It's now or Nevers

MANILA, Philippines - It was a dream, a mission, an obsession. More than 20 years ago, I had longed to visit the obscure town of Nevers in France. It is not your usual sightseeing or shopping place. No touristic thrills here. The town’s main attraction is a convent church where the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette Soubirous lies in a crystal coffin.

When I learned about a Marian pilgrimage to Europe recently, I quickly signed up for two reasons: It would be led by Archbishop Soc Villegas. And among other holy sites, it would include Nevers.

I sighed and told myself: It’s now or Nevers!

My fascination with Nevers began when I heard about a story of healing from my Theresian classmate, Connie Guanzon-Garcia. In l961, her mother Anita Guidote-Guanzon was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus. The cancer had reached her lungs, and doctors gave her only a few months to live. Anita’s older sister — a St. Paul’s nun — advised the family to bring her to Lourdes, France where a miraculous spring near a grotto has been drawing pilgrims all over the world in search of a cure for their illness.

The Guanzon family, led by Horacio Guanzon, stayed in Lourdes for 20 days, attending morning Mass, going to the spring baths, joining prayer vigils and joining the nightly processions. Anita was brought from her hospital room to the grotto on a wheelchair or gurney, attended by a nurse.

One morning, Anita disappeared from her bed. She surprised everyone when they found her standing up in the bathroom singing a tune while washing a piece of clothing. She could now walk!

The Guanzons headed back for home but decided to pass by Italy to join thousands of people lining up to see Padre Pio, the stigmatist. Horacio simply kept quiet when it was his turn to receive Padre Pio’s blessing, and was stunned when told by Padre Pio: “She will be healed.”

Doctors in Manila were pleasantly shocked to discover that Anita’s cancer was gone. Even her lungs were in perfect condition. She was completely cured, and lived for 30 more years.

Horacio and Anita, who were founders of Farmacia Oro and distributed Citroen cars in the Philippines, quickly built a monument of thanksgiving — a replica of Lourdes in their San Jose, Bulacan property. It has become a pilgrims’ destination as well, with its own share of stories of miraculous cures.

The story of Lourdes, France as the center of the healing universe began in 1858 when the Blessed Virgin Mary — thereafter called Our Lady of Lourdes — appeared to a poor and sickly peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous. During 18 apparitions between February 11 and July 16, 1858, Our Lady told Bernadette to convey to the people about the need to pray and repent for their sins. She also asked that a church be built there, and that processions be held there daily. A spring flowed near the grotto where Our Lady appeared, and people who drank from the spring were instantly cured of their illnesses.

While hundreds of people flocked to this grotto and spring , and witnessed miraculous healings, authorities were skeptical. Bernadette soon joined the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers where she lived a life of prayer and suffering from her painful illnesses. In l879, she died in the Convent of Saint-Gildard at 35.

After 30 years, her coffin was reopened and her body was found in a perfect state of preservation, with nary an unpleasant smell. In l933, Bernadette was declared a saint.

To date, over 10,000 miraculous cures have been recorded in Lourdes, but the Catholic Church has been very careful in acknowledging each and every case.

Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, talks about the significance of Lourdes in these, my favorite lines:”Each city should be like Lourdes. Lourdes has a lot to teach the world. In just a few days, I have recovered my faith and hope. One can see both black and white people, elderly people with young people, sick people with stretcher bearers. These scenes move me deeply. They are charged with emotion. They are a message in themselves.”

In Nevers as we knelt before the altar of the church bearing St. Bernadette’s incorrupt body, Archbishop Soc reminded us:”Don’t fix your eyes on St. Bernadette’s body. Remember that on the right of the church is the Crucifix, and on the left of the church is the Holy Eucharist.”

Well said, Archbishop Soc. Yes, I had been obsessed with a preserved body. All the while, the body had a message for the heart and the soul. On this, my 10th visit to Lourdes, I discovered the true meaning of faith, several miles away, in Nevers. Here, I finally found my healing universe.

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Fly any day of the week with KLM to Paris via Amsterdam. Or choose from either Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore or Beijing to visit Paris on Air France. For these routes and for Paris-Lourdes connections and religious tours, call 887-1202.