Our Lady of Hope of Pontmain
Fifth window on the left side of the Church
On January, 17, 1781, as German troops appeared ready to overrun France, Our Lady appeared in the village of Pontmain to four small peasant children. The apparition lasted three hours. At Our Lady's feet a banner was unfurled which carried the message, "But pray, my children, God will hear you in a short time. My Son allows Himself to be moved by compassion." The upper medallion of our window addresses Mary as "Help of Christians" and shows Mary's banner with a shortened message: "But pray for my children, My Son is moved with pity."
The main section of the window depicts Eugene Barbadette, one of the children, who, looking out of a barn door to see the condition of the weather, noticed a curious blank space in the starry sky above the house opposite the barn. Between a triangle of brilliant stars he saw the figure of a beautiful woman smiling at him. These three stars forming a triangle are in the nimbus of the main section. In describing his vision the boy said, "I see a tall, beautiful Lady in a blue dress covered with stars. She has blue shoes with gold buckles." Continuing, he states that she wore a black veil upon which sat a crown widened at the top with a red line around the middle.
A few hours after the apparition, the Prussian troops halted their advance and the next day withdrew. Eleven days later an armistice was signed, many believing it an outcome of Our Lady's intervention. The bottom shield carries a picture of the "Anchor of Hope" (the anchor with an M imposed), symbolizing the trust we should have in Mary's powerful intercession with God.
Our Lady of Pontmain, pray for us |
