Our Lady of Laus (french: Notre-Dame du Laus) or Refuge of Sinners denotes

Marian apparitions A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian a ...

that took place between 1664 and 1718 in Saint-Étienne-le-Laus,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, to Benoîte Rencurel, a young shepherdess. The apparitions were approved by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

on 5 May 2008.

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

granted a

Canonical Coronation A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or J ...

to her marble image on 23 May 1855.

Background

Situated in Dauphiné, in southern France at the foot of the Alps, just southeast of Gap, is the valley of Laus. Its name means "lake" in the local dialect, as there once was one at the bottom of the basin. In 1666 the hamlet held twenty households scattered in little huts. The inhabitants had built a chapel dedicated to the Annunciation, ''Notre-Dame de Bon Rencontre'' (means Our Lady of the Good Encounter, i.e., the Annunciation)."Our Lady of Laus", ''Magnificat'' Vol. XL, No. 5 and Vol. XXXVI, No. 5.
/ref>

Apparitions

Benoite was born on September 16, 1647, into extreme poverty in the village of St Etienne d’Avancon. Her father died when she was only seven. By the time Benoite was twelve she took employment tending sheep. In May 1664, the seventeen-year-old Benoite saw an apparition of

Saint Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

, a 3rd-century

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

who was greatly honored at Laus. This was near a nearby chapel, then in ruins, dedicated to St. Maurice. He warned her that if she remained in that area, the local guards would take her flock if they found it there. St. Maurice told the shepherdess to go to the Valley of Kilns, above Saint-Étienne, where she would see the Mother of God. Notre-Dame du Laus (Pindreau - 2)

On May 16 Benoite took her sheep to the Valley of Kilns. She came to a grotto, when the Virgin Mary, holding the

Child Jesus The Christ Child, also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus, the Holy Child, Santo Niño, and to some as Señor Noemi refers to Jesus Christ from his nativity to age 12. The four canonical gospels, a ...

in her arms, appeared to her. Her offer to share the hard bread that she carried made the beautiful Lady smile, but she left without saying a word.Mann, Stephanie A. "Who Is Our Lady of Laus?", ''Our Sunday Visitor'', March 28, 2014
/ref> For a period of about four months, the Lady came back every day, and Benoite heard her speak. Others could not hear what the Virgin Mary said. On August 29, the Lady told Benoite that her name was Mary. The Lady instructed Benoite to go to Laus from her own village nearby and to look for her there, "where you will smell a very nice perfume". Benoite made her way to Laus and found an old chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Good Encounter, and, while the smell of the beautiful perfume was there, the chapel was in bad condition. "It is my desire that a new chapel be built here in honour of my beloved Son. It will become a place of conversion for numerous sinners and I shall appear here very often," said the beautiful Lady. Our Lady told Benoite that the oil from the sanctuary lamp would work miracles with the infirm if they received the anointing with faith in her intercession.

Message

Our Lady of Laus asked for sinners to do penance, a chapel of Eucharistic adoration to be built so Jesus could convert sinners, and a house for priests to be built so the priests could administer the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...

to sinners. At the heart of the message given to Benoite is a conversion of souls which aims to bring full reconciliation with oneself, with others, and with God.

Veneration

A few of the saints who have had a particular devotion to Our Lady of Laus include Saint Eugène de Mazenod (1782–1861), founder of the

Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

; and Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811–1868), founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament. When Saint Peter Julian was eleven years old he made a sixty-kilometer pilgrimage on foot in order to pray for nine days at the shrine while preparing for his First Communion. Later he wrote, "That is where I first came to know and love Mary."Koenig-Bricker, Woodene, "Mary and May: Our Lady of Laus", ''Parish'', Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
/ref> On May 5, 2008, Bishop Jean-Michel de Falco Leandri, Bishop of Gap, announced the

's recognition of the apparitions as Our Lady of Laus, Refuge of Sinners.

References

External links

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Laus
— Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady Of Laus Catholic Church in France

Laus Laus may refer to: * Laüs, an ancient city on the west coast of Lucania * Laus River, a river of southern Italy * Paul Laus (born 1970), former professional ice hockey player * Beatrice Kristi Laus (born 2000), Filipino-British singer-songwriter ...