Healing of Sister Louise of Saint-Germain

Completely unable to swallow food or water; had received Last Sacraments. Community prayed novena to Thérèse. Woke healed the morning after the novena concluded; rose petals found around her bed. Ate and drank normally with no pain. Sustained recovery confirmed by Vatican-appointed physicians.

Sister Louise of Saint-Germain was a member of the Daughters of the Cross at their convent in Ustaritz, a village in the Basses-Pyrénées in southern France. From approximately 1911, she had suffered from a severe and worsening illness: a hemorrhagic gastric ulcer that extended through the pylorus into the duodenum. The condition resisted all medical treatment. Violent vomiting became a chronic feature of her life. By 1915, her superiors called for a priest and she received the Last Sacraments, her death considered imminent. By 1916, she was unable to swallow either food or water.

In September 1916, the community began a novena to Thérèse of Lisieux on her behalf. A second novena followed, beginning September 10. During the novena, Sister Louise reported that Thérèse appeared to her and promised a cure. On the morning after the novena concluded — September 22, 1916 — she was found completely healed. Rose petals of various colors were discovered strewn around her bed. She was able to eat and drink normally, free from all pain.

Her recovery held. Physicians appointed by the Sacred Congregation of Rites examined her and confirmed both the original diagnosis and the completeness of the cure. Their unanimous testimony was accepted by the Congregation, which approved the miracle on March 19, 1923. Sister Louise of Saint-Germain's healing was one of two miracles used as the basis for Thérèse's beatification by Pope Pius XI on April 29, 1923.