On July 11, 2008, after a pilgrimage to Lourdes, Sister Bernadette Moriau removed her corset and leg brace and could walk freely again. Behind her lay decades of back and nerve pain, four operations, and increasingly severe limitations. Her regained mobility endured. Following medical examinations and the judgment of the international medical committee, Bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin recognized the healing as a miracle on February 11, 2018.
The healing concerns lasting relief from severe pain and neurological limitations, and the return to independent walking after many years of illness affecting the lower spine.
Further original photographs from the publisher
Four Operations and an Increasingly Restricted Daily Life
The medical account from AMIL and Moriau's own testimony describe a long history of suffering. The Franciscan sister, born in 1939, was a trained nurse. She had suffered from back pain and sciatica since 1966. Four operations brought no adequate improvement. Neurological deficits developed later; she needed strong painkillers, a spinal cord stimulator, a rigid corset, and a brace for her left foot. She had been forced to give up her work as a nurse.[1][2]
At the age of 19, she entered the Franciscan Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Nantes. She received her nursing diploma in 1965; by 1975 she had to give up the profession because of her illness. Marked neurological deficits developed in 1987. A spinal cord stimulator was implanted in 1992, and she received morphine from 1994 onward. Problems with bladder and bowel control had also been present since 1998. The corset became a constant companion, and her left foot required a brace from 2005 onward.[1]
The Evening of July 11, 2008
In July 2008, she joined her diocese's pilgrimage and received the Anointing of the Sick. She prayed for inner strength and conversion. Initially unchanged physically, she returned to Bresles. During Eucharistic adoration in her community on July 11, she felt warmth and relaxation. Afterward, she removed her corset and brace: her left foot was in a normal position again, and she could move without the aids she had previously needed. The following morning, she walked about five kilometers through the forest.[1][2]
A Change That Endured in Daily Life
Moriau experienced the release directly in her own body. Her community could observe that she walked again and took on everyday tasks. For the medical examination, this lasting change was especially important: years of dependence on aids were followed by mobility that continued beyond the pilgrimage and the first exhilarating moment.[1][2]
From Follow-up Examinations to the CMIL
New examinations, specialist opinions, and several consultations of the Lourdes Bureau followed. In 2016, the international medical committee, CMIL, confirmed that the healing was unexplained in light of the scientific knowledge available at the time. The physicians assessed the complete and lasting recovery after a long history of illness and treatment. The responsible bishop was informed in 2017 and continued the ecclesiastical examination.[1][2]
The Bureau's collegial consultations took place in 2009, 2013, and 2016. On July 7, 2016, it recorded the unexpected, instantaneous, complete, and lasting nature of the recovery. The CMIL confirmed its medically unexplained nature on November 18 of the same year. An observation period of eight years thus separated the day of healing from the final medical opinion.[1]
Recognition on February 11, 2018
Bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis publicly recognized the miraculous nature of the healing. Moriau's healing thus became the 70th case of Lourdes recognized by the Church. The judgment connected the medically examined recovery with the religious sister's pilgrimage, prayer, and sacramental experience.[1][2]
Being There for Others Again
In a 2019 interview with Vatican News, Moriau described what her restored health meant for her life: she could once again turn to the sick and people with disabilities. The former nurse, who had herself depended on help for a long time, became a helper again. Her gratitude took the form of renewed service.[3]
Witnesses & Investigators
The unfolding story
- Onset of Suffering
Many years of back and nerve problems.[1]
- Pilgrimage
Prayer and reception of the Anointing of the Sick.[1]
- Return of Mobility
Event in Bresles after the pilgrimage.[2]
- Medical Assessment
CMIL assesses the course of recovery as unexplained.[1]
- Episcopal Recognition
Announcement by the Bishop of Beauvais.[1]
Ecclesiastical assessment
Bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin recognized the miraculous nature of the healing on February 11, 2018; the medical judgment described it as unexplained in light of the knowledge available at the time.
Objections & Answers
Is removing the corset and brace sufficient medical evidence?
Recognition rests on the medical history, new examinations, specialist opinions, and lasting change; removing the aids is a visible part of this. The public accounts name these stages of examination but do not publish the complete neurological file. An independent medical reassessment would require the previous findings, treatment data, and follow-up examinations.[1][2]
How does Moriau understand her healing in light of others who remain ill?
She connected her recovery with the calling to turn to other sick people. Her later service shows that those who continue to suffer belong to the same community. Her testimony expresses thanks for help received and makes no judgment on the faith of others.[3]
Meaning for faith
Moriau regained her mobility after decades of illness. The medical examination and episcopal recognition followed the sustained course of healing. For her, her renewed strength became a calling to serve the sick again.[2][3]
Examining Healings: From Findings to the Church's Judgment
Diagnosis, treatment, the course of healing, and ecclesiastical recognition are examined separately.
Methods of examination and ecclesiastical procedure →Sources & Evidence
Information on accessibility and scope helps you assess the evidence for yourself.
- [1] 70. Sr Bernadette Moriau
Public medical and ecclesiastical summary; not a complete medical record.
Open source · amilourdes.com ↗ - [2] Le 70e miracle de Lourdes officiellement reconnu par l’évêque de BeauvaisOpen source · eglise.catholique.fr ↗
- [3] Sœur Bernadette Moriau, une miraculée au service des malades
Interview with the person healed about her life after the healing.
Open source · vaticannews.va ↗
