VATICAN AMAZED BY OUR LADY’S MESSAGES TO THIS GIRL: ‘MY GOD, HOW BEAUTIFUL SHE IS’

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith gives its consent to the “nihil obstat” proposed by the Archbishop of Bourges regarding the devotion to Our Lady of Mercy in the Marian shrine in a small French town, where in 1876 a poor girl, Estelle Faguette , experienced several apparitions of the Virgin Mary .

“Although it is not the current practice” of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “to express an opinion on the supernatural character or divine origin of supernatural phenomena and alleged messages, the expressions presented by Estelle as coming from the Virgin Mary have a special value that allows us to see the action of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this of spiritual experience,” Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández wrote in a letter sent to Archbishop Jérôme Daniel Beau of Bourges, France, and approved by Pope Francis on Thursday, August 22.

In his letter, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed that not only “there are no doctrinal, moral or other objections to this spiritual event,” and that the faithful “are authorized to give their devotion to it in a prudent manner,” but, in this case, piety – which is already progressing – is also recommended which is not common practice.

Estella’s letter to the Blessed Virgin

Devotion to Our Lady of Mercy is recommended, Cardinal Fernández said, since it offers “a path of spiritual simplicity of trust and love” that is likely to do much good and “certainly will benefit the whole Church.”

Estelle was born on September 12, 1843 in a very poor family. In order to support herself and her parents, she first worked as a laundress and then as a maid. Seriously ill and in danger of her life, she decided to write a letter to the Virgin Mary for her recovery so that she could continue to support her poor parents.

Her words, the cardinal wrote, are “stunning in their simplicity, clarity and humility”. “Estelle,” he continued, “narrates the suffering caused by her illness. She does not boast of the Christian spirit of resignation. On the contrary, it explains her internal resistance to the disease that disrupted her life plan.”

In the end, the cardinal noted, she always surrenders to God’s will and only wants to help her father and mother with all the strength she has left.

“This generous giving to others, using this life to care for others,” he praised, “is what most touched Mother’s heart: ‘Mother knows how to recognize all the good that is hidden behind our words.’

Miraculous healing

The young woman said that in February 1876, at the age of 32, the first apparitions began. By the fifth apparition, as the Blessed Mother promised, she was completely healed.

In these messages, the cardinal noted, “everything is attributed to Christ.” Even Estelle’s healing is not attributed directly to Mary, but to Christ who answered the intercession of his Mother.”

This healing , Cardinal Fernández repeated, “was confirmed as miraculous by the Archbishop of Bourges on September 8, 1893, with the consent of the Holy See.”

Messages from Mary

In her messages, said the prefect, Maria expresses all her closeness and tenderness to Estelle with words of encouragement: “Don’t be afraid, you are my daughter”, “If you want to serve me, be simple”, “Courage”, “I will be invisibly close to you . You have nothing to fear”, “I choose the small and the weak for my glory.”

And the Blessed Mother, the cardinal reminded her, encouraged her to find peace: “Calm down, my daughter, be patient, you will have difficulties, but I am here”, “I would like you to be even more calm. You need to rest.”

Our Lady’s call, he added, was addressed to the Church as well, when she said: “There is no peace in the Church that I want.”

But, the cardinal pointed out, “even more than a few words of Mary, her quiet presence is striking, those long silences in which the Mother’s gaze heals the soul.”

Cardinal Fernández recalled that Estelle wrote, in French: “My God, how beautiful she was! She remained calm for a long time without saying anything. After this silence, she looked at me; I don’t know what I felt; I was so happy!” “She didn’t say anything. Then she looked at me with a very kind look and left”, “She was still looking at me smiling”, “What beauty and sweetness!” “What kindness in her eyes and what mercy!”

Scapular with the image of the Heart of Christ

“The experience of the girl Estelle is Marian, but at the same time it is strongly Christological”. Therefore, the cardinal asserted: “The Virgin sent a great request to Estella to spread the scapular with the image of the Heart of Christ , and the great message of Mary is an invitation to turn to that heart full of love.”

Estelle accepted this request to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of God. “The Christian heart,” reflected the cardinal, “is never indifferent; he allows himself to be touched by our sincere and loving request, especially when it is the Mother who touches his Heart.”

Estelle’s life was lived in humility amidst many trials, accusations and slander. In 1925, she joined the Third Dominican Order. On August 23, 1929, Estelle died in Pellevoisin, at the age of almost 86