On the 19th of September, 1846, two children, Maximin
and Melanie, who had been engaged all day in tending
cows for the farmers of a village called La Salette, in
Dauphiné, France, told their masters of the following
experience of theirs:
They said that about midday they had driven their cows to a rivulet to drink; that they had fallen asleep after their dinner near a fountain, which was dry. On awaking, they found their cows had strayed, and started to look for them. Suddenly they saw a dazzling light by the dry fountain, which seemed as it were to open before their eyes, and that within it, a beautiful Lady was sitting, on the stones of the dry fountain, in an attitude of profound grief.
She was clothed in a white robe studded with pearls, and a gold-colored apron; white shoes and variously colored roses were about her feet, a wreath of roses around her headdress, which was a high cap. In front of her breast was a crucifix, surrounded by the instruments of the Passion, and encircled with a wreath of roses.
The Lady was tall, and her countenance was so dazzlingly bright that the children could not gaze upon it. At first her face was buried in her hands, and she was shedding tears. They then heard a gentle voice bidding them approach, so they ran forward without any fear, as to a loving mother. The Lady came towards them, and when standing between them, she said: “If my people will not submit, I must let the hand of my Son fall upon them; it is so strong, so heavy, that I can keep it up no longer. I have to pray without ceasing to my Son, lest He should abandon you, being provoked by your sins.” Then she told them that the two sins which caused Our Lord´s anger were the failure to keep Sundays holy, and the habit of swearing, especially by the Holy Name of Jesus. She explained how the potatoes had been spoiled in punishment for these sins. She then told them of various misfortunes which would be the consequences of the sins of the people, unless they repented. She admonished them to say their prayers well, explained the punishments which would fall on the people if they continued to sin, and charged them to make her words known to all (except for a Secret, which the children later revealed to the Holy Father, Pope Pius IX). She then, after walking, or gliding along for some distance, rose into the heavens in a globe of light.
"There will be a kind of false peace before the advent of Antichrist. Man's only thought will be upon diversions and amusements. The wicked will indulge in all sorts of sin, but the children of the Holy Church, the children of the Faith, my sincere followers, will wax strong in the love of God and in the virtues that are dear to me. Happy the humble souls that are guided by the Holy Ghost. I will fight with them until they shall have reached the completion of age."
"God is going to punish in a manner without precedence. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth. God is going to exhaust His wrath, and nobody shall be able to evade so many combined evils. At the first stroke of His fulminating sword the mountains and the whole of nature shall shake with terror, because the disorders and crimes of men pierce the very vaults of the Heavens...."
"Many shall abandon the Faith, and great shall be the number of priests and religious who shall separate themselves from the true religion; among these there will be found bishops. Be on your guard against miracle workers, for in that time there shall be the most astounding prodigies which will take place on the earth and in the air. Lucifer, with a very great number of demons will be unchained from Hell. By degrees they shall abolish the Faith, even among persons consecrated to God. They shall blind them in such a manner that, without very special graces, these persons shall imbibe the spirit of those wicked angels. Many religious houses will entirely lose the Faith, and shall be the cause of the loss of many souls. The superiors of religious communities should be cautious in regard to those they receive into the community, for the devil will use all malice to bring persons of evil into the orders."
"The earth shall abound with evil men and the spirit of darkness shall spread over the earth a universal relaxation about everything relating to the service of God. Satan shall have very great power over nature (permitted by God as a punishment for the crimes of men). Temples will be erected for the worship of demons. Some persons shall be transported from one place to another by these wicked spirits, even some priests, because they will not be animated by the sacred spirit of the Gospel, which is a spirit of humility, charity, and zeal for God's glory."
"Some will make the dead arise and appear as holy persons. The souls of the damned shall also be summoned, and shall appear as united to their bodies (such persons, resurrected by the power of the demons, shall appear as holy persons, in order more easily to deceive. These self-styled resuscitated persons shall be nothing but demons in human form. In this way they shall preach a gospel contrary to that of Jesus Christ, denying the existence of Heaven)."
"In every place there shall be seen extraordinary prodigies, because the true Faith has been extinguished, and a pale light shines in the world.... TREMBLE, oh earth! And tremble also you who profess to serve Jesus Christ, but inwardly worship yourselves, for God has delivered you to His enemies, because corruption is in the holy places.... the abomination shall be seen in holy places, in convents, and then the demon shall make himself the king of hearts."
"Together with the Antichrist the demons will work great false miracles on earth and in the air. Voices will he heard in the air. (False apparitions?) Then men will desert religion and become worse and worse. They will let themselves be deceived because they refused to adore the true Christ who lives bodily amongst them (the Holy Eucharist)."
"A certain precursor of Antichrist, together with his followers from many nations, will oppose the real Christ, the only Savior of the world. He will endeavor to eliminate the adoration of God in order to be considered as God himself.... Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of Anti-Christ.... see, here is the Beast with its subjects that claims to be the Savior of the world. Proudly it rises in the air to go straight to Heaven, but it will be strangled by the Archangel Michael and cast down. And the earth, which for three days has been in continuous convulsions, will open her fiery jaws and swallow him with all his cohorts forever into its hellish abyss. Eventually water and fire will cleanse the earth and the works of human pride will be destroyed and all will be renewed. Then will all serve God and glorify Him."
"The just will have much to suffer; their prayers, works of penance, and tears will ascend to Heaven. All of God's people will cry for forgiveness and grace and beg my help and intercession. Then, by a special act of His Justice and Mercy, Jesus Christ will command His angels to deliver all His enemies to death... all persecutors of the Church and all evil doers will suddenly perish.... Jesus Christ will be served, adored, and glorified. Everywhere love of neighbor will begin to flourish. The new kings will be on the right hand of the Church which will grow strong, and which will be humble, pious, poor, zealous and followers of the virtues. Everywhere the Gospel will be preached, people will make great progress in the Faith; there will be unity among the laborers of Jesus Christ, and people will live in the fear of God."
"I address an urgent appeal to the earth. I call upon the true disciples of the living God Who reigns in the Heavens; I call upon the true imitators of Christ made Man, the only true Savior of mankind; I call upon my children, those who are truly devoted to me, those who have offered themselves to me, that I may lead them to My Son, those who have been animated by my spirit. finally, I call upon the apostles of the latter days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, who have lived despising the world and themselves, in poverty and humility, in silence and contempt, in prayer and mortification, in chastity and union with God, in suffering and unknown to the world... to go forth and manifest yourselves as my beloved children; I am with you and within you, so that your Faith may be light which illumines you in these unhappy days, and that your zeal may make you long for the glory and honor of the Most High. Fight, ye children of Light! Combat ye small band that can see, for this is the time of times, the end of ends."