remains are “incorrupt” honestly I am a little scandalized. I don’t see anything supernatural about the matter. There is information here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/body-of-st-bernadette-of-lourdes-5236
Given the fact that she was not embalmed and was in a damp tomb in wet conditions, also that she was exhumed and washed, which was apparently not the best way to preserve a body, her condition sounds if not miraculous, much better than one might predict. We watched the film last night, and were just as moved by it as ever. St. Bernadette, pray for us.
@Elizabeth D – the link you provide gives ample examples of how her body remained remarkably intact through extremely unfavorable conditions. I don’t think it proves whatever it is you think it proves. While I personally do not care for the waxed facsimiles, I’m not in charge, don’t make those kinds of decisions, and am patient with those who believed the aesthetics of a wax mask would be more conducive to inspiring devotion amongst pilgrims. I don’t think there is any clear case of deceptions as the facts involving St. Bernadette’s body are widely available to the public, just as in the link you provided.
My question is – why does St. Bernadette have two fest days? I know that this recent one corresponds with her death, and I assume the one in February was tied to the octave of the vision at Lourdes, but why didn’t the Church down select to one or the other? Is it a common practice to maintain multiple feast days for a saint, perhaps in different locations? I mean apart, of course, from the great saints like St. Joseph and Our Lady and such who have multiple feast days celebrating different aspects of their character or ministry. I could just be ignorant of the other examples, but it struck me this year that I wasn’t aware of any other “normal” saint who had two different feast days that were still being recognized.
WVC
The feast of 11th February is not a feast day of St.. Bernadette, but another day of Our Lady whom you mention has many feast days during the year. Without Bernadette, Our Lady would not have been able to impart her message, therefore St. Bernadette is a conduit of that message, Penance, Penance, Penance.
@Littlemore – I was referring to 18 Feb.
@WVC – St. Bernadette actually only has one feast in the new calendar and one feast in the old. Why it was moved I have no clue. As she is my patron saint I take advantage of the “dual” dates to celebrate it on one day or the other depending on if the traditional date falls on a Friday.
WVC: please note the Saint John the Baptist has two feast days: his birthday and the day he died as a martyr.
@acardnal – thanks for reminding me. I consider St. John the Baptist in the upper tier of the saints – if one’s name gets mentioned during the Confiteor, one is definitely in the highest rank. St. Bernadette just seemed odd because she seemed like one of the only lower tier saints to have 2 days.
@ Discipula – my confusion stems from my little Tan Catholic Books “Life of Christ” calendar. They always list the New, Traditional, and Historical feasts for each day, and for both 18 Feb and 16 Apr it says that St. Bernadette is “Trad. some places”
One of my daughters was born on 18 Feb, so we added Bernadette as a middle name (we couldn’t just replace it as we had already made obligations with 2 other saints, but an extra middle name is no burden, I figured).