January 15th - Our Lady of Banneux, Virgin of the Poor

[Weedy]

January 15th - Our Lady of Banneux, Virgin of the Poor

Today marks the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Blessed
Mother at Banneux, Belgium. On January 15, 1933, eleven year old
Mariette Beco, the eldest of seven children born to a poor Belgian
family, was reportedly looking for her younger brother Julien, who was
late to arrive home. At around seven o’clock in the evening, while
staring out her kitchen window, Mariette was surprised to see the
luminous figure of a beautiful young woman. Mariette described this
woman as “made of light.” She was dressed in white, with a light blue
sash, and a golden Rosary over her arms which were joined in prayer.

While the Beco family was Catholic, they neither went to church nor
prayed. Mariette had years earlier found a Rosary on the street, and
always carried it with her, although she did not know how to pray with
it. Upon spotting the woman through her window, Mariette called out to
her mother, “Our Blessed Lady is smiling at me.” Mariette removed her
Rosary from her pocket and began to pray while watching the
apparition. The Blessed Virgin’s lips were moving, but Mariette could
not understand her, and felt called outside to be closer to the
apparition. Her mother, however, unable to discern the figure her
daughter saw, forbade her to leave the house out of fear.

Mariette told her father, friends, and the local priest the following
morning what she had seen, but was greeted with disbelief.

Our Lady of Banneux, the Virgin of the Poor, would appear to Mariette
seven more times over the course of the next month. Her message each
time was to pray for the poor, the sick, for sinners.


Bible Quote:
18 But the path of the just is like shining light,
that grows in brilliance till perfect day.*
19The way of the wicked is like darkness;
they do not know on what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:18-19)


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From the official site of Our Lady of Banneux, a prayer for intercession:

Blessed Virgin of the Poor, lead us to Jesus, Source of grace.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, save all nations.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, relieve the sick.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, alleviate suffering.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, pray for each one of us.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, we believe in you.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, believe in us.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, we will pray hard.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, bless us.
Blessed Virgin of the Poor, Mother of the Saviour Mother of God, we thank You.


Mary, Virgin of the Poor,
You lead us to Jesus, source of grace, and you come to alleviate our suffering.
We implore you with confidence: Help us to follow your Son with
generosity, and to belong to Him unreservedly.
Help us to welcome the Holy Spirit Who guides and sanctifies us.
Obtain us the grace to look like Jesus everyday more, so that our life
will glorify the Father and contribute to the salvation of our
Brothers. Amen.