Mrs Marie BIRE LUCAS
Born on 8.10.1866 in Vendee (France)
Cured on 5.8.1908, in her 42nd. year. Miracle on 30.7.1910, by Mgr Clovis
Joseph Catteau, Bishop of Lucon.
Suddenly on 14.2.1908, Mrs BIRE showed some alarming signs: vomiting of
blood and incipient gangrene of her left forearm and hand, with
excruciating pain.
Three or four days afterwards, whereas the circulation in her arm had
returned to normal, other signs appeared: those of an intracranial
hypertension. Shortly after, she became comatose.
On coming out of it on the 25th. February, she discovered she was blind!
Her doctor called it "blindness from bilateral optic atrophy" due to the
cerebral incidents.
On the 5th. August 1908, after attending Mass at the Grotto, quite suddenly
her sight returned.
Examined by an oculist the same day at the M.B.V., it had to be admitted
that although she still showed signs of "retinal pallor of cerebral origin"
more marked on the right than on the left, she could read "the smallest
print in a newspaper" (Dr. Lainey of Rouen).
To summarize, anatomical signs persisted, consistent with a total loss of
vision. Nevertheless, vision had been restored!
In September 1908, several weeks later, three ophthalmologists made another
detailed examination, and noted: .. evidence of optic atrophy no longer
present, and the cure is complete,..
She was examined again in the following year by other doctors. In the
absence of any lesions, her cure was recognised as complete and lasting.
On 30.7.1910, Mgr C. Catteau, in his turn, acknowledging this sudden and
radical cure, proposed that it be considered as miraculous.
(This cure has been the subject of particular attention by dozens of
specialists since 1908. In every case it has been recognized as absolutely
inexplicable).
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Aimee ALLOPE
Born in1872
Lived in Vern, near to Angers. Cured on 28.5.1909, in her 38th. year.
Miracle on 5.8.1910, by Mgr Joseph Rumeau, Bishop of Angers.
Miss ALLOPE had been ill for a long time when she went to Lourdes.
The removal of a kidney in 1898, when she was 26 years old, was followed
several years later by two other operations for tuberculous lesions on her
right flank, which led to fistulae forming.
A few days before she arrived in Lourdes, it was confirmed again that she
had "four enormous abscesses from which pus ran freely and showed no sign
at all of healing; she was in a deplorable state, weighing only 44 kg".
The first days of her pilgrimage passed without any improvement. Moreover
the suppuration was so profuse that it was essential to change the
dressings twice a day.
But on the 28th. of May, after receiving Holy Communion at the Grotto, her
suffering ceased, the wounds closed, her appetite returned, and she could
live normally.
She was cured!
At the M.B.V. the next day, it was verified that the induration had
disappeared, the fistulae had sealed perfectly.
For more than a year, this radical and complete cure persisted, and she
succeeded in gaining 10 kg in weight in 10 months.
For these reasons, Mgr J. Rumeau, Bishop of Angers, declared on 5.8.1910,
that this cure must be "attributed to a special intervention of God, and
that in it one must see a miraculous event"
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Juliette ORION
Born in1886
Lived in St Hilaire de Voust, in Vendee. Cured on 22nd. July, 1910, in her
25th. year. Miracle on 18th. October 1913, by Mgr Clovis Joseph Catteau,
Bishop of Lucon.
Before she was twenty years old, Juliette ORION had already had an eventful
life. After her father died, she was placed as a maid in "the town". Before
long she became ill and showed signs of early tuberculosis: pleurisy,
bronchitis, loss of weight and oscillating fever.
At the beginning of 1910, in her 24th. year, she returned home.
In February she developed laringitis and her health deteriorated, followed
in May by left mastoiditis with meningeal involvement and a few comatose
episodes.
Then her doctors announced that her case was hopeless. So in July she
applied to join the Diocesan Pilgrimage, but was refused a place.
During the night of 22-23rd. while praying to Our Lady of Lourdes, Juliette
suddenly felt much better.
Next morning she had recovered her voice, and asked for food. Her doctor
was summoned. After a full examination, he confirmed the cure, for which
"he did not claim the least credit!"
In 1912, she visited the M.B.V., giving information about this cure
obtained far away from Lourdes.
In August 1913, a Canonical Commission submitted, after an inquiry, most
favourable evidence for the miraculous recognition of this instantaneous,
perfect and definitive cure".
Then, Mgr Clovis Catteau, who three years before had given a similar
judgement in favour of Mrs BIRE, recognised on the 18th. October 1913, that
this cure was miraculous and that it must be attributed to a special
intervention of God.
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Mrs Marie FABRE
Born in1879
Cured on 26th. September 1911, in her 33rd. year Miracle on the 8th.
September 1912, by Mgr Pierre Cezerac, Bishop of Cahors.
This farmer's wife had her health severely undermined by three pregnancies
with difficult labours in quick succession, so common among young women in
those days.
In her thirties, in addition to a uterine prolapse--which out of modesty
one did not mention -- she suffered from dyspepsia and
mucomembranous-enteritis. This digestive disturbance prevented her from
eating normal food and contributed to her anaemia and debility.
For more than a year the treatment prescribed was not followed by any
improvement. In this pitiful state, she made a vow to go to Lourdes in the
summer of 1911.
On September 24th., she left for Lourdes with her husband, arriving there
in such a feeble state that one feared for her life.
For a day and a half it was not thought wise to take her to the Grotto, or
to the Baths.
In the afternoon of the 26th. she was allowed to take part in the
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. After receiving it, she felt better,
spoke and sat up on her couch.
Carried back to the Sept-Douleurs Hospital, she asked for food and ate
normally, yet for two years she had never eaten any solid food.
On returning home, she quickly resumed a normal life, and nine months
later, on 23.6.1912, her health was judged excellent, and her prolapse had
virtually disappeared.
Without much delay, and less than a year after her pilgrimage, Mgr Pierre
Cezerac declared on 8.9.1912, that "this sudden cure is outside the
ordinary scope of science, and could not have happened without the
miraculous intervention of God".
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Henriette BRESSOLLES
Born in1896
Cured on the 3rd. July 1924, in her 28th. year. Miracle on the 4th. June
1957, by Mgr Paul Remond, Archbishop Bishop of Nice.
A military nurse from 1914, who survived the war without mishap, was
admitted into the army hospital as a patient in October 1918 with "Pott's
disease of the spine due to Military Service"
Until the beginning of '22, she spent her life in hospital, being subjected
not only to an immobilisation in a plaster collar and corset, but also to
various treatments for associated complications, namely, paralysis of the
right lower limb, paralysis of the intestine. and bladder, and "meningeal
incidents"
All this earned the 125 % military pension allocated to her for "Pott's
Disease of the spine, with total paraplegia and double incontinence".
During the next 2 1/2 years at home, every three to four months she
developed retention of urine and uraemia. Moreover, she continuously wore
immobilising protheses.
In this pitiable state she arrived in Lourdes on 3.7.1924. That same
afternoon she was taken to the Blessing of the Sick, and from there to the
Grotto. After a sensation of a a very painful crack,., she felt cured, and
for the first time in six years could sit up on her couch!
Next day she was examined at the M.B.V., where her spine moved freely
without pain, but her lower limbs remained stiff.
The next day, she went there again and all the experts determined to wait 3
months more and to have the opinion of her own doctors before confirming
that this cure might be considered as a real one.
At the end of September 1924, three separate certificates issued by
physicians and surgeons who had treated her, bore confirmation that a "the
cure was complete and stable, and was obtained in Lourdes".
At home in Nice, the auxiliary Bishop authorised, towards the end of the
year, a religious ceremony of thanksgiving in which he took part.
Thirty years later, at the express request of the Lourdes' authorities, a
Canonical Commission decided on 24.10.1954, that the cure of Henriette
BRESSOLLES could be declared miraculous.
Canon Law demands that the Bishop himself makes his judgement... It was not
until three years later that this cure was officially recognised by Mgr
Remond on 4.6.1957. Four years afterwards, in 1961, Miss BRESSOLLES died in
Lyon from a cardiac lesion.
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Lydia BROSSE
Born on 14th. October 1889
Cured on 11th. October 1930, at the end of her 41st. year. Miracle on the
5th. August 1958, by Mgr Jean Guyot, Bishop of Coutances.
This is one of the cures which occurred between the two wars, with a very
peculiar sequel.
Right up to middle age, Lydia BROSSE had already suffered from bone
disorders, classed as tuberculous.
During the eighteen months preceding her Rosary Pilgrimage in October 1930,
she underwent several operations for multiple bone and subcutaneous
abscesses due to infections in the perineal-gluteal region. These left her
exhausted and emaciated (weighing under 40 kg), in pain and, due to
intestinal and nasal haemorrages, in an anaemic state.
There was no obvious improvement on the pilgrimage during which her
dressings needed changing at least twice a day. On the last day, she was
not even allowed to go into the Baths again.
It was on the return journey from Lourdes to Saint-Raphael, under the
observant eyes of the doctor on the train, that she found the urge and
strength to raise herself up and what is more, her fistulae were discovered
to be closed!
The day after her return, her doctor certified "a florishing state of
health, all wounds healed, and discharge had disappeared".
Three months later, she was still well, with no further haemorrhage, and
her weight had risen to 52 kg (a gain of 12 kg in three months).
In October 1931, the verdict of the M.B.V. was "this cure, by its rapidity,
defies current concepts of the laws of biology".
On several occasions this observation was reported in various publications,
but an official decision concerning it was never given.
In 1955, for the 25th. anniversary of the cure, Miss Lydia BROSSE again
presented herself at the Medical Bureau. This body confirmed the original
verdict that the cure was medically inexplicable, and decided to refer the
case to the International Medical Committee, despite it being years old.
Professor Oberlin, the reporter, gave as his opinion in March 1956, that
the cure of Lydia BROSSE could not be explained by any medical means. This
was approved unanimously by the Committee.
Finally, Mgr Jean Guyot, after taking into consideration the views of the
Canonical Commission judged and declared on 5.8.1958, that this cure was
miraculous.
During the next 20 years or more, Miss Lydia BROSSE dedicated herself to
coming to Lourdes with the Rosary Pilgrimage, until she died in September
1984, at the ripe old age of 95!
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Sister MARIE MARGUERITE
nee Francoise CAPITAINE, born 13.4.1872
A Poor Clare in the Monastery of Rennes since 1896 Cured on 22nd. January
1937, in her 65th. year. Miracle on 20th. May 1946, by Cardinal Clement
Roques, Archbishop of Rennes.
One of those rare cures connected with Lourdes yet happening far away from
the Shrine. In actual fact, the illness of Sr. MARIE MARGUERITE began in
1924 with a renal disease, pyelo-nephritis. In the subsequent years she
suffered "cardiac crises" anginal in type, as well as steady deterioration
of kidney disease. Complications cropped up in 1936:
--generalised phlyctenular oedema of both lower limbs. --more and more
frequent cardiac crises, with dyspnoea, and --facial neuralgia. These
entirely prevented her from leading a normal life, showed no improvement,
and even death was feared at the beginning of 1937. The Community at her
Convent started a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes during which Sister joined
in by replacing all her medication with Lourdes' Water. On the last day of
the Novena, 22nd January, Sister suddenly sensed a great relief during Holy
Mass, at the moment of the Elevation of the Host. The oedema vanished in an
instant; the bandages, now too large for her legs, fell down, she could
wear shoes and walk! Starting next morning, she took up her former job of
attending to the turn-table at the Convent until the end of the 1939-1945
war... something she had not done for eight years. This cure was verified,
not without immense surprise, by her doctor, who continued to visit her up
to 1945. At the request of the Archbishop, Cardinal Roques:
--a commission of three doctors met in November 1945, and confirmed that
the cure could not be explained by natural causes;
--a Canonical Commission, in its turn, studied it at the beginning of 1946,
and submitted a favourable verdict to the Bishop.
This was sufficient for Cardinal Roques to declare on 20.5.1946, that "this
cure was miraculous" and "that it must be attributed to a special
intervention of God through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes".
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Louise JAMAIN
Born 5.11.1914, in Paris
Cured on 1st. April 1937, in her 23rd. year. Miracle on 14.12.1951, by Mgr
Maurice Feltin, Archbishop of Paris.
The certificate from the Laennec Hospital stated clearly: "Pulmonary,
intestinal and peritoneal tuberculosis", confirmed clinically and
bacteriologically.
This certificate belonged to a young lady, whose mother and four brothers
had all died from tuberculosis. She too had been in hospital with this
disease for seven years, almost without interruption.
In desperation, she expressed her will to go to Lourdes. Despite advice
from all close to her who thought she would not return alive, she joined
the "I Pilgrimage of Bernadettes" (young girls from Paris), from March
28th. to April 4th. 1937.
The journey and the first days there were dreadful. She had several
haemorrhages and was given the Last Sacraments on the 30th. March.
Then, on the morning of the 1st. April, she said she was perfectly rested
and asked for food. No doubt in her mind about the cure.
On the 3rd. April she attended, and was examined, at the M.B.V. and
returned there again a year later.
And on the 4th. April, at the Parisian hospital from which she had set off,
there was utter amazement! Never again was any lesion or bacteria to be
seen. The cure was certain.
Six weeks later she found work, which she accomplished without difficulty
and without having a relapse. Some years later she became Mrs Maitre, and
had two children. Now she hopes to celebrate the 50th. anniversary of her
cure this year, 1987!
After taking into account the findings of a Canonical Commission appointed
to study this cure, Mgr Feltin, Archbishop of Paris, judged and declared on
14.12.1951 that it must be recognised as miraculous.
This is the first of a person born in the XXth. century to be recognised as
miraculous.
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Francis PASCAL
Born 2.10. 1934.
Lived in Beaucaire (Gard). Cured on 31st. August 1938, in his 4th. year.
Miracle on 31st. May 1949, by Mgr Ch de Provencheres, Archbishop of
Aix-en-Provence.
In the list of "miracules" this cure is only the second of a very young
child.
His history is short enough. In December 1937, Francis developed meningitis
at the age of 3 1/4 years.
He did not die from it, but had sequelae: paralysis of the lower limbs
(flaccid paraplegia), and to a lesser degree in the upper limbs, and loss
of vision. Prognosis: absolutely unfavourable.
All this was certified by at least a dozen doctors, who had been consulted
before the child was taken in this state to Lourdes at the end of August
1938.
It was after the second Bath that Francis recovered his sight, and lost his
paralyses.
When he returned home, he was examined again by two or three doctors who
had previously seen him. They all spoke of a definitive cure, and that
"medically it could not be explained".
Due to the war, it was October 1946 before he had the chance to visit the
Medical Bureau of Verifications.
The result of this first examination, recorded on 2.10.1946, was "cure
confirmed, maintained for more than 8 years, for which no medical
explanation was possible".
The cure was ratified by the Medical Bureau in July 1947, and also on the
1st. September 1948, owing to the reservations coming from the diocesan
doctors, associated with the Canonical Commission.
"With all this overwhelming amount of evidence and proofs, which attest the
existence of a grave illness and its complete, humanly inexplicable cure of
ten years'duration,
Mgr Ch. de Provencheres judges and declares on 31.8.1949, that the cure of
Francis PASCAL is miraculous, and that it must be attributed to a special
intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God".
Mr. Francis PASCAL, now in his 53rd. year, has not left the banks of the
Rhone... There he leads a quiet life.
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Gabrielle CLAUZEL
Born 15.8.1894
Lived in Oran. Cured on 15.8.1943, in her 49th year. Miracle on 18.3.1948,
by Mgr Bertrand Lacaste, Bishop of Oran.
This is another cure which happened away from Lourdes... but is
nevertheless perfectly documented.
For seven years, Miss CLAUZEL had suffered from a rheumatic condition of
the vertebrae, associated with painful visceral and functional disorders,
and myoclonic contractions which her doctors thought could be due to
spondylitis, with nerve-root compression.
After so many years of gross disability, almost entirely spent in bed,
together with various other complaints which affected all the functions of
her frail body, her general state of health became extremely serious,
threatening her life.
On 15th. August 1943 (the Feast of the Assumption), she was carried to the
Church 100 meters away.
After Mass, to the amazement of everyone, she got up and returned home on
foot!
From that day, she never ceased to enjoy good health and never had a
relapse.
She was examined at the M.B.V. at the end of the war on 19th . August and
12th. September 1945. It decided after seeing the X-rays taken in Pau on
29.8.1945 that the cure was complete, but functional; and that her recovery
in a sudden way and without convalescence, without the aid of any curative
agent and despite the persistence of the organic causes, was inexplicable.
It was only 2 1 /2 years later, on 18.3.1948, that Mgr Lacaste, Bishop of
Oran, declared the cure miraculous.
This once ill person wished to spend the last years of her life in Lourdes,
to be near the Grotto. She went there in 1970, and died in March 1982, at
the age of nearly 88 years, younger at heart than ever!
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Yvonne FOURNIER
Born inJanuary, 1923.
Cured on 19.8.1945, in her 23rd. year. Miracle on 14.11.1959, by Cardinal
Maurice Feltin, Archbishop of Paris.
This young lady sustained an accident at work in January 1940, when she was
17 years old. The whole upper left arm was pulled violently downwards when
it became entangled in a driving belt. During the following 5 1/2 years an
extensive and progressive traumatic syndrome set in, with virtually
intolerable pain, oedema, and trophic lesions in the affected arm,
rendering it practically useless. Nine operations were carried out, the
majority of which dealt with the stellate ganglion and the sympathetic
chain. Professor Leriche and Dr. Clovis Vincent were the surgeons,
particularly capable in this area. Improvement in function was not
achieved, except for some temporary and slight relief. About three years
after the accident, a tribunal granted her-a 70 % pension. This rate was
the same as for an amputated limb. Miss Y. FOURNIER joined the National
Pilgrimage in 1945, the first after the war of 1939. On 19th. August, after
a Bath, she felt her left arm come back to normal, with freedom from pain
and movement, and power restored. She was examined by the medical team of
the National Pilgrimage, with Prof. Salmon in 1945, and with Prof. Thiebaut
recognised the cure of Yvonne FOURNIER as medically inexplicable... but at
that stage nothing more was done. Ten years later, in 1956, her cure was
the subject of a paper published by Prof. Salmon. Brought out of obscurity
where it had lain since the cure, it was submitted to the scrutiny of the
International Medical Committee in 1959. On the report of Prof. Thiebaut,
the Committee approved the results as being in keeping with former ones,
with the advantage of ten years' hindsight, stating:
"The cure of Miss Yvonne FOURNIER was instantaneous and definitive.
Moreover, it is medically inexplicable".
The same year, after his Canonical Commission had expressed its opinion,
Cardinal Feltin recognised the cure as miraculous on 14.11.1959.
Miss FOURNIER survives and is a frequent visitor to Lourdes. Her cure can
be considered as "the model of Lourdes' cure".
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Mrs Rose MARTIN
nee PERONA born on 28.3.1901
Cured on 3-7-1947, in her 47th. year. Miracle on 5.5.1949, by Mgr Remond,
Archbishop of Nice.
In February 1946, Mrs Rose MARTIN underwent a total hysterectomy in Nice
for an epithelial carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
14 months later, at the end of April 1947, arising from obvious problems
(antecedents, clinical signs, palliative treatment), she developed pelvic
metastases and became cachexic.
She was taken to Lourdes on 30.6.'47, in a semi-comatose state.
After the third Bath, she got up, had no more pain and behaved like a
normal individual... but needed to be detoxicated from all the morphine she
had consumed previously.
On returning home, there were neither functional signs, nor leucorrhea, and
what is more, nor the slightest trace of her tumour.
She gained 17 kg. in 10 months.
In July 1948, with the corroboration of a normal X-ray and a normal
proctoscopy, her cure was accepted, and referred to the National Medical
Committee.
On the report of Prof. Oberlin, the cure was confirmed as "without either a
medical or natural explanation" in February 1949.
Shortly afterwards, a Diocesan Canonical Commission was appointed by Mgr
Remond on 5.5.'49, and it agreed that the cure of Rose MARTIN was
"miraculous".
Here again, it seems that Mgr Remond did not think it necessary to have
this decision ratified by a formal canonical judgement.
On 17.3.'58, by the express wish of Mgr Theas, Bishop of Tarbes and
Lourdes, Mgr Remond decreed he "approved and adopted the report of the
Canonical Commission dated 5.5.'49, and certified that there is a true
miracle in this cure".
Mrs MARTIN, according to recent news, is still alive and in her 86th. year.
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Mrs Jeanne GESTAS
Born on 8.1.1897
Lived in Begles in Gironde. Cured on 22.8.1947, in her 51st. year. Miracle
on 13.7.1952, by Mgr Paul Richaud, Archbishop of Bordeaux.
In March 1946, the life of Jeanne GESTAS was not really easy or pleasant.
Since December 1943, she had undergone three abdominal and compulsory
operations, resulting in some difficulties in her digestion (frequent
vomiting and painful pseudo-ulcers...) and in conditions conducive to
obstructive incidents.
In 1946, she weighed no more than 44 kg. when the question of a fourth
operation arose...
But Mrs GESTAS was argued into coming to Lourdes on pilgrimage that same
year.
There, there was no change at all in her clinical condition. However,as she
confided much later, she began to pray.
On returning home, the doctor was fairly certain that she had developed
adhesive peritonitis, which gave her little rest, and prevented all
activity. He thought that a new, more effective treatment would be
suitable.
During the next year, postponing further surgery, he attempted various
therapeutics instead.
She left once again for Lourdes on 21.8.1947, with the National Pilgrimage.
During her first Bath on 22.8.'47, she felt a "tearing sensation" which was
very worrying; but by the afternoon she was much better. The next day she
went into the Baths again; this time she came out confident she was cured,
abandoned her strict diet that day, and never suffered any more malaise.
She returned home and took up anew her usual activities with a zest for
life, and gained weight!
Seen twice afterwards at the Medical Bureau in August 1948 and 1950, her
cure was considered as "proved and lasting", and her dossier was put before
the National Medical Committee, where Professor Mauriac was delegated to
compile a report. On 4.3.1951, the Committee confirmed his conclusions and
accepted the cure as being real and i inexplicable.
Mgr Paul Richaud, Archbishop of Bordeaux, on 13.7.'52, after taking into
account the report of his Canonical Commission, declared that "the cure of
Jeanne GESTAS must be considered as miraculous, and attributed to the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate the Mother of God".
She died in April 1981 in her 85th. year.
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Marie-Theres CANIN
Born in1910
Cured on 9.10.1947, in her 38th. year. Miracle on 6.6.1952, by Mgr Jean
Delay, Archbishop of Marseilles.
The story of Marie-Therese CANIN is typical of the medical histories before
the Second World War.
In 1936, when she was 26 years of age, tuberculosis had already killed her
parents, and had attacked her spinal column (Pott's Disease) and abdomen.
For more than 10 years, her life was one continuous round of hospital
admissions and operations, (bone grafts to her spine and sacro-iliac
joint). There were fleeting improvements allowing the minimum activity.
From the beginning of 1947, her general health declined, with oedema of
both lower limbs, a vaginal fistula, and very frequent collapses. In this
state, verging on cachexia (38 kg.) she arrived in Lourdes on 7.10.'47 with
the Rosary Pilgrimage.
On the 9th. October, after the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she
felt better, could get up, move about, and eat the evening meal.
She was examined at the Medical Bureau the next day, and considered as
presenting a complete improvement.
Her condition remained the same after a year's activity, without any
set-back, and she regained her former weight (55 kg. in June 1948). All
those present at the Medical Bureau verified that she was cured, without
any explanation being put forward.
At the Meeting of the National Medical Committee on the 27.2.'49, using the
evidence provided by the report of Prof. Oberlin, it was confirmed that
"there was no natural or scientific explanation for this cure".
Finally on the 6.6.'52, Mgr Jean Delay, Archbishop of Marseilles judged and
declared that the cure of Marie-Therese CANIN was miraculous.
Marie-Therese CANIN is still alive, and is in her 76th. year.
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Maddalena CARINI
Born on 11.3.1917, in the Province of Pavie
Cured on 15.8.1948, in her 32nd. year. Miracle on 2.6.1960, by Cardinal
G.B. Montini, Archbishop of Milan.
This is one of the last cures in a young woman with a long history of
tuberculosis, which was in her family too.
Starting at the age of 10 years, the disease appeared in different sites:
pleura, dorsal spine, peritoneum... which meant she had to spend long
periods in sanatoria until she was 20 years old.
Then onwards, she was treated at home for the next 8 years, without any
apparent improvement.
In 1945, she started another round of in-patient care in the Hospital at
Pavie and the Sanatorium of San Remo, for other tuberculous foci in the
pericardium and the right femur.
On 1.7.1948, a medical report described her deplorable state: to all
appearances she was incurable, with coronary insufficiency, and weighing
only 32 kg at 31 years of age!
A month and a half later, on 15th. August, she experienced a sudden and
notable improvement when in front of the Grotto, but she did not speak
about it until the next day, on the return journey by train of the Unitalsi
Pilgrimage to Lombardy.
Several doctors, on many occasions during the year following her return
home, ratified the lasting nature of the cure, and in August 1949,
concluded that "we are in the presence of a cure contrary to all logical
reasoning, taking into account the past history of the patient".
She attended the Medical Bureau in August 1949, and September 1950. After
examining her, this body of medical control recognised the inexplicable
character of the cure, and her case was submitted to the National Medical
Committee for further assessment. This body, on the evidence of Dr Lanos'
report, confirmed on 4.3.1951, the findings of the Medical Bureau.
Her dossier was then handed to the Archbishopric of Milan, where it was
forgotten. After the appointment of Mgr G.B. Montini, the future Pope Paul
VI, as head of the Diocese in 1954, it was brought out of the drawer and
submitted to a Canonical Commission in March 1960.
M. CARINI was then re-examined by doctors, and the Commission presented a
favourable report to Cardinal Montini on 2.6.1960.
The same day, the Archbishop of Milan declared that the cure of M. CARINI
was "certainly a miraculous fact".
A final point of interest is that after her cure, Maddalena CARINI founded
an organisation to help handicapped children: la Famiglia dell'Ave Maria,
which each year arranges its own Pilgrimage from San Remo in Italy.
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Jeanne FRETEL
Born on 25.5.1914
Cured on 8.10.1948, in her 35th. year. Miracle on 20.10.1950, by Cardinal
Clement Roques, Archbishop of Rennes.
Between 1938 and 1946, this young woman was operated upon seven times for
tuberculous peritonitis, and spent her life in different sanatoria and
hospitals. From December 1946, and even more so in 1947, her general state,
already bad, deteriorated further. She was emaciated, unable to get out of
bed, needed strong doses of morphine daily, and had a high oscillating
fever.
In April 1948, streptomycin was prescribed. But by the end of October the
situation seemed hopeless. The fever, cachexia and worsening of the disease
were killing her.
She was taken to Lourdes, although unaware of it! In fact, she was dying on
arriving with the Rosary Pilgrimage on 5.10.1948.
The next two days were dreadful, and passed by without any improvement. It
was on the third day, the 8th. October, after receiving Holy Communion at
the Mass for the Sick at the Altar of Saint Bernadette, and being taken
immediately afterwards to the Grotto, that she experienced the first signs
of her cure.
Her stomach returned to normal, the fever and pains disappeared, and a
ferocious appetite overtook her. All of a sudden she could get up, walk and
eat!
On 9th. October, the Medical Bureau verified the absence of signs, noted
her weight of 44 kg., and of course asked her to come again.
On the 5th. October 1949, considering the abrupt cessation of fever and of
the treatment by morphine, the gain of weight of more than 14 kg.; the
continuation of her flourishing health, without any further need of the
constant care of a nurse, the Medical Bureau concluded that: "No
explanation of this cure can be given. It is beyond the natural laws".
The National Medical Committee, in March 1950, also confirmed the
inexplicable character of the cure.
After receiving a favourable report from his Canonical Commission, Cardinal
Roques recognised on 20.11.1950, that Jeanne FRETEL was cured in a
miraculous way.
She is still alive, and comes back to Lourdes every year.
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Thea ANGELE
Born on 24.9.1921, in Germany
Cured on 20.5.1950, in her 30th. year. Miracle on 28.6.1961, by Mgr P.M.
Theas, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes. (In religion, Sister Marie Mercedes at
the time of the recognition)
Three major surgical operations between the ages of 17 and 21 were followed
two years later, in 1944, by early signs of a disease of the Central
Nervous System. Deterioration was progressive, involving sensory and motor
loss, together with poor coordination, which prevented a normal existence.
After she was buried by bombing in July '45, she spent the last 5 months of
1945 in a special clinic at Tubingen, where the diagnosis of disseminated
sclerosis, already mentioned, was definitely established.
The next two years, though mostly spent in hospital, brought no
improvement. She was therefore taken home. Her illness steadily became
worse despite the various palliative treatments tried between the end of
1948 and May 1950.
At this stage she was virtually dying, semi-conscious for much of the time,
and no longer able to communicate. To fulfil her request made long ago, it
was decided to take her to Lourdes, despite the warning against such a
journey from her medical attendants.
There she arrived on 17.5.1950. After several baths, and within a few
hours, she recovered all her lost faculties... speech, muscle power,
ability to walk, and appetite. All this is documented in detail in her
dossier at the Medical Bureau.
In subsequent years, she attended the Medical Bureau several times, but it
was only in 1960, with her dossier complete, that the Medical Bureau
decided to recognise it as an extraordinary cure.
On 23.4.1961, Prof. Thiebaut, the recorder, proffered his report to the
International Medical Committee which agreed that this cure must be
regarded as medically inexplicable.
In the meantime, Miss Thea ANGELE entered a Religious Order in Lourdes.
That is why it fell to the then Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Mgr P.M.
Theas, after accepting the verdict of the Canonical Commission, to
"recognise the miraculous character of the cure".
Since then, Sr Marie Mercedes has never shown any recurrence of her
disease.
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Evasio GANORA
Born on 2.3.1913, living in Casale-Monferrato.
Cured on 2.6.1950, in his 38th. year. Miracle on 31.5.1955, by Mgr G.
Angrisani, Bishop of Casale-Monferrato.
In contrast to the last case, the medical history of this Italian farmer is
relatively short.
It began in December 1949, with asthma and fever. When admitted to hospital
on 23.1.'50, the clinical picture was highly suggestive of a much more
serious illness. The answer was forthcoming after the biopsy of a lymphatic
gland on 21st. February, namely Hodgkin's Disease, a malignant disease of
the glands.
At that time there was no curative treatment. However cytotoxic drugs and
radiotherapy were tried. At the end of it all, this very ill man went home
towards the end of March, where he received nothing except transfusions.
At the end of May, he joined the OFTAL Pilgrimage from his Diocese. He was
extremely ill and pyrexial... just fit enough to make the journey on a
stretcher!
After his first Bath, he felt cured, and the next day he insisted on
pushing the carriages of other invalids!
For reasons not at all clear, he went home without visiting the Medical
Bureau. Hence only the doctor on his Pilgrimage knew that Evasio considered
he was cured.
This same doctor certified on 30.6.'53, that the cure had lasted since June
1950.
Four years after, on 16.8.'54, the Medical Bureau at last met Evasio GANORA
and after discussion, further clarification on certain details was asked
for. Upon receiving this, the Medical Bureau confirmed on 18.9.'54 that
there had certainly been an inexplicable cure, beyond the laws of nature.
On 13.2.'55, the International Medical Committee in its turn accepted the
same conclusion after a report written by Prof. Sendrail and a second
opinion given by Prof. Fabre, both of them Consultant Professors of the
Faculty of Medicine at Toulouse.
The last stage was on 1 5th. March, when the doctors of the Diocesan
Canonical Commission wanted to have the formerly sick man reviewed once
more at the Medical Bureau of Lourdes. This was done on 8th. May, without
any problems! On 24th. May, the Canonical Commission recommended to the
Bishop that this cure should be classed as miraculous.
A week later, on 31.5.'55, Mgr Angrisani declared that "the cure of Evasio
GANORA is miraculous and must be attributed to a special intervention of
the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, Mother of God".
Sometime after that, in December 1957, Evasio GANORA was accidentally
killed, crushed by his own tractor.
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Edeltraud FULDA
Born on 20.7.1916
Cured on 12.8.1950, in her 35th. year. Miracle on 18.5.1955, by Cardinal
Theodor Innitzer, Archbishop of Vienna.
Once again, a very long medical history....
Edeltraud FULDA with her sister was a dancer and frequently travelled which
explains how it was that she was treated by several different foreign
doctors.
On 29.6.'37, she was operated upon in Torino for a perforated ulcer. Within
two months of this, she had an operation for the removal of a renal stone;
and one month later, another for a urinary infection; both connected with
the right kidney.
By May 1938, it was removed because of pyonephrosis due to a calculus. From
that time, up to 1945, there was no obvious improvement in her condition.
In an incidious way, many not commonly seen signs appeared, such as a
specific pigmentation of the skin, anaemia, hypotension, all suggestive of
an insufficiency of the adrenal glands... an illness known as Addison's
Disease.
For very many years, the administration of the suprarenal hormone (at that
time, the trade name was Percontin), enabled her to lead a nearly normal
life. But during the war years, even to procure this became a real
challenge. Yet her dose was essential everyday... in fact she could not
manage without it, like the need of insulin for a diabetic.
In August 1950, she was able to go to Lourdes, and after her first Bath,
felt cured. Not speaking French at all, and ignorant of the normal
procedure, providentially she met a brancardier who introduced her to the
Medical Bureau on 16.8.'50.
Here all her statements were written down, and she was examined. Of course,
she was asked to come again the next year.
At home, her doctors confirmed the cure.
The Medical Bureau on 13.8.'52, and 22.8.'54, had no hesitation in
affirming the extraordinary and unique character of this cure and handed
the dossier to the International Medical Committee.
Prof. Langeron, the recorder for this Committee, came to the same
conclusion, namely: "a sudden and lasting cure from a grave and
lifethreatening suprarenal insufficiency". This was accepted by a majority
of its members.
Shortly afterwards, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer, armed with the consensus of
medical opinion, declared on 18.5.'55, that: "The sudden cure of Edeltraud
FULDA from Addison's Disease, unresponsive to 13 years of medical
treatment, is a miraculous cure without a natural explanation .. .
Miss Edeltraud FULDA became Mrs Haidinger on her marriage in April 1968.
She now lives in Austria, and enjoys good health.
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Paul PELLEGRIN
Born on 12.4.1898
Cured on 3.10.1950, in his 53rd. year. Miracle on 8.12.1953, by Mgr Auguste
Gaudel, Bishop of Frejus.
From the beginning of 1949, Colonel Paul PELLEGRIN suffered from an amoebic
abscess of liver. Operated upon in March that year, he was given a wide
variety of treatments in the next 18 months, all intended to stop the
profuse purulent discharge, which required dressings twice daily.
But all therapeutic measures proved ineffective, and so in October 1950, he
joined the Rosary Pilgrimage.
On the 3rd. October, after his second Bath, his fistula dried up. Neither
he nor his wife ever envisaged a real cure, anticipating a relapse.
That never happened!
First on 10.10.1951, then on 8.10.1952, the Medical Bureau had the
opportunity to examine him and discuss the cure. The final verdict was
unanimous: a medical explanation could not be given... it defied the
natural laws.
Soon afterwards, on 22.2.'53, on the report entrusted to Prof. Oberlin, the
National Medical Committee confirmed this decision.
In October 1953, a Canonical Commission was set up in the Diocese of
Frejus. It took into account the expert medical reports, and came to the
conclusion that in 1950 "such a cure in such extraordinary circumstances,
so meticulously investigated, could only have a miraculous character ...
After taking note of all the evidence, Mgr Auguste Gaudel, on 8.12. '53
confirmed the conclusions by a favourable judgement in the appropriate
form.
Colonel PELLEGRIN died in November 1976. He was the last "miracule" born in
the 19th. century.
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Brother Leo SCHWAGER
Born on 19.5.1924 in Switzerland.
Cured on 30.4.1952, at the end of his 28th. year. Miracle on 18.12.1960, by
Mgr Francois Charriere, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg.
Brother Leo had many traumatic incidents in his childhood and adolescence.
Despite these, he entered the novitiate, then the Benedictine Monastery,
and pronounced his perpetual vows in 1950, aged 26 years.
Starting in 1947, his disturbances of speech, sight and balance had already
been noticed by his superiors. But on the whole, these symptoms seemed to
improve. It was only in September 1951, that this ill man was admitted to
hospital for a full assessment. Before the end of the year, disseminated
sclerosis was thought to be the most likely, if not certain diagnosis.
When he came to Lourdes in April 1952, with the Pilgrimage from Fribourg,
on 30th. April to be precise, he realised that all his symptoms vanished
during the Blessed Sacrament Procession. His ability to stand, walk, speak,
see and eat, all came back in an instant when the sick were being blessed,
in full view of the doctors who traditionally escort the Body of Christ.
Next day he was examined at the Medical Bureau.
On returning home, he was examined by his own doctors, who could not find
any sign of his former illness. He resumed all his duties in the Monastery.
Each year since, he has come back, first as a brancardier, then as an
organiser!
The Medical Bureau therefore examined him quite often, and yet it was only
in 1958, that this Bureau recognised the cure as certain, lasting and
extraordinary.
His dossier was then submitted to the International Medical Committee,
where, after Prof. Thiebaut had presented his report, it was agreed that
"the circumstances of this cure remain medically inexplicable".
At the end of November 1960, the Canonical Commission of inquiry presented
its findings to Mgr Charriere, the local Ordinary who had appointed it.
In his turn, on December 18th. the Bishop of Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg,
declared that the cure of Brother Leo SCHWAGER must be recognised as
miraculous.
Brother Leo is still living, and never fails to accompany the Pilgrimage,
on which he was cured 25 years ago!
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Mrs Alice COUTEAULT
nee GOURDON, on 1.12.1917
Lived in Bouille-Loretz (Deux-Sevres) Cured on 15.5.1952, in her 35th.
year. Miracle on 16.7.1956, By Mgr Henri Vion, Bishop Coadjutor of
Poitiers.
Between July 1949 and the end of the year, the onset of a series of
neurological symptoms in this young woman, led her doctor to suspect
disseminated sclerosis.
Confirmation of the diagnosis was made by a consultant neurologist in
January,1950. She was treated for more than two years, but without success.
This illness gradually made her a permanent invalid, unable to cope without
the help of her husband.
She took advantage of the chance to go to Lourdes with the Pilgrimage from
Anjou on 11.5.'52, having first obtained the consent of her husband, who
expected absolutely nothing from the trip.
On 15th. May, at the Baths, she experienced a marked change, and in the
afternoon recovered her speech and ability to walk.
The next day, May 16th., she was taken to the Medical Bureau where she was
examined, and thought to be very much improved. At the end of the visit,
she was invited to come again the next year.
At home, her doctor verified a complete cure, after her husband almost fell
ill when he saw her return in such excellent health.
On 27th. July 1952 (2 months later), 5th. May 1953, and 20th. May 1954, she
was seen at the Medical Bureau. There the complete and lasting cure was
confirmed.
Then, her dossier was handed to the International Medical Committee. Prof.
Thiebaut, Consultant Neurologist of Strasbourg and recorder for this organ,
convoked her for an examination in Lourdes on 19.8.'55. Afterwards, he drew
up a report which was discussed at the meeting on 18.3.'56.
"The cure is medically inexplicable" was the verdict of the Committee.
On June 1st. a Canonical Commission was appointed in the Diocese of
Poitiers. Soon afterwards, the Commission presented a most favourable
decision, supporting the miraculous nature of this cure.
Lastly, on 16.7.1956, Mgr Vion, Bishop Coadjutor of Poitiers, judged and
declared that the cure of Alice COUTEAULT was miraculous.
Mrs Alice COUTEAULT, since her cure, has never failed to visit Lourdes
twice a year with the Pilgrimage of Anjou, and that of her Diocese. She
works as an assistant nurse, and her husband has become a brancardier.
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Marie BIGOT
Born on 7.12.1922
Cured on 8.10.1953 and 8-10 October 1954, in her 31st. and 32nd. years.
Miracle on 15.8.1956, by Cardinal Clement Roques, Archbishop of Rennes.
The medical account of Marie BIGOT is lengthy and detailed.
Often ill as a child, she had several emergency admissions to hospital. In
April 1951, her sight, already poor, was suddenly reduced to 3/10, and not
improved by glasses.
Some weeks later, she developed right frontal sinusitis, which in spite of
treatment, got worse being complicated by signs of meningoencephalitis .
On 14.4.1951, she was transferred to a neurosurgical ward where, after a
series of tests, Prof. Ferey performed an intracranial operation on 29th.
April. This confirmed the diagnosis as being that of arachnoiditis of the
posterior fossa, with adhesions.
When discharged from hospital on 23.5.1951, she was hemiplegic, deaf in the
right ear, and her visual acuity was 1/20 in the right eye, and 2/10 in the
left one. She was bedfast, thought of learning Braille, and more or less
well taken care of...
In August 1952, her right eye was blind, and visual acuity down to 1/10 in
the left.
For the first time, Miss Marie BIGOT went to Lourdes in October 1952 with
the Rosary Pilgrimage. No improvement followed, despite her hopefulness.
All the next year, she wasted away in the dark, silence and in utter
misery.
In October 1953, she went to Lourdes again. There she recovered the ability
to walk.
The next year, on the 8th October 1954, she recovered her hearing at the
end of the Procession, and on the train her vision returned to normal
(confirmed by specialists in November 1954 and February 1955).
Her cure was recognised as inexplicable at the Medical Bureau on 8.10.1955,
and her dossier then given to the International Medical Committee. On
18.3.'56, Prof. Thiebaut, the reporter, put forward this conclusion: "This
sudden cure of deafness, then of blindness of more than two years duration,
did not appear to have a natural explanation".
After appointing a Canonical Commission on 5.6.'56, and noting its
findings, Cardinal Roques judged and declared on 15.8.1956 that "the cure
was miraculous, and must be attributed to a special intervention of God,
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary".
Since then, rare the years when Miss Marie BIGOT does not come to Lourdes.
Now in her sixties, she is always ready to offer her services and to be of
help to others.
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Mrs Ginette NOUVEL
nee FABRE born on 18.1.1928
Lived in Carmaux (Tarn). Cured on 21.9.1954, in her 27th. year. Miracle on
31.5.1963, by Mgr Claude Dupuy, Archbishop of Albi.
Mrs Ginette NOUVEL was to be 26 in November 1953 when, in a dramatic
fashion, she showed the alarming first signs of a rare disease...
thrombosis of the sub-hepatic veins or Budd-Chiari disease.
Despite undergoing operations in hospitals at Carmaux and Toulouse (between
November 1953 and July 1954) and receiving treatment with radio-active
phosphorus, she became extremely weak and emaciated, and needed her ascites
draining every 10 days.
She left hospital for home in mid-August 1954, and already intended making
a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
There she arrived on 20th. September, and with varying degrees of
discomfort, followed all the ceremonies. There was no apparent benefit from
it. Yet from that day, she had no further need for the draining of her
ascites and gradually took up a normal way of life. Three months after her
visit to Lourdes, the cure seemed assured.
In 1955, '56, and '60, her case was studied by the Medical Bureau. On the
last occasion, her cure was recognised as having an extraordinary
character, and her case submitted to the experts on the International
Medical Committee.
Prof. Mauriac, the recorder, studied the case meticulously; after this, the
Committee agreed on 23.4. 1961, by almost a unanimous majority, that it was
an inexplicable cure.
More than two years later, Mgr Claude Dupuy, Archbishop of Albi, after
receiving the decision of the Canonical Commission which he had appointed,
recognised the cure as miraculous on 31.5.1963.
Many times, up to 1969, Mrs NOUVEL was seen in Lourdes.
At the beginning of 1970, a pathological episode, which may be interpreted
as a relapse of her illness, finally led to her death in June, due to
perforation of her intestine, the result of an instrumental error.
In 1977, the International Medical Committee recorded the immediate cause
of her death, and also "the probable renewal of her original illness,
taking into account the exceptional length of perfect remission, which she
enjoyed for 16 years in all".
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Elisa ALOI
Born on 26.11.1931 in Patti (Sicily)
Cured on 5.6.1958, in her 27th. year. Miracle on 26.5.1965, by Mgr
Francesco Fasola, Archbishop of Messine.
This was the last cure involving multiple tuberculous lesions.
Elisa ALOI was nearly 17 years old when her illness began with a white
swelling" of the right knee (tuberculous arthritis). In the following 10
years, up to 1958, she developed numerous tuberculous infections in bones
and joints. At these sites, fistulae usually occured, requiring in-patient
treatment in hospitals and sanatoria. Despite more or less immediate
treatment, relapses and recurrences were for ever happening.
In June 1957, in desperation, she went to Lourdes with the Unitalsi
Pilgrimage from Sicily.
She did not seem to benefit from the visit really.
But in 1958, she went to Lourdes again in a much worse condition, encased
in a pelvis-to-foot plaster cast, with four fistulae drained through it.
The dressings were soaked in Lourdes' water during the pilgrimage. Just ten
days after she had left Sicily, her surgeon observed and wrote "Elisa ALOI
returned from Lourdes completely cured".
The Medical Bureau in Lourdes recognised her cure, and handed her dossier
to the International Medical Committee in 1960.
There, Professor Salmon, the recorder, had his report of a medically
inexplicable cure adopted by the Committee.
Finally, after the Canonical Commission had given a favourable report, Mgr
Fasola, Archbishop of Messine, declared "that the cure from multiple
fistulous tuberculosis, which happened to Elisa ALOI, is miraculous" on
26.5.1965.
Some months later she married. Between 1966 and 1974, she gave birth safely
to four children, which without any doubt was "the best evidence of her
complete cure"!
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Juliette TAMBURINI
Born on 4.12.1936 in Marseilles
Cured on 17.7.1959, in her 23rd. year. Miracle on 1 1.5.1965, by Mgr Marc
Lallier, Archbishop of Marseilles.
At the time of what was most likely her first tuberculous infection, the
appearance in 1948, when she was 12 years old, of a bone lesion (L. femur),
heralded the onset of a long illness for Juliette TAMBURINI.
During the next 11 years, she was frequently admitted to hospital and
sanatoria. She underwent 11 operations, four of which were for bone
curetting, which led to fistula formation. However, all this treatment had
no lasting effect. Concurrently, repeated epistaxes (nose bleeds) needed
urgent interventions, once or twice every 3 months, to control the
bleeding.
In desperation, and when the profuse purulent discharge from her fistula
required at least two dressings a day, she left for Lourdes with her
Diocesan Pilgrimage in July 1959.
And there, after the fistulous tract had been syringed with Lourdes' water,
the discharge dried up, the fistula closed and even the bleeding ceased.
As similar changes had happened before, but never persisted, this "cure"
(according to Juliette and her family) was not publicised.
A year later, 1960, the Medical Bureau made her acquaintance for the first
time. After two more examinations (in 1961 and 1963), this cure was
recognised and her dossier handed to the International Medical Committee.
There Prof. Salmon on 3.5.1964, delivered his report, leading to the
verdict that "this instantaneous cure, without any convalescence, must be
regarded as medically inexplicable".
Mgr Marc Lallier on 11.5.1965, after receiving a favourable report from his
Canonical Commission, declared the cure of Juliette TAMBURINI to be
miraculous.
It is hardly necessary to add, that after nearly 30 years, Juliette
TAMBURINI is still faithful to Lourdes... and above all, has never had a
relapse or recurrence.
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Vittorio MICHELI
Born on 6.2.1940, in the Province of Trento (Italie)
Cured on 1.6.1963, in his 23rd. year. Miracle on 26.5.1976, by Mgr
Alessandro Gottardi, Archbishop of Trento.
On 16th. April 1962, Vittorio MICHELI, a soldier in the Alpine Corps, was
admitted into a hospital in Verona for the diagnosis and treatment of an
obscure condition of his left hip. After various tests, ineffective
treatment and also a biopsy, the dreaded diagnosis of a malignant tumour, a
sarcoma, was made on 4th. June.
For a whole year he remained under the care of the Military Hospital and
Centres, although no anti-mitotic, surgical, medical or physiotherapeutic
treatment was applied.
Deterioration, both locally and generally went on relentlessly, with total
destruction of his hip joint. But he still undertook a pilgrimage to
Lourdes with his Diocese in June 1963.
During the pilgrimage, nothing notable happened, except that he bathed,
encased from pelvis to foot in a plaster cast.
On his return he appeared to be in better shape, but because he was doing
his military service, he was obliged to go back to his starting-point, i.e.
the Military Hospital of Trento.
More X-rays were taken there, and in a way difficult to comprehend, they
were incorrectly interpreted, being considered identical to his former
ones. This accounts for why it was 6 months after the pilgrimage before
proper notice was taken of his excellent health, absence of pain, ability
to walk and finally "the remarkable reconstruction of his hip" the first
signs of which had already been present 5 months before!
Each year since 1963, Vittorio has visited Lourdes. In 1967, the Medical
Bureau saw no reason to delay admitting that "it was impossible to give any
medical explanation for this cure ".
In 1968, the International Medical Committee postponed its decision, after
hearing Prof. Salmon's report. It was only in 1971, a lapse of 8 years,
that this Committee confirmed the verdict of the Medical Bureau of Lourdes.
On 26.5.1976,13 years after the cure, Mgr Alessandro Gottardi, after taking
into account the favourable advice of his Canonical Commission, declared
that this cure contained "sufficient evidence for the recognition of a
special intervention by the Power of God, Father and Creator".
Naturally, Vittorio MICHELI keeps on coming to Lourdes, working as a
brancardier in his diocesan Hospitalite.
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Serge PERRIN
Born on 13.2.1929
Cured on 1.5.1970, in his 42nd. year. Miracle on 17.6.1978, by Mgr Jean
Orchampt, Bishop of Angers.
In February 1964, at the age of 35 years, Serge PERRIN had already received
a warning with his first neurological episode, consisting of a right
hemiplegia of sudden onset and equally of sudden regression.
He had another attack in December 1968, also very abrupt with loss of
consciousness. Although this was treated as before, there was no regression
after several weeks.
Three months after this incident, he was admitted into the Neurosurgical
Unit in the Hospital at Rennes, under Prof. Pecker.
A full investigation confirmed the diagnosis of thrombosis in the left
carotid artery, for which surgery was contra-indicated. So he went home.
In April 1969, the same specialist noticed that the insufficiency of his
cerebral circulation was now bilateral. At this point, realising the
hopelessness of his plight, Serge PERRIN went to Lourdes. He returned as
bad as ever, in the same alarming state.
Deterioration was progressive, with something new... "cerebral eclipses",
rare at first, becoming frequent. In October 1969, he was granted an
invalidity pension of the third category, as he was unable to do anything
alone.
Three months later in 1970, despite medical treatment, his condition became
even worse: visual disturbances rendered him virtually blind, syncopes
became more and more frequent, and his increasing disability made the
thought of being an incurable invalid, with no future, almost unbearable.
He joined the Pilgrimage from Anjou in 1970 for the second time, though
without any hope, but simply to please his wife.
After a very trying time, the last day arrived. In the morning he attended
the Ceremony of Anointing the Sick. There he began to feel sensation
return. In the afternoon, he found he could walk better without the use of
walking sticks, and see better without spectacles! He left Lourdes quite
convinced he was cured.
Once at home again, he was thoroughly checked. There was no longer any
anomaly present... objectively, he was cured.
In October 1970, the Medical Bureau was informed. It confirmed on 1.5.'72,
that this cure was "certain, instantaneous and lasting". His dossier was
submitted to the International Medical Committee. Before it made any
comment, a Diocesan medical Commission in 1974, decided that the cure was
certain and lasting.
Finally in 1976, on the joint report of the neurologist, Prof. Mouren, and
the ophthalmologist, Dr. Bartoli, the International Medical Committee came
to the same conclusion, namely:
"The cure of this condition can be considered as happening in a most
unusual way from the medical point of view".
Then, having received a favourable advice from his Canonical Commission,
conducted in an exemplary fashion, Mgr Orchampt, Bishop of Angers,
recognised "the miraculous character of this cure" on 17.6.1978, and
invited Christians "to see in this sign, the merciful love of God".
The Work of God - Lourdes Apparitions
www.theworkofgod.org