CrucisOur Lady of La Salette
Our Lady of La Salette refers to the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to two young peasant cowherds, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, on a mountainside near the village of La Salette in the French Alps on 19 September 1846. The children beheld a beautiful weeping Lady seated upon a stone, who spoke to them with sorrow of the sins of the people, especially the profaning of Sunday and the taking of God's name in vain, and warned of chastisements to come if they did not turn back to God.
With tears the Virgin called for conversion, prayer, and penance, and entrusted to each child a secret. Her message, that of a Mother grieving over the sins of her children and pleading for their repentance, deeply moved the faithful, and after careful examination the Church approved the apparition for the devotion of believers in 1851. A great shrine and a religious congregation, the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, grew from it. The feast of Our Lady of La Salette is kept on 19 September.
Selected quotes
“Come near, my children, do not be afraid; I am here to tell you great news.”
“If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let go the arm of my Son; it is so heavy and weighs me down that I can no longer hold it.”
“How long a time I have suffered for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am obliged to pray to Him without ceasing.”