13th February : Our Lady Of Pellevoisin
13th February
Our Lady Of Pellevoisin
Country : France
Year : 1876
Pellevoisin is a little village not far from Tours in France. In 1876, a young woman, Estelle Faguette, lay dying from tuberculosis—only five hours to live in the opinion of the doctors. But on the 13th of February, when all were expecting her death, Our Lady appeared near the sickbed. This occurred on three successive nights, and then, as Our Lady had promised, the sick woman was instantly cured on a Saturday.
During the visits, Our Lady frequently spoke to Estelle, her theme being that which she so often has expressed during the past hundred years: “I am all-merciful and have power over my Son. What distresses me most is the lack of respect for my Son. Publish my glory.”
During one of these apparitions, Our Lady, taking her white scapular in her hand, held it before Estelle saying, “I love this devotion”. Immediately Estelle knew that her life’s work was to propagate devotion to the Sacred Heart by means of a scapular modeled on Mary’s. On her last appearance, December 8th, Our Lady commanded Estelle to approach her Bishop and give him a copy of the new scapular. “Tell him to help you with all his power, and that nothing would be more agreeable to me than to see this badge on each one of my children, in reparation for the outrages which my Son suffers in the Sacrament of His love. See, the graces I pour upon those who wear it with confidence, and who help to make it known.
The Prelate in question, the Archbishop of Bourges, gave Estelle a favorable hearing and immediately set up a commission to investigate the whole matter. The result of all this was the establishment at Pellevoisin in 1896 of an Archconfraternity under the title of Mother of Mercy, Our Lady of Pellevoisin. The membership of this Confraternity has gone on increasing year after year, while Pellevoisin itself has become a center of pilgrimages for thousands of Mary’s friends.
Estelle lived her quiet peaceful life at Pellevoisin, neither desiring nor receiving any personal credit. She died in 1929.
