Marian Feast Days June

1 - Our Lady of the Star, Aquileia, (15th century) The present at Aquileia, the location of the miracle of Our Lady of the Star, was built by the Patriarch Poppo in the 11th century, and rebuilt in the beautiful Gothic style in the 14th century. As the cathedral was built over the remains of the previous , the floor has magnificent mosaic paves dating from the 4th century, as well as ancient frescos. This feast day, Our Lady of the Star, is so called because of a miracle that occurred at Aquileia when Saint Bernardine arrived and began to preach. It is affirmed that a bright light similar to a star was seen on the head of St Bernardine, a star that was easily visible even during the hours of daylight when he preached at Aquileia, applying to the Blessed Virgin that passage of the Apocalypse where it is said that there were twelve stars on her head.

2 - Our Lady of Edessa, in Asia Minor (400) Saint Alexis, also known as Saint Alexius, is reputed to have been the son of a prominent Roman senator. Living in Rome in the 4th Century, Alexis was given an excellent education in his youth and saw his parents use their wealth to help the poor. As an adult, Alexis left Rome secretly and sailed to Syria and then journeyed to Edessa, where he began living as a common beggar at the entrance to a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Edessa. His family searched for him in vain for many years. Saint Alexis lived a beggar’s life, surviving off the meager alms he obtained each day after praying before the image of the Blessed Virgin at the shrine. He spent much of the rest of his time caring for the sick and infirm at Edessa’s hospital. He never his past or his name. One day the image venerated by Saint Alexis spoke to a sacristan, defending the saint while also revealing that Alexis was a “Man of God” and making known his holiness to all the people of Edessa. Suddenly venerated as a holy man by many, he fled the city for a place where he could remain unknown. He boarded a ship to Tarsus, but a storm forced the ship to the Italian coast. Seeing the hand of God in this he returned to his boyhood home in the city of Rome. His parents did not recognize their son but gave him modest employment and a miserable corner beneath the stairs where he could sleep. He revealed himself to no one, and never asked for anything more. Saint Alexis spent the remaining 17 years of his life as a stranger in his own home, suffering the contempt and buffets of his father’s servants in patience and humility. When Saint Alexis was found dead he held a scroll detailing the account of his life that God had commanded he put down in writing, and this document also revealed his identity. Alexis' parents were deeply saddened to learn that the beggar who had lived beneath the stairs and eaten the scraps from their table had actually been their own son, though they also realized that he was a saint who had suffered all for the love of God. He has also long been considered the patron saint of pilgrims and beggars.

3 - Our Lady of Sasopoli, Italy (14th century) As the stories put it, “in ancient times” a little shrine stood on a hill and it contained a tablet depicting the Blessed Virgin and the Child. And the plaque is, according to experts, a work of the Giotto School. Two young girls were praying at the shrine for their father to be healed when Our Lady appeared to them. Their father was healed and brought to the shrine where Mary told him to build a church on that spot. The man and his daughters spread the story of his recovery and of how the Virgin had appeared, but few believed them and nothing was done about the church. Then on August 15, the feast of the Assumption, when a goodly number where gathered at the shrine, the Virgin appeared for the third time. She told them she was displeased at the delay and demanded that they get busy and build her a church. Since the Virgin had appeared on the stone, and moreover, insisted that the church be erected on that very spot, it was natural the church and the image be called del Sasso or Our Lady of Sasopoli, Our Lady of the Stone.

4 - Our Lady of the Hill or Mountain, Lombardy, Italy (4th century) The sanctuary of the Sacred Hill at Varese in Lombardy, Italy, is said to have had its origin in a built there to commemorate Our Lady’s appearing to Saint Ambrose of Milan during the later fourth-century. Saint Ambrose, a bishop as well as an early Church Father, fought heroically against the Ayrian heresy for a good part of his life. The heresy of Arianism takes its name from a heretic named Arius, who taught falsely that the Son of God was a mere creature, created by God and distinct from the Father. Saint Ambrose was also a great proponent of Mary, the Mother of God. It is believed that the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Ambrose during the time of the Ayrian conflict, and that the saint built the first chapel, Our Lady of the Hill, in that place at the request of the Mother of God, but also in thanksgiving for his victories while theologically refuting the heretical propositions of Arianism.

5 - Our Lady of Haut In 1428, Our Lady of Haut, in Hainault, France, restored a child to life after it had been dead several days to receive Holy Baptism. He lived five hours after receiving the sacrament and then melted away by degrees, like snow, in the presence of seventy-five persons. The have perpetuated Haut or Hainault by erecting a monastery where daily and hourly the praises of Mary are sung in the canonical hours. Miracles still occur at the shrine of Our Lady of Haut.

6 - Institution of the Nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, by St. Francis de Sales (1610) The Institute of the nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, or the Order of the Visitation, were founded at Annecy, in Savoy, on June 6th of the year 1610, by Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, who was the first religious of the order. The institute was a contemplative order founded for young women and widows who felt they were called to the religious life, yet also felt that they did not have the ability to bear the austerities demanded by the other major religious orders. They were all women dedicated to prayer who sought to serve God in spirit and in truth, but the order especially honors the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Visitation. Initially, the order had no name, but was formed as a refuge for women who desired to dedicate their lives to doing works of charity. It began with four religious in a house that Saint Francis de Sales provided the new order that was located close to Lake Annecy, and soon there were ten more who joined as novices. St Francis decided upon the name of the order. The foremost virtue he exhorted the sisters to practice was humility, as he said himself, “humility is the fountain of all other virtues; don’t limit humility, make of it the principal one of all your actions.”

7 - Our Lady of Marienthal, Germany (13th Century) Marienthal is located perhaps an hour from the city of Hagenau, and is one of the many famous places of pilgrimage in the Alsace region of France. Our Lady of Marienthal has been visited by pilgrims for many centuries, and an old chronicle tells of wonderful miracles that were granted on behalf of many of the believers who visited the ancient church. The benevolent Virgin Mary obtained grace there for all of the afflicted, and when sinners called upon her for assistance they would inevitably find comfort and mercy. There was no pain which was not relieved, no accident that was not mended, not a hope that was disappointed. The crippled and lame could pray there in that time and return home healed, leaving their crutches behind in the church. The blind were illuminated and regained their sight, and the deaf heard again. Mothers obtained the health of their children; young people who had lost their peace of mind through sin found forgiveness and regained their peace of mind; sailors in the dangers of the sea and the soldiers in the bloody battle called upon the assistance of the loving mother of Marienthal, and never in vain. The church was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation and French Revolution but restored by Jesuits. Most young Alsatian and Lorraine soldiers go to the church at Marienthal before they begin their service to implore the protection of the Blessed Virgin. Even today you can see the parents of those who miraculously escaped death in battles and engagements kneeling before the to thank God and to read their thanks aloud.

8 - Our Lady of Alexandria, Egypt (4th Century) This feast day celebrates Our Lady of Alexandria, commemorating a church built in Alexandria, Egypt, to honor the Blessed Mother, by Saint Peter, who was patriarch of the city in the year 310. Saint Peter of Alexandria was the sixteenth Archbishop of Alexandria in a line beginning with Saint Mark the Evangelist in the year 300, and governed for twelve years until his martyrdom. He is remembered as a man of extraordinary virtue and a profound knowledge of the Holy Scriptures who led the Church during the Diocletian persecutions. As if that were not trial enough, he fought against heretical bishops such as Meletius and Arius, whom he excommunicated. Saint Peter was a stalwart bishop, and there is no doubt as to who was his heavenly advocate - Our Lady of Alexandria.

9 - Our Lady of Ligny, Loraine, France Our Lady of Ligny, near Bar le Duc, in Lorraine. This image is very famous for the frequent miracles which are wrought there. Ligny-en-Barrois is a French town with a population of about 5,000 located in north-eastern France. Each year the town celebrates its patron saint, Our Lady of Virtues, on the 5th Sunday after . The portrait of the Blessed Virgin has been at Ligny since 1459, and the year 2009 marked its 550th anniversary. The history of the painting of Our Lady of Virtues, or Our Lady of Ligny, and the town of Ligny-en-Barrois, are closely interlinked. The portrait is a silk painting unlike any other portrait of the Blessed Virgin. It was originally known to be in the possession of Urban IV. During the French Revolution the church was confiscated then later sold and destroyed but Our Lady has protected the city during many conflicts. This protection seemed to continue through World War I, as, according to some, Our Lady of Virtues protected the city through four separate bombings that caused no deaths.

10 - Our Lady of Cranganor, India (52) In the East Indies stands the church and the shrine of Our Lady of Cranganor, which it is asserted, was built by one of the three Kings who visited the Divine Child and His Blessed Mother. India was one of the countries that had the privilege of receiving the light of Faith at the dawn of Christianity. History relates that Saint Thomas the Apostle came to India at Cranganor in 52 AD. There the are still known as Saint Thomas Faithful. Kerala, as the place is also known, is cut off by the mountain ranges from the rest of India, and has held firmly to the Faith. Nala-bat as the country is likewise called, may be translated as Mary’s country, Mary’s namesake. It is believed that when Saint Thomas came to Cranganor, he brought with him a picture of Our Lady, painted by Saint Luke; this was lost after Saint Thomas’ martyrdom, but later discovered in a cave at Little Mount, Madras, near the scene of his death. One may wonder why devotion to Mary took root and blossomed so strongly in Kerala – almost as though it met some deep religious and psychological need. Perhaps the reason for such spontaneous devotion is to be found in the position of the mother in the Hindu family. For while love, obedience, devotion and dependence on one’s mother are natural to all peoples and nations, in Cranganor the exalted position of the mother assumes singular, if not unique, proportions. The mother is everything in the family; to depend on her is a deep-rooted tendency of all children in Kerala. Much more than the father, the mother is the bread-winner in the family. She owns, buys, and sells property and governs the house without any consultation with the father; he may frequently be away, but she always remains at home in the house. Her brothers have no right to property, only a living allowance and accommodations. Now this matriarchal system has been carefully guarded by the majority of Hindus. It lies at the very heart of the traditional way of life in Kerala; a time-honored custom which has helped to give Marian devotion an easy welcome and speedy growth.

11 - Our Lady of Esquernes, Flanders (1162) The shrine of Our Lady of Esquernes lies a half league from Lille, in Flanders, France. This image began to work miracles about the year 1162, and is still greatly venerated for the wonders which Mary continues to work through her intercession. Legend tells that while the painter responsible for the image of Mary at the above mentioned shrine, was putting forth all his effort and talent to depict the Mother of God as beautiful as might be possible to conceive by the human mind. The Devil tried to intervene. The Virgin suspended the painter in mid-air until the Bishop arrived to pronounce exorcism, and the Evil One molested the painter no further.

12 - Apparition of Our Lady to St. Herman, France (13th Century) Saint Herman (1150?-1241) was a member of the Premonstratensian Order and a mystic. Born in Cologne, he was the son of Count Lothair of Meer, and his mother was Saint Hildegund. He was well educated, and it was known that from his earliest youth he spent all of his free time praying to the Blessed Virgin at the local church of Saint Mary. Once, while still a young boy, he innocently offered an apple saved from his own lunch to a statue of Our Lord, and was not surprised when a hand was extended and the apple was accepted. Other miracles from Our Lady are told about Herman. At age twelve Saint Herman went to the Norbertine, or Premonstratensian, house at Steinfeld, and was sent to continue his studies in the Netherlands because of his youth. Once he had completed his studies, he returned and was allowed to join the order and was made sacristan and also served in the refectory. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1958.

13 - Dedication of the Church of Our Lady of Sichem, Belgium (1604) After the Mohammedan conquest, Christianity practically disappeared from the district. The French made amends by erecting a shrine to Mary in the duchy of Louvain. The ancient statue of Our Lady of Sichem, or as Our Lady of 'Montaigu', which is the title more commonly used today, has been venerated in Belgium from very early times. The Mother of God rewarded the faithful magnanimously for their pious attention. According to legend, a shepherd boy originally found the statue of Our Lady after it had apparently fallen from a niche cut in an old oak tree. The statue was mysteriously too heavy for him to lift alone, so he ran to find his master, and have him return to help him replace the statue in its place in the old oak. It is said that in 1306 the Blessed Virgin Mary moved the hearts of the people by causing four drops of blood to flow from the eyes of the statue dedicated to her. This revived the faith of the people and increased their fervor. A small chapel was built beneath the tree, which was rebuilt in 1602, and the dedication of Our Lady of Sichem took place in the year 1604 by the Archbishop of Mechlin, Mathias Hovius.

14 - Our Lady of Arras, France (371) The original church built in 371 was destroyed in the French Revolution and a second church was also destroyed after that. The church that presently occupies the location was partially destroyed by shelling during the First World War in the year 1917, but was repaired in 1920. It can still be seen and visited to this very day. Arras is famous for a miracle that occurred in the year 371, which is recorded by no less a notable than Saint Jerome. In that time there was a great famine in the region, and the inhabitants of Arras turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary in prayer, begging for relief. The famine was relieved in a miraculous way, as “something like white wool, mixed with heavy rain, fell from heaven at Arras.” This substance was found to be in reality a heavenly bread, commonly called manna. Some remains of this manna were still to be seen in the church dedicated to Mary’s honor until the time of the French Revolution.

15 - Our Lady of the Taper, England (12th century) The original statue of Our Lady was found on the Welsh coast, standing near the sea. It was a simple little statue of the Blessed Virgin, her Son on her arm, with a burning taper in her other hand. Devotion to the image of Our Lady of the Taper began immediately. Several times the statue of Our Lady of the Taper was brought into Christ Church, Cardigan, but it always was mysteriously returned to the seashore. In 1158 a special chapel was finally built to accommodate Our Lady of the Taper, as the people began to understand that the Virgin Mary wished it to be there. The shrine is known to have been a place of pilgrimage long before the twelfth century. Benedictine monks lived there until 1538 when Oliver Cromwell had the monks evicted and destroyed the ancient statue, as he had ordered all images of Our Lady should be sent to London to be destroyed, and the devotion was unfortunately all but forgotten until the 20th century. Two replacement statues have been commissioned and a bronze statue was dedicated on the 18th of May 1986, Sunday, it was solemnly reinstated in the church. Pope John Paul II lit a blessed taper he had placed in the statues hand.

16 - Our Lady of Aix la Chapelle, Germany (804) The city of Aachen today is a quiet town but this was the town of Charlemagne (768-814), and it remained the capital of the Holy Roman Empire until the middle of the sixteenth century. Thirty-seven German Emperors were crowned in Aschen. One of the first desires and orders of Charlemagne was to build a because of his deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Our Lady of Aix la Chapelle, built by Charlemagne in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was consecrated by Leo II in the year 804. This was the same year the Saxons submitted to the emperor, and there were assembled three hundred and fifty prelates for the consecration ceremony. The church holds four so-called great relics that are locked in a shrine that was given to the church by Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century. These relics are the cloak of the Blessed Virgin, the swaddling clothes of the Infant , the loin cloth worn by Our Lord on the Cross, and the cloth on which lay the head of Saint John the Baptist following his beheading. These are exhibited only once in every seven years, and attract vast crowds of pilgrims.

17 - Our Lady of the Forest, Britanny, France (1419) Brittany is a land noted for its pilgrimages, and that of Folgoet is one of the foremost of them. In 1419 a church took the place of a small chapel of Our Lady in the Forest of Lesneven, and it became the center of a big ecclesiastical establishment, with a famous pilgrim-shrine. In 1380 a poor beggar would go to the chapel every night to pray and loudly sing “Ave Maria.” He was made fun of by the townspeople but after his death a beautiful lily grew on his grave engraved in gold with the words Ave Maria on the petals. Many came to see this and a church was built near there. The church burned in the French Revolution but was restored by the people in 1818 and the venerated image of Our Lady was brought back and crowned in 1888. The pilgrimage has grown in popularity ever since.

18 - Appearance of Our Lady to St Agnes of Montepulciano, Italy Saint Agnes of Montepulciano was born into a noble family in the village of Gracciano, Italy, in about the year 1268. A miracle occurred to demonstrate that she was a predestined soul, for it is recalled that burning torches appeared to illuminate her crib on the day she was born. Agnes was no more than four years old when she began seeking solitude where she could pray privately for many hours to Jesus, whom she already loved. At the age of nine Saint Agnes told her parents that she desired to enter the Dominican monastery at nearby Montepulciano. There are many miracles recorded involving St Agnes of Montepulciano. She frequently multiplied loaves, as Christ did in the gospels, to feed those in need. She had also apparently reached such a level of sanctity that invalids and those afflicted with different types of mental illness would be restored to health just by being brought into her presence. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Agnes and told her that she would one day found a large monastery based on faith in the Most High and undivided Trinity. She did in fact establish the convent under the Dominican rule, as she had been instructed by an angel, about the year 1300. The citizens of Montepulciano had built a new convent hoping to lure Agnes back to them. She governed there until her death. She died on April 20th, 1317, at the age of only 43. St Agnes of Montepulciano was solemnly canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Her feast day is April 20th.

19 - Our Lady of Monte Senario, Florence, Italy (1240) The cradle of the order of the Servants of Mary began at Monte Senario in the year 1233 in the city of Florence, Italy, by a group of Hermits now known as the Seven Holy Founders. They were sons from different wealthy families, and they retired from the world for a life of prayer and devotion to the praises of Mary. Leaving La Camarzia, a suburb of Florence, the seven went to Monte Senario in the region of Tuscany. Uncertain of what way of life to follow, they turned to Our Lady in prayer and supplication, and she appeared to them on the Feast of the Assumption in the year 1240. The Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Monte Senario, presented the Seven Holy Founders with the habit of their new order, and an angel stood nearby bearing a scroll that was marked, “Servants of Mary.” From that day in 1240, the seven were known as the Servants of Mary, the Order of Servants of Mary, or the Servites. Members of the order take solemn vows to especially honor the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The sorrows are, in order, the prophecy of , the , the loss of the Holy Child at Jerusalem, meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, Jesus taken down from the Cross, and the burial of Christ. The names of the Seven Holy Founders are Saint Alexis Falconieri, Saint Bartholomew degli Amidei, Saint Benedict dell’Antella, Saint Buonfiglio Monaldi, Saint Gherardino Sostegni, Saint Hugh dei Lippi-Uguccioni, and Saint John Buonagiunta Monetti.

20 - Our Lady of Consolation, Luxemburg (1624) The origin of the pilgrimage to Notre-Dame de Grace goes back to the eleventh century. According to tradition, in the year 1034, Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, was sailing to England. He was suddenly assailed by a violent storm, and at the height of the danger he promised to build three and devoted to the Blessed Virgin if he returned safely to his lands. The storm ended at once, and the prince immediately returned home to take care of his vow. He built one of the chapels promised near his castle, and dedicated it to Our Lady of Mercy. Another he built near Caen, which he called Notre-Dame de la Deliverance, and the third he built on the plateau overlooking Honfleur, which was named Notre Dame de Grace. This chapel near Honfleur soon became a busy place of pilgrimage. There is an authentic document at the church from King Louis XI dated January 28, 1478, and letters showing that the chapel was endowed with a certain tract of land containing a house, a barn, etc. The chapel partially collapsed, and the sea swallowed part of the cliff near the church during a violent earthquake that occurred on September 29, 1538. Only a section of one wall, the altar, and the statue of the Virgin Mary remained standing, but such was the devotion of the people to this special place that many pilgrims continued to come and pray kneeling amid the debris. Unfortunately the landslides did not cease, so finally, in 1602, the last vestiges of the sanctuary were removed to prevent the faithful from exposing their lives to the unremitting danger. The Capuchins took possession on March 16, 1621 but during the French Revolution all religious communities were destroyed.

21 - Our Lady of Matarieh, Egypt At Grand Cairo in Egypt is seen a miraculous fountain which Our Lady obtained by her prayers when she fled to Egypt with , her spouse, and the Divine Child, to escape Herod’s wicked designs. St Peter Chrysologus tells us that “this journey was so arduous that the very angels were struck with wonder when they beheld the Savior required to make it.” It is held by tradition that at Matarieh the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Matarieh, washed the swaddling clothes of the Infant Jesus and bathed him. It still displays miraculous powers. Matarieh is five miles Northeast of Cairo; here grew also the famous balsam trees, the oil of which was used in Baptism.

22 - Our Lady of Narni, Italy (15th century) At Narni in Italy, there is a shrine to Our Blessed Mother. It is said the image spoke to Blessed Lucy, to whom Mary gave the Infant to hold, while Lucy venerated the Mother and Child. Born in 1476, Blessed Lucy lived in the town of Narni in Italy. As a small child she preferred religious articles to toys. Mary appeared to Lucy when she was five and seven. Lucy married to appease her parents but her husband agreed to respect her vow of virginity. Lucy’s husband took the habit of St. Francis and Lucy, at the request, established a convent in Ferrara. Lucy was marked with the stigmata of Christ and suffered much physically as well as spiritually. The members of her community for thirty-eight years were prejudiced against the saint, but Our Lady frequently consoled and strengthened her with visions. She died on November 15, 1544 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XIII. A shrine to Our Lady of Narni was erected in memory of Blessed Lucy. Our Heavenly Mother granted many miracles after the death of Lucy showing how pleasing she was to her and her Divine Son. Four years after her death, Lucy's body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt.

23 - Our Lady of Justinienneat Carthage (6th century) This feast refers to a church known as Our Lady of Justinienne, built at Carthage by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was to her that he attributed both of his victories over the Vandals. Emperor Justinian was known as a great builder of monuments and churches, and Our Lady of Justinienne was built in honor of the Blessed Virgin in Carthage. Justinian's reign was a long one, and by the time of his death he had constructed many splendid edifices to the glory of God. He built the great church of Holy Wisdom, the “Hagia Sophia,” at after the former building was destroyed during the Nike Revolt. The Hagia Sophia, with its huge dome, is still one of the architectural marvels of the world.

24 - Our Lady of Clos Evrard, Trier, Germany (1449) The shrine of Our Lady of Clos Evrard is in the city of Trier, which is called Treves in the English language. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded before the time of Christ on the bank of the Moselle River. An image of the Blessed Virgin was fastened to an oak tree by a wine-dresser, who wished to honor Mary; but Our Lady ordered him to build a small hut in her honor. The miracles which where wrought there caused this hut first to be changed into a little chapel, and finally into a church which was dedicated to Our Lady of Clos Evrard in the year 1449 by James de Siruq, Archbishop of Trier, who strove to restore order to the confused finances of the diocese. Trier boasted of having Christian citizens as early as the second century, and had a bishop in the third.

25 - Divine Motherhood of Our Lady, declared at the in 431 In the year 431, the council of Ephesus, declared that the Blessed Virgin must be called Mother of God. As the Archbishop Cyril stated, “The Word was made flesh” can mean nothing else but that he partook of flesh and blood like to us; he made our body his own, and came forth man from a woman, not casting off his existence as God, or his generation of God the Father, but even in taking to himself flesh remaining what he was. This is the declaration of the correct faith proclaimed everywhere. This was the sentiment of the holy Fathers; therefore they ventured to call the holy Virgin the Mother of God, not as if the nature of the Word or his divinity had its beginning from the holy Virgin, but because of her was born that holy body with a rational soul, to which the Word being personally united is said to be born according to the flesh.” The title of Mother of God with which the honors Mary, is not only the source of incomparable greatness in her, it is also a potent means to ground us firmly in the possession of the true Faith, and to bring us to a more perfect knowledge of God.

26 - Our Lady of Meliapore, East Indies (1542) This is the shrine in the East Indies, where Saint Francis Xavier often retired to pray during his eleven years with the people of India. The Blessed Virgin Mary was Francis’ constant source of strength and inspiration. The image before which Saint Francis used to pray is called Mylai Matha in Tamil, or Our Lady of Mylapore in English. It is an ancient statue about three feet tall, Our Lady of Meliapore can still be venerated at the church. The church of Saint Thomas of Mylapore – spelled somewhat differently from the above – contains Mary’s shrine. According to tradition, the Apostle Saint Thomas came to India in 52 AD. Due to his success making converts to the True Faith, he was persecuted and finally martyred in the year 72 AD. Saint Thomas is buried at the shrine of Our Lady of Meliapore, and there are relics of Saint Francis Xavier. It was at Mary’s shrine that Francis obtained the miraculous favors to raise people from the dead, cure the sick, convert sinners and bring to Christ thousands of souls. Regardless of where his journeying took him, Francis always returned to his “Lady of the Wayside;” at Miliapore. Our Lady of Meliapore was his most beloved Mother and from her he received consolation and strength, spiritual delights second only to the joys of Paradise. The spirit of Francis is still at this shrine, and Mary continues to bestow upon her children miraculous graces and blessings.

27 - Our Lady of Perpetual Help ( 13th Century) The name of Our Lady of Perpetual Help derives from one of the most famous of all pictures of Mary, an icon of the fourteenth century painted on walnut wood perhaps in Crete; from where it was thought to have been stolen by an Italian merchant and brought to Rome. It was venerated, famous for miracles in the Roman Church of Saint Matthew, in charge of the Irish for a century, when the church was destroyed by fire. The picture was saved, however, and in 1866 it was set up in the Redemptorist Church of Saint Alphonsus, on the site of Saint Matthew’s. In the following year it was crowned. Since then numberless copies and reproductions of the icons have gone all over the world, some of them themselves wonder-working. Two angels in the picture, Michael and Gabriel, are showing the instruments of the passion to the Child, who clings to the Mother’s hand, shaking loose a sandal. The Mother reassuringly holds tightly to the Child’s hand. What does the loosened sandal mean? All babies manage to kick off their shoes, and the Christ child was a perfectly human baby. There is a meaning in his act, however, for His is more than just a human baby. If it were not for this loosened sandal, the picture would not be a complete one. In the Old Law, the putting off of the shoe meant (1) the yielding of one’s right to another, (2) the wish to be treated as a servant or a captive, (3) readiness for reproach or infamy. As the Child looks at the frightening instruments, and clings to His Mother’s hand, the little shoe slips from His baby foot and He says His Fiat – “Not my will but Thine be done.” A tapestry of this icon is in the Daily Chapel at St. Alphonsus Liguori Church.

28 - Institution of the of Our Lady, Europe ( 1456) The institution of the Angelus occurred June 28-29, about 1456 by Pope Callistus. The Turks had been threatening Europe and it was the Pope’s request that the Faithful recite the Angelus for the safety of Christendom against the Turks, and for peace. The Angelus was first recited about sunset, a general practice throughout Europe in the first half of the 14th century, recommended by Pope John XXI. The morning Angelus seems to have started somewhat later, again, for peace. The recitation of the midday Angelus began sometime in the 14th or 15th century; it was called the “Peace Bell.” This present-day custom of reciting the Angelus is a short practice of devotion in honor of the Incarnation, repeated three times each day, morning, noon, and evening, at the sound of the church bell. The 500th anniversary of the institution of the Angelus by Pope Callistus III, was a reminder to recite the centuries old prayer for peace and for the protection of the Christian world from the Red menace of Communism.

29 - Our Lady of Buglose, France (1634) Located about two leagues from Acqe in Glascony is the shrine containing a miraculous image of Our Lady of Buglose. The original shrine of Notre Dame de Buglose was burned and completely destroyed by the Huguenots, and the statue of Our Lady was hidden in a marsh. The exact location of the statue was eventually forgotten, as was the memory even that the place had once been the location of a shrine in honor of the Blessed Virgin. Years later, a shepherd led his herd into the marshes and observed that one of his oxen did not go with the others, but went into an area of the marsh alone and began to bellow in a strange manner. The shepherd climbed a tree to see what was happening, and saw the ox licking an unknown object that was half buried in the mud. Not understanding the mystery, he ran into town to bring others back with him to see what had happened. When the shepherd returned, the statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the baby Jesus in her arms had been revealed. It was respectfully removed from the water, and the bishop of Dax desired to take the image to his church in Pouy. He placed the statue in a cart that was pulled by oxen to transport it back to Pouy. The procession began with hymns and prayers, but had only gone a short distance when the oxen stopped and would not move any further. It was understood that the Blessed Virgin desired that her image should stay near the fountain. The bishop accepted the revelation as a divine order, and thanks to the zeal and enthusiastic support of the people living in the region, a new church was built with prodigious speed. The shrine was for a long time popular as a place of pilgrimage in France; now it is further renowned as the birthplace of Saint Vincent de Paul. The house where he was born and where he spent his boyhood is still shown. There have been many miracles at the shrine. There is a fountain near the chapel marking the place where the statue of Our Lady of Buglose was found buried. The above pilgrimage is merely a side issue for pilgrims on their way to the famous shrine of Our Lady where miracles are still granted to pious devotees.

30 - Our Lady of Calais, France (1347) For a whole year the town of Calais in France was besieged by the English, who had lost many troops during the siege. Starvation finally forced the French to consider giving up, but the English King, Edward III, would not accept their surrender unless six citizens of Calais came before him bare-headed, bare-footed, dressed in rough shirts, and each with a halter about his neck. He demanded the keys of Calais, and that these men accept his pleasure, however severe, before the rest of the citizens would receive any mercy. The entire population prayed to Our Lady of Calais, which had been damaged during the war. Those who could do so knelt at her shrine. This shrine had been built by the English while they ruled city for two hundred and ten years. No one wanted to give his life in such a manner. Finally a nobleman stepped forward and offered his head as a ransom to the English king so that the city of Calais should be spared. Five others then volunteered, all dressed as the king had demanded. When they stood before the irate king he angrily reminded them of the losses he had suffered through their stubbornness; then he ordered the six citizens to be beheaded. The king’s warriors pleaded with him to spare the men, but in vain. Then Queen Philippa arose from her seat beside the king, and kneeling before him with tears streaming down her cheeks, pleaded: “My lord and husband, I have crossed the sea through many dangers to be with you. Let me now pray you to have pity on these six prisoners.” After a few minutes of deep thought the king declared: “Madam, I wish you had been elsewhere this day. I cannot deny the boon you ask me. Take these men and dispose of them as you will.” The gracious queen gave the six hostages better clothing, each a certain amount of money, and had them safely brought back through the lines and set at liberty to return home. The king, humiliated at his queen’s mercy, spared the town. Queen Philippa was a figure of Our Lady, interceding for these men and obtaining mercy for them just as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Gate of Heaven, will do for us if we make her our advocate before God. From that time on Our Lady of Calais was ever more recognized as the merciful Mother of Calais.