We are in France, in 1914.
World War I has begun; German soldiers, far outnumbering the French, are threatening to invade Paris and take over the country.
The Miracle of the Marne
Marshal Foch was in command of the Ninth Army at the time. He rallied his men in this deadly and highly unequal battle. Indeed, the Germans outnumbered the French and fought valiantly. The French soldiers were exhausted. They were running low on ammunition, unlike the Germans, who, thanks to their powerful weaponry, were poised to reach the capital. All the conditions were in place for the Germans to emerge victorious from this terrible battle!
And yet… Against all expectations, just as they were advancing without a hitch, suddenly, on September 8—the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin—they all, as one, began to retreat!
Surprised by this completely unexpected and inexplicable reversal, the French won the Battle of the Marne, which became famous as the “Miracle of the Marne,” as reported in the newspapers of the time.
What happened then to cause the Germans to retreat en masse in this way?
Several newspapers of the time explained it based on the confessions of a German priest who was wounded during the battle and taken prisoner by the French. Before dying in a French ambulance where nuns were present, he told them:
“As a soldier, I should remain silent; as a priest, I feel I must tell what I saw. During the Battle of the Marne, we were surprised to be driven back. For we were a vast army compared to the French, and we fully expected to reach Paris. But we saw the Blessed Virgin, dressed entirely in white with a blue sash, leaning toward Paris… She had her back to us, and with her right hand, she seemed to be pushing us back… What I am telling you, you will no doubt hear others say later, for there may be as many as 100,000 of us who saw her.”
Around the time this German priest was speaking these words, two German officers—prisoners of war like him and wounded—entered a French Red Cross infirmary. A nurse who spoke German accompanied them. When they entered a room where there was a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, they looked at each other and said: “Oh, the Virgin of the Marne!”
Our Lady of the Marne
Another nun, a nurse, recounts:
“It was after the Battle of the Marne. Among the wounded being treated at the infirmary in Issy-les-Moulineaux was a German soldier who was very seriously injured and considered beyond hope. Thanks to the care he received, he lived for more than a month. He was Catholic and expressed deep feelings of faith. He received the sacraments and didn’t know how to show his gratitude. He often said, ‘I’d like to do something to thank you.’ Finally, on the day he received the Last Rites, he said to the nurses: “You have cared for me with great charity; I want to do something for you by telling you something that does not reflect well on us but that will please you. In this way, I will pay back a little of my debt… If I were at the front, I would be shot, for it has been forbidden, on pain of death, to reveal what I am about to tell you. You were surprised by our sudden retreat when we reached the gates of Paris… We couldn’t go any further: a Virgin… Yes, a Virgin… stood before us, arms outstretched, pushing us back every time we received the order to advance…
For several days, we didn’t know if it was one of your national saints: Geneviève or Joan of Arc… Then we realized it was the Blessed Virgin who was holding us in our tracks. On September 8, she drove us back with such force that all of us, as one, fled.”
Our Lady of Lourdes thus repelled a German army poised to win victory over France. The statue of Our Lady of the Marne, erected afterward, still stands as a testament to this today!
Marshal Foch Relyed on Children’s Prayers
But why did Our Lady intervene in this way to save our country?
Well, here’s why: Marshal Foch, who commanded that battle, relied on the prayers of children!
Often, in the villages near the front, he would gather the little ones who were playing in the town squares and lead them to the church, where, kneeling among them, he would have them recite a few Hail Marys.
He did not merely ask for prayers; he himself was a man of prayer.
The Blessed Mother did not disappoint the trust that Marshal Foch had placed in her. Newspaper reports published in early September 1914 referred to the Miracle of the Marne.
But why is this Blessed Virgin the one from Lourdes, as the German soldiers testified?
Marshal Foch’s mother knew Saint Bernadette, whom she had accompanied to the grotto at Lourdes.
“It is from my mother that I inherited my faith in Our Lady. I have recited my entire Rosary every day of my life.”
“Even on days of great battle?” he was asked.
“I needed it even more then. Many times I found myself surrounded. So I clung to her, just as a two-year-old clings to his mother, and she always saved us!”
On September 30, 1919, Marshal Foch knelt before the grotto at Lourdes to thank Our Lady for the triumph of the armies. He offered her his victory as a tribute.
“Those who pray take the salvation of their country into their own hands; they are my strength,” he wrote to a family member!