Seventeen years ago a struggling musician, browsing through an array of castoffs in a seamy thrift shop,
caught sight of a broken and defaced statue of the Virgin Mary.
A mix of anger and sadness came over her as she took in the scene of a tawdry Halloween basket slung
mockingly over Our Lady's arm, replacing the chalice she once held.
Without hesitation, the woman scraped together her last seven dollars and bought the statue, rescuing it
from further public disdain.
The full import of the street singer's act of love and reparation is impossible to measure. You see, along
the way others chose to become part of the story; the ripple effect carried the statue through another
decade of veneration, even as it continued to deteriorate.
Amazingly, when the statue was broken into pieces and seemingly beyond repair, it was unexpectedly
restored in 2006 by a Discalced Carmelite nun.
Fashioned in the early 20th century, the statue has re-emerged in the 21th century with a new mission
for the healing of families and the sanctification of priests. It's transformation is the subject of a story; the
story is the backdrop for teachings of the faith; the teachings, by God's grace, are renewing faith in the
Eucharist, center of the Christian family, and the priesthood.
Today, replicas of the statue are visiting parishes and homes bringing hope and healing.
(Our thanks to Kathleen Keefe of the Peace Through Divine Mercy Apostolate for this information.)
