Saints and Snowdrops

It is always a joy to see the first snowdrops, the heralds of spring. Even though they sometimes show themselves in January they are often known as the Fair Maids of February. In Ireland we say that the Feast of St. Brigid on February 1^st is the first day of spring and as snowdrops appear around this time St. Brigid is often portrayed with them in art. Traditionally snowdrops represent innocence and simplicity as well as new beginnings, hope and the ability to overcome challenges. Perhaps for these reasons they are often used as symbols of sympathy and consolation.

In medieval times snowdrops were usually put on the altar on Candlemas Day, (February 2^nd) to symbolise the purity of Our Lady, and they are sometimes known as Candlemas Bells.

We don’t usually associate St. Therese with snowdrops, but I remember reading about an interesting cure at Gortnamucklagh, Glenties, in Co. Donegal, which involved Therese and snowdrops, it took place the year before her cause for canonisation was introduced. The account was given in a 1913 edition of Showers of Roses. These were books published at least annually by the Carmel of Lisieux in the early twentieth century, quoting from letters sent to the Carmel from people who had received favours from Sister Therese. The letter recounting this cure was written on April 12^th 1913 by Michael McNelis who gave an account of the cure of his wife Mary, who was critically ill after giving birth to a child.

He wrote: My wife was in indifferent health for nearly three years and on January 24^th last she gave birth to a child, which two days later, according to promise, received the name Mary Frances Teresa. However, puerperal fever set in, and finally - it was 2am on the morning of the 27^th - three doctors and the priest thought it was all over. She lingered until the forenoon.

We were making, as you know, a novena to the Little Flower and more than once a remark was passed: “She is so busy, I wonder if she will think of poor Donegal!” Evidently she did think of it and she “came down”, as she promised to do and comforted us all.

About eleven o’clock my little Kathleen, a child of four years, who had promised to make her First Communion in honour of Sister Therese if her mother was cured, came into the house with a bunch of most lovely snowdrops. There were exactly six. She said a nun had given them and had told her to take them to father for mamma and mamma would be cured. The flowers were put into water, but nothing was thought of the “nun” until after a time the room, and even the whole house, began to be filled with a strange, sweet perfume. Snowdrops, of course, have no perfume. However, we traced it to the flowers and then investigated the child’s story.

The nun, according to the little one, came down from the skies and put the flowers in her hand, adding the above message for my dying wife. It seems the apparition was dressed in white; the child also noticed the beauty of the face and the hands and how quickly she flew away when she had delivered her message. I may add that there were no nuns in the neighbourhood and no snowdrops either.

Thank God my wife recovered promptly! One of the doctors had certified that it was an incurable case of infectious septicaemia, but that she now enjoys better health than she has done for two years. After a most careful enquiry we are all convinced the child’s statement was perfectly correct. The flowers retained their wonderful scent for the space of a week. One of the doctors carried off two of them to a friend who was very ill and they perfumed that house also.

See this website for an icon of St Brigid with snowdrops. It is in St Brigid's Church, Kildare: https://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-patroness/the-icon-of-saint-brigid/