February 19
Notre-Dame de Miséricorde, Pellevoisin, Indre, Centre, France
Estelle Faguette was dying when she first saw the Virgin appear on February 14, 1876. The 33-year-old domestic worker had a constellation of ailments, including tuberculosis, peritonitis, and abdominal tumor. On the night of February 18-19, Mary appeared to Estelle for the fifth time, along with a tile saying "I called to Mary in the depth of my despair. She pleaded with her Son for me and gained my total healing for me." After the apparition, Estelle felt great suffering, followed by complete healing. She experienced ten more apparitions of the Virgin that year. On September 9, Mary revealed the white scapular of the Sacred Heart, on which she is surrounded by roses, a sort of rain coming from her outstretched hands. The Catholic Church approved the apparitions of Pellevoisin in 1894. Mlle. Faguette lived until 1929; her grave in Pellevoisin bears the inscription "Be Simple." The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy there celebrates Estelle Faguette's healing on February 19 and a great pilgrimage on the last weekend of August. (Information from the diocesan site, www.pellevoisin.net. Picture from www.fatimadatacast.com/mary/peller/peller.htm.)