Our Lady Of The Willow Tree

 

To My Readers: This week's guest post from Lee is about Our Lady of the Willow Tree, a beautiful and not well known story. Please feel free to comment as usual. If you have a specific comment or question for me, I will respond as always, but it may take me a bit longer to do so this week. 

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

Our Lady of the Willow Tree

By Lee

One of the easiest spiritual works of mercy for faithful Catholics to practice with success is praying for the living and the dead. Praying for the dead relieves the suffering souls in Purgatory and whether it frees them completely or partially, they nevertheless will return us the favor when they enter Heaven for helping them. In like manner, praying for the living doesn't go without its rewards. One might ask what things should be prayed for on behalf of the living? It could be anything perhaps but one of the most desirous from God is the conversion of sinners and for those outside the Church to return. This fact is proven from the beautiful words uttered by our Redeemer in this parable, "What man of you that hath a hundred sheep: and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders, rejoicing: And coming home, call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost! I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance."  Luke 15:4-7

The Story

Joan Carrol Cruz has done a great service for Catholics with many of her books. One in particular called Miraculous Images of Our Lady goes through the history of 100 images of the Blessed Virgin Mary found throughout the world which she painstakingly gives in detail. A particular story I found moving, unique, and approved by some popes was Our Lady of the Willow Tree. It brings to light my point from the introduction and shows how much Our Blessed Lady loves each of us even if we were to obstinately fall away from sanctifying grace. 

The account of the story from her book is as follows: 

Plantees (Vinay), Isere, France 1649

The events relating to the origin of the shrines at Plantees would seem beyond belief were it not for the testimony of witnesses, the formal inquiry conducted by the bishop, and the documents which may still be seen in the Provincial Archives in Grenoble. Finally, the events were given Church approval when, on two occasions, Pope Pius IX ordered the solemn crowning of Our Lady of the Willow Tree (Notre Dame l'Osier).

The main personage of this drama was Pierre Port-Combet, a farmer of the area who was a well-known follower of a heresy known as Calvinism. As such he harbored a great dislike for Catholics and all that represented the Faith. He had married a devout Catholic, Jeanne Pelion, but despite here protest, he disregarded his vow to permit her to raise their six children in the Catholic Faith and instead drew them into heresy.

On solemn holydays all work was suspended in the province so that the people might attend church services and spend the remainder of the day in private devotions. Pierre's great delight was to show public disregard for the Church, and in particular the holydays dedicated to the Blessed Mother. On that fateful day in 1649, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Pierre decided to show his utter disdain for the observances by performing work where all would see him. He chose to stand beside the road where the villagers would be passing on their way to Mass.

Drawing his knife, Pierre pretended to engage in manual labor by half-heartedly pruning a willow tree that grew beside the road. After his first stab at the tree he drew back in complete shock. The willow bled! Coming from the mark left by the knife were not just a few drops, but a large enough quantity to splash on Pierre's arms and hands. Pierre immediately thought he was injured, but he could find no wound on his arms or hands. After a moment of bewilderment, he stabbed at the tree once more-and again the tree bled.

At about that time Pierre's wife, who was on her way to church, drew near and saw the blood covering her husband's arm. Thinking he was seriously injured, she hurried to help him. While she searched for a possible injury, Pierre excitedly related what had taken place. Thinking to calm him, she took the knife and struck the tree, but nothing happened. More agitated than before, Pierre snatched the knife from his wife and cut a small branch. The tree bled even more profusely than before.

A neighbor, Louis Caillet, was passing by at the time and was called over by the agitated Pierre, who by now was thoroughly frightened. Despite repeated efforts, Louis Caillet could not produce even a trace of blood. It was obvious that blood only appeared at the hand of the heretic.

Neighbors passing by and other villagers became aware of the marvel, and as though with one voice they agreed that the prodigy was a warning for Pierre to convert and, instead of giving public scandal, he should observe the laws of the Church.  

There was also a law of the Province to contend with. Having gone contrary to the law by working on the feast day, Pierre was summoned to court. Testimony was heard from witnesses who had seen Pierre in the act of pruning the tree. The prodigy of the blood was likewise mentioned. As a result, Pierre received a fine for his disobedience of the law. The transcript of this hearing is kept in the Provincial of Archives in Grenoble. 

When Church authorities heard of the case and the prodigy of the blood from the willow, they also took action. A tribunal of churchmen was gathered for a formal inquiry, as ordered by the Bishop. The testimony of Pierre was taken, as the witnesses. In the end it was decided that Pierre had received a severe warning from Heaven. 

Pierre took the decision to heart and was seen from time to time at the willow tree in profound prayer. Some of those who saw him were his friends of the Calvinist movement; they were unmoved, and even threatened bodily harm should he abandon Calvinism. For this reason, Pierre resisted his return to the Catholic Church for seven long years-until Our Lady herself intervened. 

While Pierre was working in the fields on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th of the year 1656, he looked toward a small hillock called the Epinouse, or the Thornhill. There he saw a Lady clothed in white, wearing a blue mantle. Over her head was a black veil that partially hid her face. As the Lady advanced toward him, Pierre thought that she was lost and was coming to him for directions. Suddenly, displaying amazing speed, the Lady was standing next to him. 

With a heavenly sweetness the lady addressed Pierre: "A Dieu Sois-tu, mon ami!" ("God be with you, my friend!") 

For a moment the sweet sound of the voice and the beauty of the woman caused Pierre to hesitate. The Lady again spoke, "What is being said about this devotion? Do many people come?"  

"Yes many people come," Pierre replied.

Seeing satisfied with Pierre's reply the lady continued, "Where does that heretic live who cut the willow tree? Does he not want to be converted?"

When Pierre mumbled a vague answer, the Lady asked, "Do you think I do not know that you are the heretic?" Then in a more serious tone, the vision warned, "Realize that your end is at hand. If you do not return to the True Faith you will be cast into Hell. But if you change your beliefs, I shall protect you before God. Tell people to pray to advantage, not to neglect the source of graces which God in His mercy has made available to them."

Pierre was overwhelmed with remorse and moved slightly away toward his oxen. Realizing his rudeness he turned back, but the Lady had moved away and was already near the Thornhill. Running after her, Pierre pleaded with her to stop and listen to his apology and his plea for help. The Lady stopped and turned. By the time Pierre caught up with her he noticed that she was suspended several feet in the air and was slowly fading from sight. Realizing that he had been granted a vision of the Blessed Virgin, he fell to his knees and while sobbing uncontrollably, he pledged a complete reform. 

A few months later, on the eve of the Assumption, Pierre contracted a serious illness. The Augustinian Prior of Vinay heard his confession  and accepted him back into the Church. Remembering that the prodigy had occurred on the Feast of the Annunciation, Pierre completed his conversion  by receiving the Holy Eucharist on the Feast of the Assumption. Pierre's conversion influenced many others to return to the True Faith, including his son and five daughters, as well as many Protestants and Calvinists. 

The Lady's words: "Realize that your end is at hand..." were realized five weeks later, when Pierre Port-Combet died. In accordance with his final wish, he was buried at the bottom of the willow tree.

With approval of the directors of the Propagation of the Faith in Grenoble, the Reverend Fais, the parish priest of Vinay, helped Mme. de la Croix buy the field where Pierre had spoken to Our Lady. In due time, on the site of the apparition, a chapel was built which was dedicated to Our Lady of Good Meeting. Soon another even larger church was built at the site of the willow. This was dedicated to Our Lady of the Willow Tree. A statue sculptured according to Pierre's description was enshrined which soon attracted countless pilgrims. 

Unfortunately, during the French Revolution terrorists from Grenoble pillaged and desecrated the sanctuary. The highly regarded statue of Our Lady was taken from its niche and hacked to pieces. These pieces were recovered by some valiant women who hid them until religious freedom was secured. Also saved was a portion of the willow tree that had been stored in a decorative box in the oratory. 

Following the revolution, devotion to Our Lady of the Willow was revived. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate were given charge of the sanctuaries and in 1856, the second centenary of the apparition, Pope Pus IX decreed a solemn jubilee and a papal crowning for September 8th. For this celebration more than 30,000 people and 400 priests attended. Another crowning was ordered by the same pontiff in 1873.

The meeting between Our Lady and Pierre is depicted on a large wall painting in the chapel of Our Lady of Good Meeting. Between this chapel and the Thornhill, where Our Lady left him, a specially marked path approximately 400 yards long indicates the route taken by Pierre when he ran after the apparition.

The church built where the willow once grew was raised to the dignity of a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI on March 17th, 1924. Here is found the once-mutilated statue of Our Lady, and beneath Pierre's grave is at the foot of this altar. The casket containing a piece of the willow is located at about the same place where it formerly grew.

In the basilica, near the statue of Our Lady, are countless ex-votos. Of all the miracles of healing worked as a result of prayer before this image, more than 100 are said to be undoubtedly genuine since they had been witnessed and sworn to by reliable people who testified under oath and affixed their names to written documents. 

The shrines are located in the town of Plantees, five miles from Vinay. During the year, but especially on the feast days of Our Lady of the Willow, March 25th and September 8th and 9th, pilgrims wind their way from Vinay, up the terrain to Plantees to the shrine containing the image of Our Lady of the Willow Tree.    

Conclusion

True contrition requires a firm purpose of amendment. The lesson from the above story is for everybody who wishes to follow the truth and renounce their sins and errors once and for all. God has given us His mother as means to make this process easier. She continues to wait for us to call up on her through her cell phone (the rosary). "Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept: when we remembered Sion: On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instruments." Psalm 137:1-2