Banneux shrine: people come here to seek union with God in their trials

The apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Banneux, Belgium, were acknowledged by the Church on August 22, 1949. The Virgin Mary appeared eight times to Mariette Beco and introduced herself to the young girl as “the Virgin of the Poor”.

On the evening of Sunday January 15, 1933, as Mariette sat at the kitchen window to wait for her little brother to come home, she saw a beautiful young woman who seemed to be "made of light".

“Look, Mom! It's the Blessed Virgin! She's all smiles!” Mariette grabbed her rosary and began to pray.

At the last apparition, on March 2, 1933, the Lady said, “I am the Mother of the Savior, Mother of God. Pray much!”

Pope John Paul II visited Banneux on May 21, 1985, to celebrate Holy Mass with the sick. In his homily, he emphasized that “today's poor....feel at home in Banneux. They come here to seek comfort, courage, hope and union with God in their ordeal.”

Father Jean-Bernard Hayet

Parish priest of Saint Joseph des Falaises - Bidart

Homily of January 15, 2010