"I will give happiness to families"

From December 8th to 14th (1947), the Virgin Mary appeared nine times in Ile-Bouchard, a small town in central France, to four children aged 7 to 12, called Jacqueline, Nicole, Laura and Jeannette.

The first apparition took place on December 8, 1947, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mary was similar in appearance to the Virgin of Lourdes (1858). She said to the children: "I am your heavenly mother" and "Give me your hand to kiss," as if she wanted to bring them even closer to her Immaculate Heart.

During the apparitions of December 8th-9th-10th and 12th of that year, Mary asked for prayers "for France."(1) On December 9th at 1:00 p.m., she said: "Kiss the cross of my rosary."

Then the Blessed Virgin made the sign of the cross over herself with an impressive slowness. On the same day at 5:00 p.m., she said: "Sing the ‘Hail Mary,’ the canticle I love so well." "Tell the crowd to come forward and recite 10 Hail Marys."

At the end of the Rosary the Lady herself repeated three times the beginning of the famous invocation of the Miraculous Medal "O Mary conceived without sin…" which the children completed by responding: "Pray for us who have recourse to thee."

On December 11th at 1:00 p.m., the Blessed Virgin said to the four girls: "Sing the ‘Hail Mary.’" "Do you pray for sinners?" "I will give happiness to families."

(1) At the end of 1947, France was facing an imminent Communist putsch, which against all odds did not take place, thanks to the children's prayers.

By Françoise Breynaert – Marie de Nazareth