Devotion to Maria Bambina

Brief history of Maria SS. Child

The historical origins of the cult of the nativity of Mary are not well known; the first traces belong to the eastern liturgy. If we Westerners open the calendar of the Eastern Greek Church, we discover that the liturgical year does not begin in late November and in advent, but with 1st September. In this way, the first great feast of the new year of the Christian east is that of the birth of Mary. The Latins, first of all the Romans, around the eighth century, took this feast from the Greeks, which will then spread from Rome to the whole Western Church. In Milan, the cult of the nativity of Mary seems to date back to the 20th century, while the cathedral dedicated to 'nascent Maria' will be consecrated on 1572 October XNUMX by San Carlo Borromeo. Not far from the cathedral, in the general house of the Sisters of Charity, in via santa Sofia, a sanctuary opens where, in a cradle of gilded bronze, a miraculous image of Maria Bambina is kept. Is OuaI the origin and story of the simulacrum? Around the years 1720-1730 Sister Isabella Chiara Fornari, Franciscan of Todi, modeled wax faces of the baby Jesus and the baby Mary; this was an expression of the devotion to the mysteries of the infancy of Jesus and Mary, typical of the eighteenth century. A wax simulacrum, depicting Mary in swaddling clothes, was donated to Msgr. Alberico Simonetta and, at his death (1739), the effigy passed to the Capuchin nuns of Santa Maria degli angeli in Milan, who disclosed his devotion. The years from 1782 to 1842 mark the suppression, decreed first by the emperor Joseph II and then by Napoleon, of the various religious congregations. The simulacrum is brought by some Capuchin nuns to the convent of the Augustinians, then by the lateran Canonichesse; Don Luigi Bosisio will then be entrusted to the parish priest, so that he can transmit it to a religious institute that can keep his devotion alive. This simulacrum will have, as its penultimate port, a place of suffering: the Ciceri hospital in Milan. There he will be entrusted by Bosisio to Sister Teresa Bosio, superior of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere (Bg), religious congregation founded in 1832 by Bartolomea Capitanio. These nuns whom the people would later call 'di Maria Bambina', present in Milan since March 1842, had been called by card. Gaysruck for hospital care. At Ciceri, nuns and the sick soon turned to Maria Bambina for strength, hope and protection. In 1876, following the transfer of the generalate house and the novitiate, the simulacrum will pass in via santa Sofia. The effigy of Maria Bambina has now passed the century: the wax face appears discolored and worn out by time; it is thus replaced with another image, while the original one will be restated on 8 September each year inside the religious house. It is 1884 ... In the chronicle of the year we read: "... it was seven o'clock on September 9, 1884 ... The mother went to the infirmary to visit the sick and, having taken the holy simulacrum, went from bed to bed, offering it to nuns sick because I kiss him. Giulia Macario arrives at the postulant, who has been aggravated for several days. This strives to approach the Celestial Child, with affectionate words she asks for healing. Immediately you feel a mysterious shudder all over your body. 'I am healed!' He exclaims. Get up and walk. " Since then, the 'day of the miracle' has been celebrated on 9 September each year.

These facts give way to a new period of devotion to Maria Bambina:

1885 - June 2: the simulacrum is transported to a larger chapel, to facilitate the flow to the faithful;
1886 - 6 February: Msgr. A. Polin, bishop of Adria and Rovigo, celebrates Holy Mass for the first time before the sacred effigy;
1887 - May 24: in Brescia the first church dedicated to the Institute by Maria Bambina is blessed;
1888 - September 8: the simulacrum is transported to a new chapel in the Generalate of Milan.

Years have been marked by a rush of faithful: popular devotion extends. Numerous graces obtained. In 1904, the then superior general, Sister Angela Ghezzi, asked for and obtained permission from the Holy See to crown the miraculous simulacrum. The ceremony takes place on May 31 of the same year: card. Ferrari, assisted by other bishops, puts a golden diadem on the small effigy. The gesture is interpreted by many, and in particular by the religious, as a response of the Virgin to the prayer that, a long time ago, the young founder Bartolomea Capitanio had addressed to Mary, inviting her to "lift the tender little hand from the cradle" and to bless everyone . Maria Bambina accompanies the sad and happy events of the following years: these are the years of the First World War and the post-war period. On September 9, 1934, the fiftieth anniversary of the first miracle is celebrated and on April 26, 1935, the Jubilee Mass of Redemption is celebrated in the sanctuary, chosen among the 72 major sanctuaries of the archdiocese. The people are gathered in prayer to obtain the gift of peace. The Second World War breaks out. On November 21, 1942, in the middle of the war, on the day on which the centenary of the entrance of the simulacrum into the institute occurs, Pope Pius XII exhorts the nuns to “implore from the Celestial Child the return of that peace in which waiting the whole world bleeds and groans "(Vatican, 13 November 1942). The situation, however, worsens: the war reaps victims and causes pain, despair and destruction. Milan, like many other large cities, becomes a place of reprisals and a target for numerous bombings. It is feared for the fate of the simulacrum. In February 1943 he was transported to Maggianico di Lecco, while on 15-16 August a violent bombing attacked the city; the sanctuary and part of the general house are destroyed. Under the rubble there are numerous twisted and blackened ex votos: they will be collected as 'fragments' of hope and of sure protection of the Virgin. With the reconstruction of the house, the simulacrum returns to Milan in a temporary location. On 5 October 1951 the first stone of the new sanctuary was laid, which was consecrated on 20 and 21 November 1953 by card. Ildefonso Schuster, archbishop of Milan. There it will find its worthy place. The story of love, prayer and trust extends to the present day: Mary Child continues to be in the Church "hope and dawn of salvation". In the week of 8 to 15 September 1984 the centenary of the first miracle is celebrated and on November 4 following Pope John Paul II, present in Milan for the conclusion of the celebrations in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, visits the sanctuary, entrusting the institute “ that delivery "that comes from his heart:" There is a chapter in Marian spirituality that seems especially open to your contemplation: Mary Child. A little known mystery. I think you have a great task: to deepen this mystery ". From that day on, in front of the small image of Mary, a lamp burns “pro pontiff our Joanne Paulo”.

NOVENA and PRAYERS TO MARY GIRL (click)

Ave Maria Child

Hail, Mary Child, little Father's
Your face radiates the Divine Grace of God
while the moon reflects the sun while you sleep,
the Angels around your cradle sing sweet melodies,
Help me to call him Father and to respect his commandments

Hello Mary Child, modest dawn of the Holy Spirit
your approval, one day, you will give the angel who will kneel at your side
while I wander like a lost sheep along the path of life
place your very small and delicate hand in mine and lead me to the house

Hello Mary Child, Virgin and Mother of the Son
now, Your young life rests in the cradle
one day, you will rise to your feet under His Cross in the depths of Your pain.
Oh my God, Holy and Triune, I love to meditate on YOUR existence
how I love to sing YOUR little girl Maria Benedetta,
who is YOUR daughter and also YOUR pure bride
and mother of YOUR Son.