Mary of the Day (October 24, 1879) – Notre-Dame de Pitié, Saint Martin d’Heuille, Nièvre, Burgundy, France

On October 24, 1879, in the Nevers area of central France, people brought a lifeless child to St. Martin’s Church. They set the little corpse at the foot of the altar of Our Lady of Sorrow (the Pietà), where the words “AFFLICTIS SPES UNICA REBUS” (the only hope in all affliction) were carved below a pietà statue from the 1500s. Falling to their knees, they sang the Salve Regina: “Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, our hope…” Suddenly the child came to life. Color returned to his face; he opened his eyes. He stayed alive long enough to receive the sacrament of baptism, assuring his family that his soul would go to heaven rather than limbo. This miracle is commemorated with an annual pilgrimage on the third Sunday of September.

FONTI:

Information from missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/10/24.php.

Picture from Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine (archives photographiques), www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/memoire_fr?

Pictures from www.web-croqueur.fr

Articles from http://www.wherewewalked.info/feasts/10-October/10-24.htm