The Apparition at La Salette

A Play by Fr. Donald Paradis, M.S.

Parts:

• The Lady
• Maximin
• Melanie
• Pierre Selme
• Narrator One
• Narrator Two

Notes for the director and players:

Suggestions:

• concerning script, this play can be done in different ways:
  • with people memorizing parts
  • with people in pantomime (and all spoken parts read by others)
• concerning staging:
  • props and sounds needed:
    • a seat (for Mary to sit on)
    • the sound of a cow bell: see internet for sound:
    • the sound of a church bell (maybe use your church’s own bell) or see internet for sound: 
  • participants dressed for their parts:
    • Maximin needs a hat and walking stick;
    • Melanie needs a simple lunch bag;
    • Mary can be draped with a cloth apron and have a large La Salette Crucifix around her neck (see the description on page three, #13);
  • regular or stage lights (spotlight?); a spotlight and area lighting allows the projected visuals to be seen clearly;
  • visuals projected (very large) onto a screen behind the actors (these digital visuals are available on our province website;
    • For Apparition Scene: note that it would be very effective if the screen was placed on the side (rear) of the stage; after text #4, the visual #3 is completely black; this allows Mary to take her place up in front of the screen; when visual #4 is shown (the bright sunburst) is shown, Mary will be shown sitting in the bright light;
  • quiet instrumental music (recorded or live) can be used to support the entire play;
  • a good acoustic system needed to allow the actors onstage to be heard (if they speak) and the narrators (and Mary) to be heard offstage.

This play can also be downloaded in PDF format from this link

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(Visual 01: of Alpine Mountains surrounding La Salette; visible as audience enters)

(1) Narrator One:

Our story begins high in the silent and mysterious French Alps.
The towering mountains are wild, lonely and beautiful.

Their peaks stretch upwards—giant fingers of our earth
reaching towards heaven.

Only young shepherds knew the area well.

(2) Narrator Two:

On Saturday, September 19, 1846,
a clear and sunny autumn day,
Maximin Giraud, age eleven,
and Melanie Calvat, age fourteen, 

The girl and boy had met for the first time the day before.

(Visual 02: church steeple in village of La Salette; Sound effects: church bell rings for the Angelus)

(3) Narrator One:

The Angelus rang from the steeple of the village church.
The children led their cows to drink.

(4) Narrator Two:

Then, pelting them with pebbles and sod,
they drove them up to recline on the flanks of Mount Gargas.

(Visual 03: completely black; this gives time for Mary to take her place in front of the darkened screen; Sound effects: church bell rings for the Angelus)

(5) Narrator One:

After their own meager lunch at midday,
Maximin and Melanie were overcome by weariness
and fell into a deep sleep.
An hour or more later, Melanie suddenly awoke and, not seeing the cows, called out to her companion:

(6) Melanie:

Memin, come and see where the cows might have strayed.

(the two children could perhaps climb into a pulpit or some raised object to see Mary seated on the bench)

(7) Narrator Two:

They quickly climbed the hill in front of them.
With relief they caught sight of the small herd
grazing the sparse grass on the opposite side of the knoll.

(Visual 04: bright sunburst; Mary seat in center of visual;
the two children protect their eyes from the bright light;
then they walk over to meet Mary)

(8) Narrator One:

A very bright light was blazing over the bench of stones
where they had sat for lunch.

Before their wondering eyes, the swirling radiance parted
and they saw elbows resting on knees,
a face buried in hands so white –
a woman sitting there – weeping.

(9) Narrator Two:

They were frightened.
Melanie's shepherd staff dropped from her hand,
so alarmed and amazed was she.

(10) Maximin:

Melanie, hold on to your stick; I am keeping mine.
If it tries to do anything to us, I'll give it a good whack.

(11) Narrator One:

The woman rose... tall and regal and stately... and reassured them.

(12) The Lady:

Come near, my children, don’t be afraid.
I am here to tell you great news.

(Mary steps toward children as they approach her)

(13) Narrator Two:

They hurried to her, as she took a few steps towards them.
Over a shining white dress the Lady wore a full-length apron of gold.
Along the border of her white kerchief was a garland of roses,
and on a fine gold chain, a crucifix more resplendent than anything
they had ever seen.

On the left of the crucifix hung a miniature hammer
and on the right, miniature pincers.

(14) Narrator One:

The bright mid-afternoon sun faded
as the children moved into the Lady's brightness.
With rapt attention they looked up into her tear-streaked face.

(15) Narrator Two:

They listened to her words as they watched her weep.

(Mary stands and raises her hand up and outward)

(16) The Lady:

If my people refuse to submit,
I shall be forced to let go the arm of my Son.
It is so strong and so heavy, I can no longer hold it.

(Mary places her hand to her heart)

How long a time I have suffered for you!
If I want my Son not to abandon you,
I must plead with him without ceasing.

(Mary extends her hand to the children)

And as for you, you pay no heed! 

(Visual 05: lit candles)

However much you pray, however much you do, 
you will never be able to repay the pains I have taken for you. 
I gave you six days to work; I kept the seventh for myself, 
and they will not give it to me. 

This is what makes the arm of my Son so heavy. 

And then, those who drive the carts cannot swear 

without bringing in my Son’s name. 

These are the two things which make the arm of my Son so heavy. 

(Visual 06: wheat fields)

If the harvest is ruined, it is only on your account. 

I let you know last year with the harvest. You paid no heed.
Instead, when you found the potatoes spoiled,
you swore, and took the name of my Son in vain.
They are going to continue to spoil,
and by Christmas this year there will be none left.

(Visual 07: potatoes)

(17) Narrator One:

The Lady was speaking French to Maximin and Melanie.
“I gave you warning in the potatoes...
‘pommes de terre’” (pronounced: “pumm der tair”)
she had said.

(18) Narrator Two:

Neither child spoke or understood French.
Melanie did know that pomme
means apple and terre means ground.
She turned to Maximin.

(19) Melanie:

The only apples I know of are on trees—not in the ground.

(20) The Lady:

Ah! Don’t you understand, my children?
Let me find another way to say it.

(21) Narrator One:

the local patois (pronounced pah-twah), she went on:

(22) The Lady:

If you have wheat, you must not sow it.
Anything you sow the insects will eat,
and whatever does come up will fall into dust when you thresh it.

A great famine is coming. Before the famine comes,
children under seven will be seized with trembling
and they will die in the arms of the persons who hold them.

The rest will do penance through the famine.
The walnuts will become worm-eaten, the grapes will rot.

(23) Narrator One:

The Lady whispers a private message to Melanie.

(Melanie places close attention to the Lady
while Maximin occasionally whirls his hat on his stick, etc.)

(24) Narrator Two:

Maximin whirls his hat on his shepherd's staff,
and distractedly kicks pebbles towards the Lady
as she speaks to his companion.

The Lady then whispers a personal message to the boy.
Maximin nods in assent as the Lady speaks to him alone.

(25) Narrator One:

The Lady has confided a personal and separate secret
to each of the children. Then the Lady continues.

(26) The Lady:

If they are converted, rocks and stones
will turn into heaps of wheat,
and potatoes will be self-sown in the fields.

Do you say your prayers well, my children?

(Visual 12: cross against the sky)

(27) Maximin:

Oh, Madam, I don’t.

(28) Melanie:

Not very well, Madam.

(29) The Lady:

Ah! My children, you must say them well at night and in the morning, even if you say only an Our Father and a Hail Mary.
When you can do better, say more.

In the summer, only a few somewhat elderly women go to Mass.
The rest work on Sundays all summer long.
In the winter, when they don’t know what to do,
they go to Mass only to make fun of religion.
In Lent they go to the butcher shop like dogs.

Have you never seen wheat gone bad, children?

(30) Maximin:

No, Madam, I have never seen any.

(Visual 13: window showing Maximin and his father in field of Coin)

(31) The Lady:

But you, my child, surely you must have seen some once,
at Coin, with your father.
The owner of the field told your father to go and see his spoiled wheat. And then you went, and you took two or three ears of wheat in your hands, you rubbed them together, and it all crumbled into dust.

On your way back
when you were no more than a half-hour away from Corps, 
your father gave you a piece of bread and said to you:
‘Here, my child, eat some bread while we still have it this year, 
because I don’t know who will eat any next year
if the wheat keeps up like this.’

(32) Maximin:

Oh, yes, Madam, I remember now.
For a moment I did not recall.

(33) The Lady:

Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.”

(34) Narrator One:

She crosses the brook and walks slowly to the top of the knoll.
Then the Lady concludes with these words:

(Visual 15: longer view of statue of Mary in silhouette at sunset;
Mary steps aside, away from the visual and says:)

(35) The Lady:

Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.

(Visual 16: picture of empty sunset; many lights out; Mary goes offstage;
spotlight only on the two children)

Their Lady vanished.
The children remained in her lingering brightness.
That, too, disappeared.
After a pause, Melanie said:

(37) Melanie:

That was very beautiful.

(38) Maximin:

I wonder who this Lady could be.

(39) Melanie:

She must be a great saint—she rose into the air.

(40) Maximin:

I wouldn't know.

(41) Melanie:

She has to be a great saint.

(42) Maximin:

Had we known, we would have asked her to take us with her.

(43) Melanie:

Maybe she was a queen. A queen is powerful, you know.

(44) Maximin:

Not powerful enough to rise up into the air.
What I found the prettiest was her cross. How about you?

(45) Melanie:

Me? Her kerchief and her cross.

(46) Maximin:

Not her dress?

(47) Melanie:

It was a beautiful dress, so white.
If only she had left me her dress.
It wasn't as lovely as her cross,
but I would have been glad to take it just the same.

(48) Maximin:

I am so happy, Melanie.
She told me something but I can't tell you what it was.

(49) Melanie:

Her lips were moving, but I couldn't hear.

(50) Pierre Selme:

(Offstage, impatiently:)

Memin! Maximin!

(Pierre Selme enters from offstage)

(51) Maximin:

That's Pierre Selme, my master.

(52) Pierre Selme:

Maximin, why didn't you report to me,
where I was mowing hay, as I told you to?

(53) Maximin:

You don't know what happened.

Near the brook we found a Beautiful Lady,
who entertained us for a long time and kept us chatting, Melanie and me.

(54) Pierre Selme:

Make sense, Maximin!

(55) Maximin:

I was afraid at first. 

I didn't dare go get my bread that was near her, on the bench of stones.

(56) Melanie:

But she said to us:
“Do not be afraid, my children, I am here to tell you great news.”

(57) Narrator One:

The children returned to their hamlet
and told what they had seen and heard.

Soon the whole town wanted to hear the story.
Maximin and Melanie would tell that story again and again,
more times than they could count.

(Visual 18: picture of Bishop De Bruillard;
lights go down and children face slide screen
with their back to the audience and remain in place)

(58) Narrator Two:

After five years of careful study and thorough investigation,
the Bishop of Grenoble, in whose Diocese the event had taken place, gave his approbation—and that of the Church—in a formal declaration:

(59) Narrator One:

We judge that the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two shepherds,
September 19, 1846, on a mountain of the Alps in the parish of La Salette
shows all the signs of truth and the faithful have grounds
for believing it indubitable and certain.

(Visual 19: panorama of La Salette mountains)

(60) Narrator Two:

She came no deeper into our smoky atmosphere
than those blue skies, those mountain peaks,
the innocent eyes of two shepherd children,
young as wild flowers, born to be dazzled by no earthly glitter.

(61) The Lady:

(offstage) You will make this message known to all my people.

(62) Narrator One: