Little Gilles Bouhours -The 5 year old who delivered a heavenly message to the Pope

Little Gilles Bouhours (1944-1960)--The 5 year old boy who delivered a purported heavenly message to Pope Pius XII for the dogma of the Assumption in 1950

"The Blessed Virgin Mary did not die; She ascended to Heaven with Her body and soul" -Message from five year old Gilles Bouhours given to Pope Pius XII during a special private audience.

In 1950, as Pope Pius XII was preparing to promulgate the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, he privately prayed to God for a sign, to confirm that the proposed dogma was indeed God's holy will. This is the story of what was believed to be heavens remarkable answer to the Pope's prayer.

Baby Gilles is reportedly miraculously cured at age 9 months through the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux
Gilles Bouhours was born in Mayenne, France on November 27, 1944, on the feast of the Miraculous Medal. He was the third of five children. His father, Gabriel Bouhours was a plumber, and his mother Madeleine was a housewife. Remarkably, God intervened very early in Gilles' existence. At the age of nine months, he was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis (meningitis with encephalitis), an illness that was often fatal at that time. The local physician, Dr. Dives, who was first consulted then sent them to a specialist in Bordeaux. The diagnosis was the same. In that year, penicillin was just starting to be tested on several patients with meningitis in Germany and in the USA, but for little Gilles in France there were no really effective medicines to combat the disease.
St Therese reportedly intercedes for Gilles

A Little Sister of the Poor nun who was a friend of the family gave the family two relic prayer cards to place under baby Gilles pillow, while praying for his healing; one was a relic card of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1896), and the other was of Father Daniel Brottier (1876-1936), of the Congregation of Saint-Esprit, a former missionary in Africa and director of the Orphelins Apprentis d'Auteuil (home for orphans) in Paris. Three nights pass without any noticeable improvement being felt. 

On the fourth night, the exhausted parents dozed off, and when the awoke they found Gilles without any pain, breathing and behaving normally, with the fever completely gone, without explanation. 
"A redness in the form of a "T" (Cross) was visible on each cheek" later explained his parents. Add to all this another strange fact captured their attention: While they found the image of Father Brottier intact under baby Gilles pillow, that of St. Therese of Lisieux was missing its relic--only the two red threads holding her relic were found after a through search of the crib and the floor. For Madeleine and Gabriel Bouhours, this was a sign that the "little Thérèse" had interceded with God for the healing of their child. Events later in Gilles life would later seemingly confirm this conclusion.

The beginning of the apparitions- The Virgin Mary reportedly appears to little Gilles
In September 1947 the Bouhours family was living in Arcachon, France. Little Gilles was two years and ten months, and is described as your average child, seemingly no different than other boys of his age. On September 30, 1947 he reportedly had his first appearance of the Virgin Mary, with more to soon follow. The child states that the Virgin Mary asked him to go to a place called Espis, (France) where there were news reports of three children--and soon afterwards a 40 year old man--who had reportedly been seeing the Virgin Mary since one year prior (1946). His parents were uncertain about Gilles visions, but his father manages to locate the place on a road map, and he decides to take a ride there by himself to visit the place, as requested by the Lady in Gilles apparition.



Gilles Bouhours on February 13, 1948
The purported visionaries of Espis and their association with little Gilles
Located in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne in the Diocese of Montauban, Espis is the place where in August 1946 there began reports of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The events were soon investigated by the Diocese, and on December 12, 1946 the local Bishop first related his initial opinion that the apparitions "were not true". While Bishop Théas initial judgment pertained primarily to the other visionaries of the place, Gilles later was swept up in the affair, and was essentially implicated because of his association with the place, as the reader shall soon see, but nevertheless the Pope would soon receive little Gilles on two occasions, as the reader will also soon see.

On August 22, 1946, Claudine and Nadine Combalbert were watching a flock of geese in Bois d'Espis. On this day they reportedly suddenly saw a "lady dressed in black," with a "dress adorned with daisies." The next day (Aug. 23) the "Lady" appears to the two of them again, and this time a third child is present. The news soon spreads across the countryside like wildfire. 

Then on August 31, a forty year old man also alleges visions of the Virgin who purportedly says:
"I am the Immaculate Conception." 
A group of nuns soon gets involved, and the place suddenly turns into a whirlwind of excitement and what could be described as excessive religious fervor.

But back to our story, Gilles father, Gabriel Bouhours, once he got to Espis, asked one of the purported visionaries to come with him to confirm or disprove the words of his son. And so it was that on the evening of September 30, 1947, one of the girl visionaries came to the Bouhours family home to visit with little Gilles. 

According to her testimony, in the garden of the family house she saw the Blessed Virgin in the aspect of Our Lady of Lourdes. When Gilles father Gabriel and three of his children, including Gilles arrive, only the latter reportedly sees the beautiful Lady. He declares: "Our Lady is on the water. She splits the water with a stick. I see two sticks in the sky. "

He describes Mary with a "hood" meaning that she is wearing a veil over her head. He was asked to explain the "sticks": "This is how the sticks," he retorts with his child vocabulary, using his hands to try to explain what in reality was a cross. Then he goes on to describe something terrible: a "yellow smoke" rises in the sky and Virgin "weeps". 

Thanks to the testimonies gathered on the spot and the notes taken immediately thereafter by the parents of Gilles, we have in pretty good detail the various purported appearances of Mary with their child on this day, and on many occasions in the future. A few days later on October 2, 1947, Gilles reportedly sees the Virgin "bleeding" abundantly.
"Did you get a boo boo?" he asks Her innocently. "Did you fall into some sticks? Here is my hankerchief […]. Blessed Virgin, come next to me, give me your hand [...] Dad and mom are here" (referring to his parents). The freshness and child like simplicity of such a dialogue is striking and seemingly correspond to other apparitions of the Virgin Mary to children in other places.

On the 4th and 6th of October, 1947 the Virgin reportedly appeared briefly to Gilles. On October 13th (Feast of Fatima), at around 5pm the Lady in the apparition returns for the first time to the subject of Espis. "Oh! The Blessed Virgin!' Gilles states. The apparition asks him to go and pray in the woods (at Espis), in a place where a "spring" will later flow. At 6:30 pm, the Lady appears a second time to Gilles, this time surrounded by about thirty people. The Lady in the vision asks him to present to Her the rosaries that some people had given to him, that She might bless them, and She then asks that the people pray together a decade of the rosary for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

St Therese of Lisieux reportedly makes an appearance
On the 8th of December 1947, he sees a "great cross" in the heavens. Two days later, on December 10th, St. Therese of Lisieux reportedly appears to him with a big smile, and according to Gilles, St Therese "tosses flowers towards him", which of course calls to mind St Therese's promise before her death that from heaven she would "let fall a shower of roses." 

Gilles first visit to Espis
Gilles visited Espis for the first time on October 13, 1947, and the Virgin Mary leads him to a place in the woods where a spring would begin to flow. On January 13, 1948, the Virgin appears to Gilles twice in one day, and asks him to pray to the Sacred Heart of Her Son. On February 8, several "crosses in the sky" are observed by the child.

On February 10, 1948 the Bouhours family go on pilgrimage to Lourdes. Gilles has no visions the whole time they were there. This actually helped to further convince his parents and others that there was no external suggestion involved in his visions. While visiting the entire place of Lourdes, Gilles said that all of the various statues and representations made of the Blessed Virgin were indeed beautiful, but "...there are none near as beautiful as I see Her". 

On February 13th, in the place of the future spring he reportedly sees Mary weeping "tears of blood". Gilles then asks his father for water, and after receiving a little holy water in the palm of his hand, he stretches out his hand, and the people present can see Gilles' little hand do as if he was wiping something. Again he asks for water, and the operation repeats itself as if Gilles was wiping the other cheek of the Blessed Virgin, during which time those present did not cease to pray. The apparition ended when Gilles had reportedly finished wiping away the tears of the Blessed Virgin, and the following day She kisses Gilles tenderly in another vision.

On March 13, 1948, Gilles declares "I embraced the Blessed Virgin, but I did not kiss Her." In fact, that spring of 1948 brought some very notable events. On April 13, Gilles reportedly sees the Virgin Mary three times in Espis, and then in May he sees Her in different places--in his room and in the garden of the family house, etc. and "Rains of crosses" are described by the toddler. 

On June 4, 1948, Gilles informed his family concerning the identity of the apparition, saying She was "Holy Mary, Mother of God ", and on June 10th "Holy Mother of Graces". While She often appeared to Gilles on the 13th of each month, June 13 remains a day without appearance. But the family, anxious to obey recent decision of the local Bishop on May 4th concerning the visionaries at Espis (more info about this below), the family decides not to go to Espis, and Gilles reportedly receives a confirmation of this decision in an interior locution. 

On the 24th of June, he said to his mother: "After Sunday the Blessed Virgin will come to see me in our garden. Not today, she does not have time!"
What is She doing then? asks his mother.
"Well, She is not making soup! (apparently referring to his mothers task at the time) She puts flowers in heaven. "

During an apparition on August 13, 1948, a woman gave Gilles three rosaries that she wanted the Virgin Mary to bless. Gilles gave them back to her saying that the Virgin would not bless them because they were already blessed. Soon afterwards Gilles father found the woman and asked her if it was true that the rosaries were already blessed, and the woman confirmed that they were, and that she did not realise that the Virgin would therefore not be able to bless them.
[Editors note: This purported "blessing" of items by the Blessed Virgin Mary has occurred during other reported apparitions, for example at Garabandal. This writer recalls one instance where a person protested that the Blessed Virgin  does not have the power to bless items in Jesus Name, stating that only priests and deacons can do so. This writer will reply that if the Church recognizes that in an emergency situation, any person can baptize another person, which literally confers a Sacrament upon another person, then certainly the Mother of Jesus, born without Original sin and having given birth to the Son of God, can "sanctify" and perform a simple blessing upon an item in Her Sons holy Name. Either way, in an of itself I personally would not find this alone to have sufficient grounds to dismiss any purported apparition. -Glenn Dallaire] 

The Bishops ruling concerning the principle visionaries at Espis
Feeling compelled to intervene because of the news reports and excitement being generated by the various visionaries at Espis, the diocese conducts an investigation, and on December 12, 1946, Bishop Théas, the then Bishop of Montauban, writes in a private correspondence that these appearances "are not true" and that it is all an "Illusion", and six months later, on May 4, 1947, the bishop publishes an official negative judgment, suspending "a divinis" any priest who celebrates Mass there. Around this time, the Lady confirms the bishops decision by telling Gilles that no Masses should be celebrated in Espis, out of obedience to the local Bishops recent decision

After the departure of Monsignor Theas for the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes, his successor, Monsignor Courrèges, establishes a commission of inquiry on February 1, 1950. Its conclusions are in summary "Auto suggestion and hallucinations " excluding any possibility of a "supernatural origin". 

Although Gilles was not one of the original or principle visionaries at Espis, he was nevertheless caught up in the affair due to visit that one of the principle visionaries had made to his home, and also the subsequent visits that he himself had made there after the bishops decision, which it should be pointed out was due to the expressed request by the Lady Herself in one of his early visions. Essentially he was "guilty by association", as the expression goes. 

The fact remains however that the bishops official ruling concerning the visionaries at Espis was on May 4th, 1947, and Gilles himself did not visit Espis until October 13th of that year, so the bishops decision concerning the authenticity of the alleged apparitions there obviously did not pertain to Gilles apparitions in any way. Its difficult to understand the designs of God in such matters, but the fact remains that even after the local bishops ruling, which was acknowledged by the Vatican, Gilles was nevertheless granted two separate private audiences with the Pope, as the reader will discover below. One can assume that while the some of the newspapers later implicated Gilles in the events at Espis, some at the high levels in Rome knew the facts of the timeline, and how to separate the wheat from the tares.

Biblical style visions of St Michael the Archangel
On August 15, 1948, a vision was imposed on the almost 4 year old child. He describes it with his pictorial words:
"I see big button [the earth] and, above, a big beast, like a lizard with a big tail and big legs wrapped around it. Not far away, I see a gentleman with feathers on his back." 

Without perhaps knowing it, Gilles has just described, in an original way, the archangel Saint Michael and the figure of satan influencing this world. On that day, Mary, dressed in blue but without a veil, asked him to follow the procession organized by the pilgrims of Espis and to sing "Chez nous que queen". In the weeks that followed, the Virgin asked him "many prayers." 

On October 13, 1948 the apparition revealed to him the "fights" led by the archangel Saint Michael for the benefit of souls. On December 13, Mary confided a "secret" to Gilles for the Pope, and for the Pope only. His father asks for explanations, and he answers: "She told me something [to tell the Pope] and if I told you it would be two sins" (leaving some to conclude that the secret might actually have contained two parts.)

One thing now occupies the little mind of Gilles: To go to Rome where "the one who replaces Jesus on earth" lives [the pope]. According to the testimony, in early 1949 the child participates in Lent in a remarkable manner, considering he is only just four years old. 

On May 13, 1949 he allegedly sees the Virgin present along the Way of the Cross, and feels in himself some of the pains experienced by Jesus. On June 12, Gilles receives his first Holy Communion in a climate of simplicity and spiritual devotion. During summer 1949, Gilles continues to recieve apparitions and locutions on the 13th of each month, with two additional visions on August 15th. 

Little miracle of the two turtle doves
On July 13, 1949 during a vision Gilles offers the Blessed Virgin a pair of turtle doves that a lady had bought to him for the Blessed Virgin. Gilles offers them by releasing them, but they do not fly away and on the contrary, the male flies over to the foot of the altar, and grabs a flower that is about 20 to 25 centimeters long, and holding it in its beak he flies back to Gilles, cooing and turning in front of him, and then finally he lays it before him. Needless to say those who witnessed this were utterly amazed by the event.

On November 13, 1949, the Virgin, after asking for prayers for all the sick, said, "Gilles, you must go to Rome to see the Pope. " 

Trips to Rome -First audience with Pope Pius XII
After repeated requests by the Lady of the visions and Gilles insistence, a first trip to Rome is organized, despite financial difficulties regarding the cost of the trip, for they were a family of very modest means. Because of this, only Gilles and his father went. On December 12, 1949 Gilles and his father were able to meet Pope Pius XII in a semi-private audience, but on that day the child does not give the Pope the secret of the Lady, because he is not alone with the Pope, as requested by the Madonna. Gilles is disappointed, but insistent that he must deliver the message privately.

So, a second trip begins to be organized, but soon afterwards some bad news reaches the family by post: because of the local Bishops decision concerning the various purported apparitions at Espis, it was stated that the Holy Father can not grant a second hearing to Gilles. Eight days later, after the Lady of the apparition again asked Gilles to go to the Vatican to inform the pope of the "secret", within days the various roadblocks seem to mysteriously disappear. Somehow, the obstacles were cleared at the highest levels of the Vatican. 
"Le Petit Gilles" book by Fr. Marius Jean

Second private audience with the Pope
Gilles and his father leave for Rome in late April, and on May 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII received Gilles in a private audience, with only five year old Gilles and the Sovereign Pontiff present. Of this private encounter very little has been revealed. One matter of note was the fact that little Gilles was presented to the Pope by Cardinal Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. Gilles father, Gabriel Bouhours, described the scene in a picturesque way:
"At around 10:30am, we entered the Vatican, where prelates of His Holiness bring us into a room. A Bishop said "Put the child on the chair. We will leave him alone with the Holy Father. " 
As soon as the latter entered, the prelates withdrew, and Gilles remained alone with Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius reappeared shortly afterwards with Gilles, who joyfully clapped his hands and cheered: 'Vive le Papa!' After the audience, and now freed from all constraints, the dear child revealed his secret to several people."

On June 10, 1950, a journalist from the 'Giornale d'Italia' published a long article entitled: "A little Frenchman of five years speaks to the Pope." 
This article quoted the famous "secret" of Gilles: "The Blessed Virgin Mary did not die; She ascended into heaven with her body and soul."

Other notable persons met "little Gilles" on the occasion of his trip to Rome, particularly Fr. Gabrielle Roschini, well known for being a great mariologist and professor at the Lateran University, and expert at the Second Vatican Council. At this time of meeting with Gilles he was one of the key individuals charged with preparing the dogmatic text of the Assumption. He describes his interview with Gilles: "I do not know what impression was produced on the Sovereign Pontiff concerning the "secret" of the Blessed Virgin. Speaking with the child before the pontifical audience, I had found little Gilles hermetically closed, and numerous other persons had not been successful either. He defended himself by saying that the Blessed Virgin had commanded to say it first, before anyone else, to the pope. And little Gilles did so. After the private audience he revealed it to me, as well as to several other people." 

Subsequently to Gilles private meeting with the Pope, several articles appeared in various newspapers, thus the case of "Little Gilles" became known. The profound accord between the content of this sentence given by Gilles to the Pope and the dogma of the Assumption, as well as the proximity of the dates between the hearing granted to Gilles (May 1, 1950), and the proclamation of this dogma on August 15th, 1950 could not fail to strike deeply into the minds and hearts of many.


Remarkably, according to several well-informed sources, it was reported that Pope Pius XII had in fact asked God for a sign to confirm that the proposed dogma of the Assumption was in accord with the will of God.  And so it was that members of his close entourage, as well as several people outside the Vatican, did not fail to identify this "sign" as being the private revelation of the child. One can only assume that the Pope did also.

More details concerning Gilles visions
While the mission of Gilles was realized in his delivery of heavens message to the Pope, from 1950 to 1958 Gilles continued to be visited by the Blessed Virgin at regular intervals. On May 13, 1950, he announced: "On June 13, I am to wear a white alb, and I will have to walk barefoot, like the little Jesus, for the conversion of sinners."

In fact, newspaper photographs have immortalized this moment (see photo above).

Gilles brother gives us an brief idea of what "little Gilles" was like during his childhood:
"He was often available for any sacrifice, small or great, in order always to please the Blessed Virgin or the "Little Jesus". He often deprived himself of sweets and he helped at home even when he would have preferred to come play with us. Gilles was often for us an example to follow both spiritually and in everyday life; he accepted everything and offered to the Good Lord and the Blessed Virgin all his sufferings, especially during the winter period when his hands and tip of his feet were deformed by very strong chilblains, but he never had a word to complain."

On November 5, 1954, during a Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart, the child sees the Virgin Mary whom very noticeably bows during the moment of the Consecration. Similarly, at the beginning of the 20th century we discover that Father John Lamy also saw the Virgin Mary bow during the Mass at the moment of the Consecration. On the 13th of January, February and March 1955, for the first time Gilles saw "brilliant golden rays emanating forth from the joined hands of the Blessed Virgin". On March 20, 1957, Gilles is sad because the Lady tells him:
"Gilles, soon I will not come to see you anymore".

The apparitions detailed in this article are only a brief highlight and summary of some of the purported visions given to Gilles. There were in fact many more apparitions than what is summarized here. While it was the Blessed Virgin Mary that reportedly appeared to Gilles most often, the were quite a few times where She was holding the Child Jesus in Her arms, and this is why Gilles often referred to Jesus as "Little Jesus".  He also had visions of St Joseph, St Therese of Lisieux, and St Bernadette, each of who accompanied the Blessed Virgin on different occasions. When he saw Angels, he described them as being dressed in either white, blue or pink. 


On August 15, 1958, the Virgin appeared to him for the last time. A year and a half later Gilles passed from this life to eternity on February 26, 1960. He was 15 years old. He died after a short illness of 48 hours. Some in the medical field said it was a crisis of uremia, while others said it was acute asthma, but ultimately there was no precise explanation. Yet another remarkable thing happened at the moment when Gilles gave his soul to God--A flock of birds of all sorts came and fluttered around the window of his room and engaged in a melodious chirping, which lasted a few moments, enough for the people around the bed of Gilles to be fascinated and astonished by the sight, and afterwards report it.
-Little Gilles Bouhours, pray for us!
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29 comments:

José Luis said...

This is what is a bit frustrating about private revelation: there are so many contradictions to make your head spin. It was expressly revealed to other holy mystics that the blessed Virgin DID DIE. That she didn't have to die, but that in her ardent desire to imitate her Divine Son in ALL things, she wanted to drink of the bitter cup of death, and die just like her Son and be able to offer her death also for the salvation of sinners, just like her Son. And that God granted her this wish.

Either this boy was wrong or the other mystics were wrong. Both cannot be correct. Either the Blessed Virgin died or she did not. It can't be both. Both can't be telling the true. I piously believe that she died, in order to be the most perfect imitator and follower of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glenn Dallaire said...


Hi Jose,
Some of the Eastern Churches along with the Orthodox believe in the "Dormition" of Mary, meaning that She did not die, but fell into a sort of sleep or "dormant" state, prior to being taking up into heaven. This obviously would conform to Gilles and other visionaries statements who profess that She did NOT die, but at the same time by all appearances such a state of dormition would on the surface seem as if She was dead, so one could certainly envision both conclusions.

Thanks for you comment! May God bless you and your loved ones.
Glenn Dallaire

Anonymous said...

Pax Christi!

Any news update about whether the cause of beautification for Gilles Bouhours has gone through to Rome, for his heroic virtue of life? Is there a book in English detailing his brief life?

Thank you for detailing briefly about Gilles which went through to my email addy.

Thank you and God bless!

Glenn Dallaire said...


Hi Anonymous (directly above),
To reply to your questions, I searched the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and I do not see any cause for beautification/canonisation for Gilles thusfar, but there has been some informal requests amongst the faithful, like here for example.

As for books and other information in English, unfortunately there are no books in English at this time, but there are several books in French, and it is this writers hope that someone might translate one of the several French books about Gilles into English, God willing.

In fact, it seems that at this juncture this present article is the only information in English about Gilles on the internet, as this article above was specifically translated for this website.

Thanks for commenting and may God bless you and your loved ones,
Glenn Dallaire

Anonymous said...

I feel the same. She so perfectly imitated her Divine Son. Surely she would imitate Him in this also.

Joseph J. said...


Jose Luis,
I'm curious: I can't recall in the writings of any of the mystics that I have read where they described that the Blessed Virgin died. I only recall those describing her going into a sleep state just prior to being taking up into heaven (what is defined as the "dormition"). Can you point to the mystics that you are referring to that have said that she died?
Thanks,
Joseph J.

Unknown said...

The Orthodox often uses the term "falling asleep" to describe a Christian's death. For example, 'Bishop John fell asleep in the Lord on Aug 12, 2017." One needs to be extremely careful about "private revelation" which can often be in error. No dogma of the Catholic Church is based on private revelations but on sacred scripture and Holy Tradition which is an infallible source of truth protected by the magisterium.

Stephen Ho said...

Regarding the DEATH OF OUR LADY as reported by three mystics :

(1)

As reported by Venerable Maria De Agreda in “The Mystical City Of God”,
Volume IV :

http://www.themostholyrosary.com/mystical-city-vol-iv.pdf

The Death Of Mary …….. page 620

The soul of Mary leaves her body and goes to heaven, after which her soul returns to her body and she assumes into heaven body and soul ….. page 641

(2)

As reported by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich from page 222 onwards in the following book :

http://www.acatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Life-of-Blessed-Virgin-Mary.pdf

(3)

As reported by Maria Valtorta on November 21, 1951 :

http://valtorta.org/assumption_of_mary_defaultpage.asp

Glenn Dallaire said...


Concerning whether our Lady actually died or not, the Church has not officially addressed this particular issue. It seems to me that what many of the purported mystics of the Church that I have read have described would fall in line quite well with the "Dormition", or state of deep sleep.

For example, in the purported vision that Maria Valtorta was given, she concludes that while it appears to her that some days have passed:
"...But Mary's body is exactly the same as it was when She breathed Her last. There is no trace of death on Her face or on Her little hands. There is no unpleasant smell in the room..."

Since in the Book of Genesis we read that death is one of the consequences of Original sin, and since the Church officially teaches that She was born without Original sin (dogma of the Immaculate Conception) thus the Eastern Catholic Churches, along with the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox commemorate also the Dormition or "falling asleep" on August 15.

Nevertheless, Catholics are free to come to their own conclusions in this particular regard, since there is no official teaching of the Church on this specific matter.

May God bless all who visit here.
Glenn Dallaire

Stephen Ho said...

Maria Valtorta clarifies the matter here :

18th April 1948.

Mary says:

« Did I die? Yes, if you call death the separation of the choice part of the spirit from the body. No, if by death you understand the separation of the vivifying soul from the body, the corruption of the flesh no longer vivified by the soul, and before that, the lugubrious sepulchre, and before all these things, the pangs of death.

How did I die, or better, how did I pass from the Earth to Heaven, first with My immortal part, then with the perishable one? As it was fair for Her Who did not become acquainted with the stain of sin.

( report truncated due to word limit)

Stephen Ho said...

( CONTINUATION)

When I was taken out of the little house by the angels, had My spirit already come back to Me? No. My spirit was not to descend again on the Earth. It was, adoring, before the Throne of God. But when the Earth, the exile, the time and the place of the separation from My One and Trine Lord were left for ever, My spirit came back to shine in the centre of My soul, drawing the flesh from its sleep. So it is just to say that I ascended to Heaven in body and soul, not through My own capability, as it happened for Jesus, but through angelic help. I awoke from that mysterious and mystic sleep, I rose, I flew finally, because by now My flesh had achieved the perfection of glorified bodies. And I loved. I loved My Son, Whom I found again, and My Lord, One and Trine, I loved Him as is the destiny of all the eternal living beings. »

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

In many of the recorded near death experiences persons are declared to have died (bodily) by the medical professionals only to have the soul return, after experiencing moments of heavenly visions, seeing the Light which is declared to be Jesus, shown hell and various levels of purgatory and heaven...to a point....and receiving messages about what is expected of them when they return to their bodies. Obviously then there is the witnessed "death" by some and the witnessed return of the soul to the body and even a quick healing of that body or returning to the pain of that sick body with a new realization about the Truth of life.

Scripture has Jesus speaking about "death" as what comes to the soul through sin....not just the death of the body as assumed by most.

And since death came to defective human nature because of the sin of the first parents...and was never intended by God's Divine Will....giving us another chance through the One whose Fiat blessed her children, such a One, due to not having such sin upon her soul, would qualify for not undergoing the kind of death that those with the results of that sin would have to undergo. In some sense the Mother herself died with her Son at the moment of His death from the crucifixion. Either way it takes nothing away from the Truth of the mysteries surrounding her life. And certainty of such events, materially, perhaps can only be explained to human satisfaction not in this world's comprehension but only in the next. Normally regular death includes the body's decomposition/corruption. So in this case no one should be looking for any body of the Virgin buried anywhere! And perhaps that is also the point of this child's given explanation of "death" not taking place.

Maria Francesca said...

Thnx Glenn for this article..
It's been an interesting read. May Mother Mary continue to pray for us all to believe in her Son. Little Gilles do pray for us too...

Glenn Dallaire said...


I'm glad to hear that you found the article inspiring. Thanks for your comment!
-Glenn

Anonymous said...

Little Gilles Bouhours, pray for us!

Anonymous said...

God the Father told The Virgin Mary when she was going to Heaven at age 69, 11 months, 7 days. Mary asked if she can have the same death as her son Jesus, God granted this request. When the time came all of the Apostles and disciples were there Jesus came down to bring her spirit to Heaven the Father called for her to rise up, then Jesus, then her Spouse....The vision I had was of the Apostles carrying her on a platform she was dressed in Blue and I have seen Jesus with the procession...The first part of this comment was documented in "The City of God" Mary's story the second part of this comment was a vision I had of this procession....

Michael Egan said...

This is so touching and beautiful.

Anonymous said...

So she only appeared to die, like Juliet appeared to be dead to Romeo? She died; she was a human being, not divine. Only God is Divine.

Anonymous said...

We see things but dimly now, but later we shall see Him as He is, for we shall be like Him...


I am grateful for the clarification of Maria Valtorta posted by Mr. Ho. Mary's humility would have her follow her Son in death. Her complete immersion in His Divine Will would have her rise above her death, as He did His.

Here is the great mystery of the Christian faith: Jesus came to divinize humanity. He was completely successful with His Blessed Mother, preserved from Original Sin from the moment of her Immaculate Conception by the prevenient grace of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

All that God is by NATURE, Mary is by GRACE. Her human nature rests completely and without stain on the Divinity of God...thus, she is divinized, as Christians all hope to be. This is why she is our life, our sweetness, and our HOPE. We see in her the fulfillment of God's Mercy and Love.

God bless!

(And God the author of this wonderful website!)

Anonymous said...

You must believe dogma. She did not die. She was born without original sin and therefore would not undergo human death but fell into a deep sleep and assumed body and soul. As a devout Catholic (not being a member of the satanic Vatican II novus ordo missae “church”) you either believe this to be true without doubt or you are not a true Catholic.

Anonymous said...

She was born without original sin therefore she would not suffer the punishment of human death. Agreed, Mary is not divine and must not be worshipped, but loved.

Anonymous said...

I have always heard that the blessed virgin Mary went into a deep sleep, though it looked like she died, because there was a passage in the bible where someone was said to have died and Jesus said, no the person was asleep, and told the child to rise, i think its the same with the blessed virgin, her spirit was apart from her body but her body was not dead, like it is said, jesus and Mary where never apart, even when he ascended to heaven he was always with his mother and his mother was also with him, she couldn't have died in the same manner as we sinners, since she was herself without sin, Jesus himself had conquered death in the resurrection,..This is just my understanding and I think that is what the boy meant by mary did not die, truly she went to heaven with her body and soul, Just like Elijah

Unknown said...

Just because Mary wanted to imitate her son by dying, if she desired this, doesn't mean that should could make it happen. God chooses how someone takes their last breath. Mary could not have made herself die like her son just because she may have desired it. I think she probably did not die, because if she did then her soul would have departed her body and her body and soul would not have ascended together unless her soul came back into her body. Her soul did not ascend without a soul, that would not be glorious. If it did, her body would be reunited with her soul when the body arrived in Heaven.

Anonymous said...

Remember that TIME is not the same in heaven as on Earth. God Transcends time, so before, after, during, now later, today tomorrow, these words have no context for the Saints (Padre Pio being in two places at one "Time"), especially then our Blessed Mother. For her, dying then rising, or rising then dying , or any earthly concept of order of events would not apply.

Anonymous said...

There's probably a "translation" of meaning error in play here with the story of the 5 year old and what was said in an article. Mary DID die, but her body was assumed into heaven afterwards. Therese Neumann (who lived on the Eucharist alone for over 35 years) clearly described her visions of the beautiful scenes surrounding the "passing away" of Mary, while by St. John and the other apostles gathered in Jerusalem (she was no ill, and this was God's grace of taking her in their presence). After burial her body was assumed without view, and the apostles discover the burial wrappings when they go back as though 3 dimensional similar to paper mache still elevated like, as the jews were wrapped as even the story of lazarus portrays. So there was witness in the early church of how the Virgin Mary's body was assumed to Heaven just as Neuman sees with jesus and the angels, in this triumphant moment of the Queen of Heaven given special privilege. Buy the book reprinted "The visions of Therese Neumann" to read all the descriptive detail of the tomb and passing of Mary, and her assumption. The tomb of Mary I personally visited in Jerusalem is located in the same area described by Neumann. Also, despite Emmerich and Bretano abberations of the truth, Mary did NOT die in Ephesus, despite having lived there with St. John. She returned to Jerusalem and at that time Our Lord favored the apostles and early Christian supporters the opportunity to be with Mary near the time of her departure from earth, and how many years she fostered the early Church (around 15 years after Jesus' death).

Anonymous said...

The DOGMA itself for reference

https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html

...God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul.

5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the CORRUPTION of the GRAVE, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.

6. Thus, when it was solemnly proclaimed that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the minds of the faithful were filled with a stronger hope that the day might soon come when the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven would also be defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority.

Anonymous said...

Where is your focus in all this? Should our focus not be on Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, does the Word of God not say "EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD" yes we should revere Mary , Chosen by ALMIGHTY GOD, to be the mother of Jesus, BUT our focus should be on our Redeemer, He who sits on the right hand of God, He who was and is and is to come, our Saviour, Who died and Rose on the third day, HE LIVES! Our Redeemer, He who paid the price, who died for our sin, Yes Praise be to God, He Lives, JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! Yes Christ Jesus is my Focus. Blessed be the name of our Lord!. Amen!

Mary Kopydlowski said...

I had a vision of the Blessed Mary Mother of God at a young age. From a child view Mary did not die. From an adult view she did die. The most important is that shes is in Heaven and with her son our Lord Jesus Christ.

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