The Hands of the Virgin of the Poor

(Our Lady of Banneux)

 

Venerable Aloysius Schwartz a great devotee of the Virgin of the Poor dedicated the two Congregations he founded as well as his charity works the Boystown and Girlstown under the Patronage of Our Lady of Banneux.

When I was still in Boystown I remember that when we enter the main lobby of the buildings we are welcomed by the statue of the Blessed Virgin of the Poor that were placed there. We usually touch the hands of Our Lady and make a sign of the Cross each time we pass through her image. Some saints would pray short prayers or at least pray one Hail Mary but in our case we are accustomed to touch her hands each time we pass through. Our Local Superior then urged us not to touch the hands of Our Lady anymore because the paint are being removed caused by so many individual touching the hands of the image and it requires them to repaint it again and again so it must stop ones in for all. The only thing that I remember is that this simple devotion of the students and teachers are still alive.

On the invocations of the Blessed Virgin of the Poor we ask her to bless us, like what she did at Banneux.  We touch her praying hands each time we pass to ask her to pray for each one of us.

Please bear with me I am not good in writing . (12K30)

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